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IG: Get to know the Wolfpack Basketball Players!

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2 years ago

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NC State athletics has been on a roll with their content recently. Over the past few weeks, they’ve been releasing a series called ‘Thundercats’ which is an interview series where Wolfpack Football’s strength coach, Dantonio ‘Thunder’ Burnette’s kids sit down for a Q&A session with some of the football team’s biggest stars.

And it’s not just football. Now, they’ve started releasing a series titled ‘Get to know the Wolfpack’ where they ask a series of personal questions to some of the basketball players.

Again, this is great content. The goal here is to create interest in the players and by doing that, fans create a closer relationship with the team. Humanizing players (and marketing them) at the college level is something that teams have started doing a lot more of in the past few years and NC State has been one of the programs really capitalizing on that lately.

With that aside, let’s take a look at a few of the tidbits we found interesting.

Casey Morsell: His season motto of “The Journey is the Reward” is rather fitting. This is a guy who started his career at Virginia, started as a freshman, but slumped and was forced to the bench. With transfer rules loosened two years ago, Morsell decided to change course and head to NC State where it seems he’s revitalized his career. He’s now a major piece to this year’s NC State squad and is being looked to for his leadership skills and his defensive prowess.

Another interesting takeaway is that Morsell lists his hidden talent as ‘computer programming’ and in his off-time enjoys doing puzzles and playing tennis. Pretty darn well-rounded if you ask me!

Breon Pass: His season motto is “one day at a time” which again, makes sense. This is a kid who was a 4-star recruit and struggled a bit last season to transition to the ACC level. He had some really bright moments, but it was clear that he’d need an off-season of building up his body and improving his craft before we really got to see what he’s capable of.

Meanwhile, in his free time, Breon says he’s a skilled cook and wants to remind everyone that he’s still good at football. (Note that he was a highly recruited football prospect as well!)

LJ Thomas: The freshman hasn’t even played a game at NC State yet, and he isn’t someone people are talking much about, but the kid is good. He was the #4 ranked player in NC last year and he’s got a college-ready body, a nice jump shot, and a solid handle. He too says his hidden talent is cooking, and like most kids his age, he likes to spend his downtime playing NBA 2k (video game) and hanging out.

Ebe Dowuona– The narrative lately has been that NC State has recruited over Ebe Dowuona after a season where the Pack was beaten pretty bad in the paint all season long. However, it’s good to note that Ebe barely played as a freshman and was thrust into a starting role last year when Bates went down. I don’t think it’s safe to write off Dowuona. This is a guy who could see things click soon. He’s a talented shot blocker and has built up his body this off-season. It will be interesting to see if his back-to-the-basket play advances with an off-season of work. That seems to be the thought process of Dowuona himself, who isn’t looking to give up his minutes in the paint that easily. His season motto of “My Turn” suggests that he’s ready now and wants to show Wolfpack nation what he’s capable of. He lists God in his “things he loves” section and says his hidden talent is soccer. His favorite quote is “Rule your mind or it will rule you” which suggests that this is a kid who is focused, driven, and understands that this is the season for him to take control of his destiny.

We’re looking forward to more of these, and will make sure to share them when they’re posted.

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Papajohn
Papajohn
1 year ago

Great content by the AD Marketing folks. Thundercats is especially good because it is unique. Lots of content on football. Basketball will probably generate a lot more in a couple of months, but this is a good start. This is football’s moment.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James is Currently Visiting NC State

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4 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) is on a visit to NC State currently, according to a source.

Indiana State Transfer Ryan Conwell was on campus last week, but he just committed to Xavier.

From what I hear, the staff preferred James over Connell anyway. A plus with James is he has 2 years of eligibility, whereas Conwell has 1.

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.

Rivals ranked James as the #71 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class, and ESPN ranked him as the #7 prospect in the state of Florida.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years. This year, he averaged 12.6 points and 5 rebounds.

For a more extensive look at James’ game, click here.

Rivals ranks James as the #77 overall player in the Transfer Portal.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James is a Priority for NC State

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8 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) is a priority for NC State, according to a source.

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.

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.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

NC State already hosted Indiana State Transfer Guard Ryan Conwell last week, and while the Wolfpack coaches like both players, from what I’m hearing, James would be their preference.

NC State hasn’t had James in for a visit, but that could happen soon.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Casey Morsell is the 4th Player in NCAA History to Start 41 Games in a Season

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14 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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NC State Guard Casey Morsell started 41 games for the Wolfpack this season, becoming the 4th player in NCAA history to do so.

 

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Prior to this season, the record for most games started in a single season in NC State history was 37, with three Wolfpack players doing so: Lorenzo Brown, Richard Howell, CJ Williams.

Morsell now sits atop the list, and a fellow teammate, DJ Burns ranks second, with 40 games started this season.

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NC State Basketball

Georgetown Transfer Dontrez Styles Commits to NC State!

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1 day ago

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April 18, 2024

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Georgetown Forward Transfer Dontrez Styles (6’6″/212) has committed to NC State!

Styles was the 2nd leading scorer for Georgetown this season, averaging 12.8 points per game, while grabbing 5.8 boards. He shot 36.8% from three.

Originally, Sytles was a consensus 4-Star prospect in UNC’s 2021 recruiting class. 247Sports ranked him as the #62 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina, playing for Kinston High School.

After two seasons with the Tar Heels, Styles entered the Portal, and took an Official Visit to NC State and Georgetown, and ultimately chose the Hoyas.

ON3 ranks Styles as the #104 overall player in the Portal.

With his final year of eligibility, Styles’ made the right choice this time.

NC State now has 2 scholarships remaining after Styles’ commitment.

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