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Kevin Keatts Talks With Media Before UNCG: BULLETED

Published

4 years ago

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Head Coach Kevin Keatts met with the media today before NC State hits the road to play UNC-Greensboro on Sunday. You can watch the video here, or check out a bulleted breakdown below.

  • With us, it’s been a good week for us.
    • Even though I do think we’re playing good basketball because we’re only playing 8 guys in a game, we needed the week to be able to get some guys some rest.
    • We needed the week for some guys to study and take care of their academics.
    • Tried to break the week up.
      • The 1st couple of days, we got some shots up, and toward the end of this week, we started working toward UNCG.
  • Jericole Hellems hasn’t practiced.
    • I will see him this morning. On the road recruiting yesterday, and I haven’t seen him since 2 days ago.
    • Probably be a game-time decision.
      • Got to make sure with our doctors and trainers that he’s fully healthy to be able to go.
      • He’s got to feel good about it, but I also have to feel good about it.
    • Had a low-grade concussion. Passed a couple of tests for the concussion.
    • As far as his back goes, it was great news. No fractures.
  • Probably going to be a 7-man rotation against UNC-G.
    • Danny Dixon was able to go a couple of days ago and was able give us something in practice.
    • If Jericole doesn’t play, then hopefully we can get something out of Danny, which will give us the ability to play D.J. Funderburk a little bit at the 4-spot.
  • It’s good to have the opportunity to be able to play on that court (UNC-G) because we will play the ACC Tournament there.
  • Head Coach Wes Miller has done a good job at UNC-G.
    • They’ve gotten great wins over the years.
      • Beat Georgetown at Georgetown this year.
      • Kansas game was a really great game all the way up until the end.
      • Won against really good mid-major teams on the road.
      • We have the chance to go on the road and play against a very good mid-major team.
    • It’s a game that will be looked upon as a very good non-conference game for us.
  • UNC-G plays with a lot of confidence.
    • Has some veteran guys.
      • James Dickey is a tremendous shot-blocker.
      • Isaiah Miller’s a very good player overall.
    • They shoot the basketball from 4 different positions.
    • Take a lot of threes
    • Tremendous job of mixing defenses up with a 1-2-2 press back to a man-to-man and sometimes zone.
      • They slow you down with their defensive press. They only have to defend you for 17-20 seconds, and if you get a little bit careless they’ll steal the ball from you.
  • In regards to the loss to UNC-G 2 years ago, I care, but the players don’t.
    • They don’t know anything about it. They don’t remember the game.
    • I do. I didn’t realize that we were playing without Markell Johnson.
    • To their credit, they came on the road and got a very good road win.

 

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Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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14 hours ago

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April 25, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) has committed to NC State!

Hill took an Official Visit to NC State this past weekend.

This past season, Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons. He earned 1st Team All-MAC honors. Even though he was only at Bowling Green one season, he had one of the best seasons in school history, scoring 698 points, which ranks 5th all-time in program history for a single season.

For his first two years of collegiate ball, Hill played for Southern Union State College (JUCO) in Alabama. In 2022-23, Hill earned 3rd Team NJCAA All-American honors, and ranked as the #32 overall Junior College prospect.

247Sports ranks Hill as a 4-Star Transfer Prospect, and the #81 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruiting him as a Point Guard.

Hill is the 4th player to transfer to NC State this offseason, joining Louisville’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield & Mike James, and Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles.

With the addition of Hill, NC State now has 1 scholarship remaining for next season.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Will Not Return to NC State for Final Season

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2 days ago

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April 24, 2024

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NC State Forward Mohamed Diarra will not be returning to NC State for his final season of eligibility. Rather, he will give 100% of his focus to pursuing his professional career.

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Diarra is declaring for the NBA Draft, and will explore that possibility as far as it goes, but the likelihood of him playing professionally in his home country of France are high.

Diarra was a significant player for NC State all season long, averaging 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (team high), but his impact in March was tremendous, recording 10+ rebounds in 7 of the Wolfpack’s 10 postseason games, and five of those performances were double-doubles.

Wolfpack fans will always remember the grit and mental toughness that Diarra put on display in the NCAA Tournament, playing game-after-game while fasting for Ramadan.

The Wolfpack’s frontcourt just got a little bit thinner. In the past two weeks, NC State has lost Diarra and Ernest Ross.  Ben Middlebrooks is returning, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield transferred in from Louisville. Dontrez Styles transferred in from Georgetown, and while he is more of a Small Forward, in certain lineups, he could play the Small 4 position. With all that being said, I fully expect NC State to try to find another post player in the Transfer Portal with Diarra’s exodus now official.

With Diarra not returning in 2024, NC State now has 2 scholarships available for next season.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

Published

3 days ago

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April 23, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) has announced his commitment to NC State!

 

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A post shared by Tipton Edits (@tiptonedits)

This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.

James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.

News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining. With James’ commitment, NC State currently has 1 scholarship available for next season.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill is on a Visit to NC State

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3 days ago

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April 22, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) confirmed with me that he is currently on a visit at NC State.

Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons this season. He earned 1st Team All-MAC honors. Even though he was only at Bowling Green one season, he had one of the best seasons in school history, scoring 698 points, which ranks 5th all-time in program history for a single season.

For his first two years of collegiate ball, Hill played for Southern Union State College (JUCO) in Alabama. In 2022-23, Hill earned 3rd Team NJCAA All-American honors, and ranked as the #32 overall Junior College prospect.

247Sports ranks Hill as a 4-Star Transfer Prospect, and the #78 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

According to a source, the NC State Coaching Staff is extremely high on Hill, and they are recruiting him as a Point Guard.

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