NC State Basketball
Time to trust Dowuona: After shooting 93% over the past 4 games, he’s earned more touches
Look, I understand that Ebenezer Dowuona isn’t some dominant offensive force at this in his career.
I understand he probably doesn’t dominate on the offensive blocks in practice. And because of that, I understand why the Wolfpack guards are reluctant to drop it down there and let him go to work. I understand that they would rather call him out to come set a high ball screen to free them up to create.
But at some point, you have to start to give the kid a chance. And at this point, he’s earned it. Dowuona is shooting 93% over the past 4 games. He’s missed just 1 shot.
Meanwhile, it’s not like the NC State offense is lighting the world on fire. In fact, they are shooting just 42% from the field and 29% from 3 point range.
Aside from Dereon Seabron attacking the rim, this team is settling for jump shots on almost every half-court possession, and a lot of them are long 2s. Both Cam Hayes and Jericole Hellems are consistently pulling from inside the arc, and while they are hitting some of them, it’s not a great habit, seeing as it’s the most inefficient shot in the college game.
Because of this, this Pack team is going on long offensive droughts which cost them in the loss to Louisville, the loss to OK State, and nearly cost them in their win over Nebraska. They are too easy to guard and too one-dimensional. Whether or not they believe Dowuona is capable of being a factor on offense in the post, they have to give him a shot. They have to show teams that they are willing to dump it down and let him work in one on one situations.
If they can do this, you immediately add a dimension to your game, something the other teams need to prepare for. They are forced to either drop down and help or shade the shooters and let Dowuona go one on one. The guy is 6’11 and while most of his buckets are putbacks and dunks, he has scored from the block a few times and seems to have a decent touch.
Lastly, he’s not going to improve if he doesn’t have confidence from his teammates. He needs to know they trust him down there. It will help him make better decisions and empower him to work on his offense and know his teammates are relying on him.
The more a big touches the ball, the less they become a black hole. Meaning, the more they catch and take a real look at their options. When they get only a few touches per game, they feel the need to get a shot up, whether it’s good or not, because they might not get it back.
If you are dumping it down whenever the lane is clear and you have a one-on-one situation on the block, the big man feels like a part of the offense. If he is able to get a few back-to-the-basket buckets (I mean, look the guy is 6’11 and athletic) suddenly defenses have to hedge down, and the big will be able to kick it back out.
That’s inside-out basketball and it’s been a reliable offensive plan to win basketball games for over 50 years.
I’m not saying this is the key to NC State winning. I’m not saying Dowuona is going to light the world on fire. I’m very aware that most of his buckets over this span have been put backs or dunks, but not ALL. So what I am saying, is it COULD be another dimension the Pack could add to their arsenal, and I think it’s time to find out…
…Dowuona has earned it.
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.
Easily the missing link in our offense. Both DJ and Manny had GREAT hands and they both could start a move with their back to the basket. They had the luxury of playing together. They had the advantage of catching at the top of the key and making plays. People saying Keatts’ doesn’t have a half court offense forget how complicated the plays were when we had DJ and Manny with double picks, and my favorite, the elevator doors at the foul line. Prolly too much to install with the lack of experience both inside and outside. I agree Dof87,… Read more »
Looks like they are going to him more now that he’s figuring things out. I’d like to see some inside out play so we can get our 3 pt shooting back on track.