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Kevin Keatt’s Press Conference After NC State’s OT Win Over #16 Miami: BULLETED

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9 months ago

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NC State head coach Kevin Keatts met with the media for his postgame press conference after the Wolfpack beat #16 Miami today. You can watch it here, or check out a bulleted breakdown below.

  • Great team win. Gritty win. It’s one of those wins that you’ll look back and say, “Man, that was a great win.” It’s a great, middle-of-January, ACC battle.
  • Give Miami credit.
    • There was a moment in the game where I thought Isaiah Wong just took the game over.
      • He had a stretch where we just couldn’t guard him.
  • I have to shout out Ernest Ross, another guy who’s been on our bench for a long time and came out and had 17 points and 9 rebounds.
  • This team keeps putting together good games, and it’s always someone else who’s stepping up.
    • When we put the team together for the 1st time, we thought we had 10 guys who could play.
    • Being down Dusan Mahorcic and Jack Clark, the other 8 guys are stepping up in a big way.
  • I don’t know if you’ve congratulated Jarkel Joiner, but he’s a daddy now.
    • I don’t know if I should be telling you that, but there’s a “Jarkel Jr.” who was born yesterday.
    • We didn’t know if he was going to make the game today.
    • He got back at midnight last night and played the game.
    • He was able to be there for the birth of his child and was able to make it back.
    • He played with a heavy heart as a proud new daddy.
  • Our team has taken on the identity of defense and grit.
    • When you look at the stat sheet, they shot almost 50 percent for the game, maybe more, but I thought we made big plays and big stops when we needed to.
  • What’s special about this team is that every game that we get a win, I’m able to point at someone who made a difference in the game.
    • DJ Burns came in the game, 13 points, a career high in assists with 7.
    • I didn’t expect to play him that early in the 2nd half.
    • I wanted to get to that 1st timeout because I didn’t want him to play 33 minutes, but we struggled to score, and so he came in and made a big difference for us.
  • I think we’ve all learned. You know what’s happened with Manny Bates and Devon Daniels.
    • One of the biggest things, as a staff, is also we’ve prepared guys for taking advantage of opportunities.
    • Greg Gantt was a guy who was a punching bag for a lot of people, having never played.
      • Obviously, he’s played a lot of minutes.
    • Ernest Ross was a guy who didn’t like his minutes, but he had a great week of practice.
    • LJ Thomas has played better, and Breon Pass is starting to get better.
    • We’ve started to develop our bench because we know we’re going to need those guys down the stretch.
  • I absolutely believed it [Ross could have a performance like this]. I knew it.
    • Ernest was great. He’s around the rim all the time. He’s been flying around.
  • I’ve said this before…I don’t think there’s another back-to-the-basket guy in the country as unique as him [Burns].
    • Here’s why I say that. He’s got an ability to score; he’s got a great touch around the basket.
      • But he’s also a great passer. He’s a willing passer.
    • When he’s in the game, we try to go to him as much as possible because we don’t know how long he’ll be in the game.
    • He’s unique, and we love the way he can score the ball.
    • This is something we haven’t had in the last year or so.
      • We’ve had to draw up a play to get a jump shot or some kind of drive. Now, we can throw it inside and score off of that.

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Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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Papajohn
Papajohn
8 months ago

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have yet to really have confidence in this team. I like them, and believe they can play with anyone, but it’s going to take a lot more wins before I go into a game feeling absolutely sure they will win. Every game will have a story line … GT – will they let down after the 3 quality wins? Can they win on the road again? UNC – First ACC two game road trip. Will Bacot eat our lunch again? We get so amped for these rivalry games, can we calm down… Read more »

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Dof87
Dof87
8 months ago
Reply to  Papajohn

What ACC teams do you have more confidence in? It will be interesting when we play UNC how DJ and Gantt affect Bacot. Of course last year he had free reign given our decimated front court. Our rebounding is light years better than last season. This is actually the first season in many that I feel like UNC doesn’t pose a huge matchup problem. But first GT, lets TCOB in what will be a very tough road game. And yes, Smith will shoot long balls. People need to get over it and accept it. He’s a scorer. He opens up… Read more »

Last edited 8 months ago by Dof87
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Dof87
Dof87
8 months ago

What a difference a season makes. Manny Bates and Hayes leaving and the sky falling. Things look so much different now. Speaking of Manny, feel bad for him he’s out with knee injury and had surgery to keep him out till later in season.

0
Papajohn
Papajohn
8 months ago
Reply to  Dof87

Terrible news about Manny, but I have to admit, I’m glad that didn’t happen here. Hope he heals up well. The NBA is a rough game, they’re going to look very skeptically at a guy who’s been injured as often as he has.
interestingly, Cam is playing about the same minutes at LSU that he played here, and his box score is similar – except his shooting percentages are way better. He average 7.0 ppg here last season, and is up to 8.8 there. Much more efficient, but not a whole lot more productive.

