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It’s time to take the reins off Manny Bates

Published

4 years ago

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It’s not clear whether Kevin Keatts has limited Manny Bates’ minutes because he’s a freshman, because of his injury history, because of fear of foul-outs, or because he simply doesn’t fully trust him yet. Maybe it’s a combination of them all, but Bates came into the game against Pitt averaging only 18.7 minutes per game.

Now, when you look at Bates’ stat line, 18.7 minutes per game seems like a lot. The freshman big man is averaging 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game, but if you’ve watched NC State recently you may have noticed that they are a much better team when he’s on the floor.

Keatts likes to press. He likes to apply pressure defense and he likes to switch every screen. While this is supposed to create havoc for opposing guards and result in turnovers, it hasn’t. NC State is ranked 78th nationally in steals. They aren’t creating turnovers and thus aren’t really getting ou in transition. So they don’t have much to show for the risks they are taking on defense. Meanwhile, opposing teams are getting a lot, and I mean a lot, of easy buckets as NC State is constantly in help and recover.

Enter Manny Bates.

The freshman big is leading the ACC, ranked in the top-10 nationally and has already set the Pack’s single-season rookie record for blocked shots.  When he’s in the game, he gives the Pack that last line of rim protection that they are lacking. Having him protect that back-line allows them to gamble defensively and still makes it tough for the opposition to score if they break the press.

And look at NC State this season. They aren’t struggling to score, they’re struggling to stop people. Which makes it even more perplexing why Bates finds himself on the bench for long stretches in a lot of games.

Take this past weekend’s UNC game. His stat line may look modest with 4 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks, but Bates only played 14 minutes. He only finished the game with 3 fouls.  Meanwhile when he was on the floor NC State outscored UNC 28-13. When Bates was on the bench, UNC out-scored the Pack 72-51.

So what gives? Maybe after 2 fouls in the first half, Keatts didn’t want him to pick up his third in the first half, but really what good does it do? Bates isn’t a guy that you need to rely on for offense. If you get down late, you don’t need him on the floor. So if you’re winning with him on the floor early, why not just keep him out there until he either can’t go any longer or he picks up his 5th?

You have to wonder if some of that was realized over the past few days as Bates saw 27 minutes of action (the most he’s seen in the past 6 games). Or maybe it wasn’t and you got to see that when Manny Bates gets his minutes, he produces.

Bates set a career-high with 13 points and notched his first double-double with 10 rebounds. He also blocked a whopping 5 shots and altered who knows how many. He was the difference-maker in State’s 77-73 win over Pitt and helped keep the Pack’s NCAA hopes alive.

Now, there will be some games where Bates just isn’t going to be a great matchup due to his inability to step out on quicker bigs, but those times are going to be few and far between.

Although Keatts wants to be a fast-paced, run and gun type of team, it may be time to admit that the Pack’s best chances of winning may be rolling out the twin towers (Bates and Funderburk) in the middle for 25+ minutes per night and taking the reins off of Manny Bates.

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ppack3
ppack3
4 years ago

I very much agree that Bates is a difference-maker on the defensive end. But since ACC play started he usually picks up a couple of fouls very quickly. Once this happens, I think the focus of any team is to go right at him to get him out of the game. Taking him out after foul two is an attempt to counter the opposition and to preserve him for times in the game when he can come in and play somewhat freely. I think it is fair to say that Manny has struggled offensively and struggled with rebounding during this… Read more »

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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!

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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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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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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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