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NC State lands combo guard DJ Horne from the portal

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1 month ago

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With Jarkell Joiner graduating and Terquavion Smith heading to the NBA, NC State needed to replace their guards.

Last week, they landed Butler’s Jayden Taylor to slot in at SG, and today they landed DJ Horne, a 6’1 combo guard, who will likely slot in at the point.

Horne is from Cary, NC so this was really a ‘come home and play in front of friends and family’ sell from NC State. He’s coming from Arizona State where he averaged 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists last season. Horn shot 35.5% from long range as well.

Watching some DJ Horne you will surely get some Jarkell Joiner vibes. He was tied for the second-leading scorer on the Sun Devils roster last year and is a true combo guard. This was just like Joiner, who was listed as a PG, but really was more of a scoring guard at Ole Miss. In fact, Joiner’s highest assist average in his college career was 2.3 before last season. Horne’s highest is 2.7 during his sophomore year.

I believe at this point, Horne is your starting PG. Some analysts think the Pack is still in the market for a true PG, and maybe they are, but Horne wouldn’t be much different, in terms of style, than Joiner was last year at the point. Horne’s handle is more than fine for what Keatts would be asking of him, and he is pretty slippery on the drive. I think

Horne and Taylor give the Pack a very good scoring backcourt, with good size, and while it might seem like there is no way to replicate last years backcourt, they really only shot 3% better combined from the field than the two new additions and 1% better combined from 3 point range.

Horne is a much needed addition for the Pack, but to truly improve from last year, they’re going to need someone who can distribute the basketball. They are losing 4.1 assists per game from Smith and 3.6 per game from Joiner. Horne dished out 2.3 last year and Taylor just 1.3. State fans do not want to see another team that just isolates and shoots. They want to see team basketball, and right now unless Horne wants to come in and show off a different side of his game, the Pack is a true PG away from being able to play that way.

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Papajohn
Papajohn
1 month ago

Saw an article saying we’re in the mix for Jaden Bradley. (although we do have our quota of Jaydens) He’s a 5 star, pass-first PG from Concord that played one season at Bama. Sounds too good to be true. And we might have backed off after Horne signed.
Not sure how we could fit him into the scholarship mix.

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Dof87
Dof87
1 month ago

I’m hoping LJ and Breon stick around and can deliver those missing assists. We need guards that can draw fouls as well.

If Miranda can score inside, and maybe another PF, maybe we can generate more assists through them.

Last edited 1 month ago by Dof87
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Rev
Rev
1 month ago
Reply to  Dof87

Yes! I thought LJ played with a lot of poise for a freshman. I hope he stays too. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins a starting role. On the other hand, I am glad Horne is a great addition. Having three people who can bring the ball up the court and start the offense is good insurance against fouls and, God forbid injuries. So we lost two guards (I really hope Morsell comes back) and now we have two transfers and a freshman coming in. Even with Miranda stepping up, we need another bruising big (or two)… Read more »

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Papajohn
Papajohn
1 month ago
Reply to  Rev

Last year the only transfer I was truly excited about was the Big South Player of the year, Burns. Joiner was a CG brought in to play point – did not have good assist numbers, Clark was too skinny to fight for the tough boards and his 3PT % was in the high 20s, and Mahorcic was a total unknown having only played 13 games at Utah. And none of those three were highly sought after HS recruits. And then, when the season started, those three started and Burns didn’t. And it worked well. You just never know. But I… Read more »

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NC State Basketball

D.J. Burns is OFFICIALLY BACK!

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1 month ago

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April 27, 2023

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Well, it’s OFFICIAL. D.J Burns will be returning to NC State for his final year of collegiate eligibility!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by DJ Burns / BIG 30♨️ (@dj.b30)

This confirms everything I’d been hearing about the return of Burns. Burns was the key to the Wolfpack offense running effectively this past year. He averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in 2022-23, but he elevated his game in ACC play, averaging 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in conference games.

Burns is celebrating his return to run with the Wolfpack by dropping his own Big 30 merch. Go over and snag something.

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NC State Basketball

Isaiah Miranda is an Early Entry Candidate for the 2023 NBA Draft

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1 month ago

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April 26, 2023

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The NBA released the names of the 242 players that have filed as early entry candidates for NBA Draft 2023 last night, and NC State’s Isaiah Miranda’s name was on the list.

Miranda (7’1″/225) joined the Wolfpack back in December, deciding to forgo the remainder of his prep season. Miranda didn’t see the court for NC State, resulting in a redshirt season.

ON3 ranked Miranda as the #16 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class.

It makes perfect sense for a player like Miranda, with his height and athleticism, to go through the draft process to be evaluated on what he needs to continue to work on. As an early entrant, Miranda has the ability to pull his name out of the draft and remain a collegiate athlete.

I don’t expect Miranda to keep his name in the hat when the time comes. From what I hear his game has tons of potential, but he still needs to fine tune his craft. Also, Miranda shared this on social media, implying he will be back in the Red and White next year.

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NC State Basketball

Missouri Transfer Mohamed Diarra Commits to NC State

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1 month ago

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April 24, 2023

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NC State picked up their 5th transfer today. Mohamed Diarra (6’10″/215) committed to run with the Wolfpack today while in Raleigh on an Official Visit.

Diarra originally spent his first two seasons at Garden City Community College, averaging 17.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in his second season. He landed at Missouri last year, after being rated as the #1 JUCO prospect in the 2022 class according to JucoRecruiting.com.

In his only season at Missouri, Diarra averaged 11.7 minutes per game in 25 games played (6 starts), averaging 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. Because of the extra year due to Covid, Diarra has 2 years of eligibility remaining.

With news breaking today that Dusan Mahorcic entered the Transfer Portal, the Wolfpack found his replacement. NC State’s frontcourt in 2023-24 currently will be made up of D.J. Burns, Ben Middlebrooks, Mohamed Diarra and Ernest Ross.

Check out these highlights of Diarra.

There is a lot to like in Diarra’s game. He is athletic, can hit a jump shot, put the ball on the floor, can play defense on the perimeter, block shots, and is an aggressive rebounder.

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NC State Basketball

Missouri Transfer Mohamed Diarra is On an Official Visit to NC State Today

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1 month ago

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April 24, 2023

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Missouri Transfer Mohamed Diarra (6’10″/215) is on an Official Visit to NC State today. Diarra originally spent his first two seasons at Garden City Community College, averaging 17.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in his second season. He landed at Missouri last year, after being rated as the #1 JUCO prospect in the 2022 class according to JucoRecruiting.com.

In his only season at Missouri, Diarra averaged 11.7 minutes per game in 25 games played (6 starts), averaging 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. Because of the extra year due to Covid, Diarra has 2 years of eligibility remaining.

Diarra entered the Transfer Portal on March 28th.

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