1
Dof87
Dof87
8 months ago
Reply to  Papajohn

I was enamoured by Cam early on, but now seeing LJ Thomas I feel we have upgraded. It speaks again to what KK was dealing with last season as far as guard play in addition to the big man issues.

0

NC State Basketball

NC State’s 2023-23 Men’s Basketball Schedule Has Arrived

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5 hours ago

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September 26, 2023

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NC State’s 2023-24 Men’s Basketball schedule has arrived!

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NC State Basketball

NC State to Honor David Thompson with Statue Outside Reynolds Coliseum

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2 days ago

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September 25, 2023

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RALEIGH – NC State University will pay tribute to three-time All-American David Thompson with a statue sculpted in his honor that will be placed outside of Reynolds Coliseum.

The unveiling will take place at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6, the day of the Wolfpack men’s basketball team’s annual Heritage Game at Reynolds Coliseum, and will be open to the public.

“This is such a deserved honor for the greatest basketball player to ever wear an NC State jersey,” NC State Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan said. “He is one of the most iconic players to ever play in the ACC and our hope is that this statue will ensure that generations of NC State students and fans will always remember the legacy and contributions of David Thompson.”

Thompson is widely recognized as one of the greatest players in college basketball history. A 2008 ESPN story ranked him as one of the ten best college basketball players of all-time, and he is regarded as one of greatest athletes in Atlantic Coast Conference history.

The Boiling Spring, N.C., native played three seasons at NC State from 1972-75 and was a unanimous first-team All-American at the conclusion of all three seasons. He was also named the ACC Player of the Year all three seasons.

He was named the Associated Press National Player of the Year in 1974 and 1975 and remains one of just five players in college basketball history to win multiple AP National Player of the Year honors.

Thompson immediately made his mark on the Pack, helping lead NC State to an undefeated season (27-0) in 1973. The Pack dominated the 1972-73 season and was at the top or near the top of the polls all season as Thompson averaged 24.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

Thompson returned in the 1973-74 season and led the Wolfpack to a 30-1 record and the school’s first NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball National Title.

In the Final Four, Thompson and the Wolfpack met up with UCLA, the seven-time reigning National Champions and the only team to have defeated NC State that season. The Pack trailed 74-67 in the second overtime when Thompson’s heroics helped lead NC State back. Thompson pulled down a defensive rebound and made the go-ahead basket with under one minute remaining and then made two free throws with 38 seconds to go to give the Pack a 78-75 double overtime win in a game that is still considered one of the greatest Final Four games ever played.

Thompson finished the game with 28 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Bill Walton and the Bruins.
Two nights later, the Pack won the National Title over Marquette, 76-64, behind 21 points from Thompson. Thompson was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

To make it into the NCAA Tournament, the Pack defeated fourth-ranked Maryland, 103-100, in overtime in the 1974 ACC Championship, in a game that is routinely considered one of the best games in college basketball history.

As a senior, Thompson averaged 29.9 points, still the highest single season average in NC State history. He scored an NC State and ACC record 57 points in an early season win over Buffalo State. The Pack started the season ranked No. 1 in the nation and never fell out of the top-10, but lost in the ACC Championship game to end its season. The Pack finished the season ranked seventh in the nation but because the NCAA Tournament at that time only allowed the conference champion into the tournament its season was over.

Thompson closed his career with 2,309 points in 86 career games. He led the ACC in scoring all three seasons and was NC State and the ACC’s career scoring leader when he graduated.

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NC State Basketball

Former NC State Basketball Player Torin Dorn Joins Coaching Staff of G-League SLC Stars

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3 days ago

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September 24, 2023

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Former NC State basketball player Torin Dorn has joined the staff of the Salt Lake City Stars, the G-League team for the Utah Jazz. Dorn’s title is Player Development Associate/Assistant Coach.

After playing 3 seasons at NC State, Dorn went on to play professionally overseas in Poland and Czech Republic, before joining the Wolfpack coaching staff last season as a Graduate Manager.

Dorn will be working under newly appointed head coach Steve Wojciechowski (former Duke PG), who was the head coach at Marquette the past 7 seasons.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Guard MJ Rice Will Be Returning Soon After Stepping Away for a Period of Time

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7 days ago

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September 20, 2023

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NC State Guard MJ Rice (6’5″/215) announced yesterday that due to personal reasons, he had to step away from the basketball program, but was excited to be back with his teammates soon. He was clear that his commitment to NC State hasn’t wavered.

(Tweet)

Life is much bigger than sports. These young men are human beings first and foremost, and as we all know, this life is never simple and easy.

Rice transferred to NC State this offseason from Kansas with three years of eligibility remaining. The former High School McDonald’s All-American didn’t get a lot of playing time in his Freshman season at Kansas, averaging 7.6 minutes per game in only 23 games played.

Coming out of Prolific Prep in California, Rice averaged 20.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a Senior. Rivals ranked him as a 5-star prospect, ON3 ranked him 24th nationally, and ESPN ranked him as the #1 player in the state of North Carolina.

Whatever Rice is working through, we value him as a person more than we do a player.

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