NC State Basketball
Would Devon Daniels have made 1st-team ALL-ACC? Was Hellems snubbed from 2nd-team? The stats say PROBABLY.
If you. missed it yesterday, ACC coaches and a select group of media voted on the ACC awards. Here is who they chose for All-ACC first and second teams.
What do you know?! No NC State players. That’s a surprise. Do you want to know what’s an even bigger surprise? No NC State players on the ACC third team either.
In fact, if you want to find an NC State player, you have to go down to the All-ACC honorable mention list, where you’ll finally find Jericole Hellems as the guy getting the second lo last amount of votes for that category.
Now look, we aren’t delusional here. No NC State player had the stats to be on the first team, but I think there’s a case to be made for Jericole Hellems not only making Third-team All-ACC, but him making Second-team.
Let’s first talk about the case of ACC player of the year, Moses Wright of GT. This was a guy who nobody was talking about as ACC player of the year just one month ago, but some great games down the stretch, and things changed. They likely also factored in that GT has won 6 straight behind Wright.
Now, let’s look at Hellems. He wasn’t even a featured scorer until Daniels went down. Suddenly, he’s thrust into the role of not just go-to scorer, but also team leader. Sure, the first few games didn’t go so well, but since then, Hellems has led NC State to 5 straight ACC wins (and 5 straight road wins). So not only is Hellems putting up the numbers needed to be on 2nd team, but if we’re taking into consideration how well. your team has done over that span, well, he’s got that going for him too.
Now onto the most important part. The stats.
Let’s take bias out of this. I’m going to show you a group of stats. You tell me which 5 players belong on the All-ACC First Team, which 5 belong on the All-ACC Second Team, and which 2 players you are going to leave off. \
Ready? Go.
Player 1 18 ppg, 8.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Player 2 18 ppg, 11 rebounds, 1.6 assists
Player 3 18 ppg, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists
Player 4 17 ppg, 4.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists
Player 5 16.5 ppg, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists
Player 6 15.9 ppg, 8 rebounds, 2 assists
Player 7 15.2 ppg, 3.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists
Player 8 15.8 ppg, 6.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Player 9 13.2 ppg, 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists
Player 10 13.1 ppg, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists
Player 11 13.1 ppg, 6.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists
Player 12 13.1 ppg, 2.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists
Ok, you got your list?
Now, let’s take a look at who those players are.
Player 1 18 ppg, 8.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists – Moses Wright, GT
Player 2 18 ppg, 11 rebounds, 1.6 assists – Justin Champagnie, Pitt
Player 3 18 ppg, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists – Matthew Hurt, Duke
Player 4 17 ppg, 4.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists – Carlick Jones, Louisville
Player 5 16.5 ppg, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists – Devon Daniels, NC State
Player 6 15.9 ppg, 8 rebounds, 2 assists – Keve Aluma, VT
Player 7 15.2 ppg, 3.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists – Jose Alvarado, GT
Player 8 15.8 ppg, 6.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists – Sam Hauser, UVA
Player 9 13.2 ppg, 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists – Aamir Simms, Clemson
Player 10 13.1 ppg, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists – Jericole Hellems, NC State
Player 11 13.1 ppg, 6.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists – Jay Huff, UVA
Player 12 13.1 ppg, 2.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists – MJ Walker, FSU
Now go back and see the votes these guys got. You think they nailed it? Or are there some questionable votes out there?
It’s arguable but had had Devon Daniels not gotten hurt and continued his output, you could make the case that he was a First-team All-ACC player. It’s obviously a moot point, but it’s something that should be taken into consideration when judging NC State and Kevin Keatts. No other team has lost a player as significant as Daniels, and despite that, NC State has reinvented themselves and is the hottest they’ve been all season.
Meanwhile, what’s up with Hellems? First off, statistically, Hellems is more productive than Jay Huff and MJ Walker, both of whom made 2nd team All-ACC. No love? Only 13 overall votes?
And hey, I’m not saying Hellems should be a lock for 2nd team, but the fact that he didn’t make 3rd team, given his stats and given his team’s late run just adds to my skepticism around the media members they give votes to.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
