According to Stockrisers.com, NC State head coach Kevin Keatts held a virtual meeting with 6’6 grad-transfer wing, Davion Warren, from Hampton University.
NC State’s Kevin Keatts and his staff completed a virtual meeting with Hampton transfer Davion Warren last night, he told @Stockrisers. 21.5 point per game scorer shot 45% from the field.
Arkansas, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, amongst those also in the mix.
Warren is a scoring machine. He averaged 21 points per game for Hampton last season and shot 45% from the floor. He’s a strong, athletic guard, however, he’s not a great shooter from the outside, shooting just 30% from 3 point range.
Now, as noted, other teams are in the mix here, and whether or not State lands Davion, there is something to take note of here.
We have two confirmed instances where Keatts has be either contacting or showing interest in a grad-transfer. First it was Kaiden Rice of The Citadel.
NC State interested in grad-transfer, 3-point specialist Kaiden Rice. Who is he and how would he fit with the Wolfpack?https://t.co/MgWjJLr5aJ
Now it’s Davion Warren. These two are different players, one a shooter, one a slasher, however, they are both in the 6’6-6’7 range. So what does this tell us?
Keatts seems to have an eye on a swing guard or wing type player. Maybe he envisions Hellems slotting in at the 4 and playing one of these scoring wings at the 3? Maybe he just wants to have a more experienced perimeter scorer who can slash to help as Cam Hayes and Shakeel Moore continue to grow and while Breon Pass and Terquavion Smith get their feet wet.
With one scholarship available, in our eyes, the main hole needing to be filled is in the frontcourt. With Funderburk likely leaving, NC State has Manny Bates and then a lot of inexperience. They have Ebenezer Dowuona who may start to fill out and back up bates, but are you ready to bet your season on that? Then you have Earnest Ross, the 6’9 four-star who is coming in, but as good as he is, he hasn’t shown complete consistency at the high school level either. These guys may need time to develop.
NC State has a great pitch for a 4-man. Come in, drift out and stretch the defense. Shoot a little bit, but be able to defend the opposing 4 and protect the rim when Manny has to sit. Maybe Ross is that guy, or maybe Keatts is going to zero in on that when more becomes available on the portal.
For now, it seems like he is eyeing these tweener-guard/wings, and look, that is Keatts’ game. That was his game in Wilmington. He was always a little undersized, but always quicker, faster, and more interchangeable than his opponents. And there is something to be said for that.
It’s clear that NC State is likely going to bring in an experienced player with a nice resume. They have minutes to sell. The question is, how many will they bring, and who will it be?
At this point, it’s just too early to tell.
As for Davion Warren, this is a kid who was a JUCO MVP, came to Hampton for his final two seasons, and lit it up as a senior. He’s 6’6 and 210, so he’s a pretty strong guard. He’s got good handles and great energy on both ends of the floor. He won’t be an elite scorer for NC State, but he would give them some experience and a guy with size who can slash and get to the rim. With Daniels leaving, that’s something this team desperately needs.
We’ll keep you updated on the transfer movement as stories break…
4-Star 2025 Small Forward Jackson Keith (6’5″/175) was also in attendance.
Keith is a consensus 4-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, with Rivals ranking him as the #53 overall player in the class. The Southern High (Durham, NC) standout is ranked as the #2 player in the state of North Carolina in the 2025 class by ESPN.
Keith holds offers from NC State, Wake Forest, Mississippi St., Illinois, SMU, Virginia Tech, LSU and others.
NC State (11-3) will host #7 UNC (11-3) tonight in PNC Arena, and they also will be hosting a couple of recruiting prospects.
4-Star 2025 Power Forward Sadiq White Jr. and 4-Star 2025 Point Guard Jordan Lowery both confirmed with me that they will be in attendance.
White, who plays for Myers Park (Charlotte) is the consensus #1 player in the state of North Carolina in the 2025 recruiting class, and he’s 4 spots away from being a 5-star prospect according to ON3. Lowery plays for Winston-Salem Christian School, and is ranked as the #7 overall player in the state of North Carolina in the 2025 recruiting class according to 247Sports.
White holds offers from NC State, South Carolina, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Wake Forest, LSU, FSU, Illinois, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Georgetown, Ohio State and others. Lowery holds offers from NC State, TCU, Virginia Tech, SMU, Oklahoma St., Kansas St. St. Louis and others.
2026 Point Guard Kobe Edwards also told me he will be in attendance.
4-Star 2025 Point Guard Kayden Mingo (6’1″/160) stated that NC State is one of the schools most frequently reaching out to him, along with Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Cal and Old Dominion.
2025 4⭐️ Kayden Mingo continued his stockrising season tonight as #2 Long Island Lutheran (NY) took down #11 La Lumiere (IN).
Mingo finished with 20PTS, 7ASTS and 5REBS in the 82-65 win. He’s LuHi’s leading scorer on the season.
Despite the Wolfpack’s interest in Mingo, they haven’t offered him yet. Mingo currently holds offers from Cal, Penn State, Saint Louis, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
Rivals and ESPN both rank Mingo as a 4-Star prospect, with Rivals ranking him as the #70 overall player nationally in the 2025 recruiting class.
Mingo plays for Long Island Lutheran in New York, which is one of the top teams in the country. He is currently the Nike EYBL Scholastic’s leading scorer (20ppg).
NC State 2024 signee Paul McNeil Jr. showcased his talent at the 2023 John Wall Holiday Invitational at the end of the year. Below are highlights from his first two games.
In Richmond’s 77-62 win over Jordan in their first game of the invitational, McNeil had 27 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.
In Game 2, McNeil had 24 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists in Richmond’s 53-56 loss to Northwood.
In Game 3, McNeil had 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in Richmond’s 68-84 loss to Cannon. I couldn’t find any highlights from this particular game.
Through 11 games this season, McNeil is averaging 29.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. He is shooting 52% from the field and 35% from three.