RECAP: Kevin Keatts talks about the upcoming season in presser

Published

3 years ago

November 19, 2020

Kevin Keatts held a virtual presser today to answer questions and talk about his roster and their upcoming season. Here are some of the highlights.

Team has plenty of veterans but is going to have to rely on newcomers who will be “thrown right into the fire.”
Says COVID-19 could cause schedules to be adjusted but says everyone is planning on the season-ending when it should and the tournament taking place.
Cam Hayes and Shakeel Moore are two freshmen that have to be ready to play PG, which he says is the hardest position to adjust to in college. Going to be ups and downs and mistakes made, but they have to be ready.
Hayes and Moore are not the only PG options. Beverly and Thomas Allen will both also fill the slot if needed. Not worried though as he says all of them bring different talents to the table.
Going to rely on Devon Daniels and DJ Funderburk as veteran leaders. Says Daniels was playing his best basketball down the stretch last year and that DJ will play both the 4 and the 5.
DJ and Manny Bates have been practicing a lot to be able to play together in the frontcourt.
Beverly and Thomas Allen also are vets who have logged a lot of college minutes and will be asked to help lead.
Empty arenas will be different. No rush of 2ok fans, but at the same time, some teams that get big homecourt advantages won’t have them. Coaches will be a big source of motivation this year.
OUR TAKE
As usual, a pretty candid take by Keatts, but still worth reading into.

I would say his biggest question mark right now is PG. That is a valid worry and while Beverly and Allen would be more seasoned, Hayes and Moore are definitely more built to play the position at the speed he wants to see it played.

It’s exciting to see him committing to a lineup with Bates and Funderburk. While this doesn’t give you the high octane lineup Keatts has always wanted, this is a lineup that is going to play well in the ACC. There are a lot of times in this league when you just need to make sure you are rebounding and making it hard for the other team to score. We know Fundy can score it, but can Bates take the next step offensively? If so, you might end up using this lineup a lot, especially when you get into conference play.

Lastly, I think his point about the role coaches are going to play this year is very valid. With no fans, there will be a propensity to take plays off. Coaches are going to have their teams bought in and show the intensity they want to see from the sideline.

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

Published

10 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Matthew Bradham

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.

NC State Basketball

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

Published

1 day ago

April 22, 2024

Matthew Bradham

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.

NC State Basketball

What did an ACC Title & Final Four Mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.?

Published

1 day ago

April 22, 2024

Matthew Bradham

What did an ACC Title & Final Four mean to NC State Legend Dennis Smith Jr.? The man who won the ACC Rookie of the Year Award in 2017 gave me a statement.

It means a lot. It means a lot to the university, the state of North Carolina and a lot more to my dad, grandma, and myself. They have been NC State fans since forever, so their excitement level was though the roof when they saw BOTH of our basketball teams shining like that. It was a great feeling!

2017 was Smith Jr.’s only year of College ball, averaging 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He earned 2nd Team All-ACC honors, and obviously, he earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team.

DSJ was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 9th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Smith Jr. just wrapped up his 7th season in the NBA. This was his 1st season with Brooklyn, playing in 56 games for the Nets. He averaged 6.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, averaging 18.9 minutes per contest.