NC State Basketball
Braxton Beverly transferring, heading home to Eastern Kentucky University
Tip of the cap to Captain Braxton Beverly who served four amazing years at NC State.
The senior guard has been a rock for Kevin Keatts at the guard position and was one of the first to commit to NC State (after backing out of his commitment to Ohio State) after Keatts was hired.
Beverly averaged 8.4 points, 2.5 assists, and shot 38.6% from 3 point range over his career. He battled injuries for his final 2 seasons, but suited up and played almost every night.
Beverly will graduate and use his final year of eligibility (per COVID rules) as a grad-transfer at Eastern Kentucky University.
— Braxton Beverly (@BBeverly10) March 30, 2021
Braxton will be playing for former NC State assistant EW Hamilton and he’ll be returning home, playing less than two hours from where he grew up.
So why is Beverly leaving?
When Keatts was hired, he was left with almost a bare cupboard, so he quickly had to go out and fill his roster. The first guy he locked up was a kid who kid he knew well from Hargrave. Braxton Beverly.
Beverly was about to play his first season for Ohio State when Thad Matta decided to leave. He got his release and came to play for Keatts.
Over the past 4 years, this kid has been a rock for NC State. He ends up tied for 4th in school history for 3 points with Archie Miller, hitting 218 over his career But like all good things, his time has come to an end.
Keatts has 2 guards that he needs to start trusting in Cam hayes and Shakeel Moore. He also has incoming freshmen Breon Pass and Terquavion Smith, both of whom are expected to get minutes next season, along with the potential to add another guard in the transfer portal.
Playing time at guard next year is going to be competitive and for Keatts to begin transitioning this program into a yearly contender, he’s going to need to start relying on his young guys.
While Beverly would have surely been welcome back and surely have given NC State added depth and experience, it was in his best interest to go somewhere where he could be the man.
Enter Eastern Kentucky.
AW Hamilton is a former NC State coach and one of Braxton’s former coaches at Hargrave. On top of that, he gets to go home and play in front of his family and friends. Overall, this was the perfect situation for Braxton, and while it’s sad to see him go, it’s probably in the best interest of all parties involved.
What does this mean for NC State?
This doesn’t change the outlook much as most were expecting Braxton to graduate and playing overseas anyways. But it solidifies the fact that Keatts is all in on this group of young guards and it explains why he’s been looking hard at bigger guards/wings in the transfer portal.
We’ll have more on next year’s situation later, but for now, thanks Braxton for all you’ve given to NC State. we’ll miss you and we’ll all be rooting for you from afar!
Let’s send him off with a few memories…