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NC State Basketball

Emergence of O’Connell and Parker Jr. are answering NC State’s biggest questions

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4 months ago

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When we started the season, Mike O’Connell and Dennis Parker Jr. weren’t the two names anyone was focused on.

But here we are in January and their emergence is starting to help NC State settle in as an ACC contender.

Obviously, DJ Burns, DJ Horne, Jayden Taylor, and Casey Mosell have been this year’s stars, but it’s the role players that make a good team great, and there were some questions about NC State’s role players.

The biggest questions coming into this season were “Does this team have a real PG?” and “Who will play the 4?”

These two guys have answered those 2 big questions.

DJ Horne starts at point for Kevin Keatts, and let’s be clear, he’s a huge reason for this team’s success. In fact, Horne might be the MVP up to this point. He’s a great scorer and has been surprisingly good at protecting the basketball. All that said, Horne still isn’t a guy who is setting pace and looking for open shooters and that’s ok, but that’s why the question was asked at the beginning of the season.

On any great team, that role is filled by somebody, and over the past few years, Keatts hasn’t had anything that resembled that.

That’s why the emergence of Mike O’Connell has been so important. The senior transfer from Stanford has settled in to his role and is now logging over 20 minutes per game. Over the past 4 games he has seen those minutes increase and has delivered on them. During that span, O’Connell has 17 assists and zero turnovers. He allows NC State to go from a fast-paced, high volume scoring team, to a slower-paced, controlled, half court team…and on some nights thats the difference between a win and a loss.

Up front, freshman Dennis Parker Jr. has begun carving out a role for himself too. The Richmond, VA native is now 5th on the team in scoring at 7.3ppg and 3rd on the team in rebounding at 4.4 rebounds per game. He’s also allowing Keatts to spread the floor when he’s in the game, thanks to his 35% 3pt average. Over the past 6 games, Parker is 7-16 from long range, good for 44%.

Parker fills the 4 spot a lot like former Keatts 4-man, Jericole Hellems. They were both about 6’6, 205lbs, undersized for the 4 spot in the ACC. Hellems was a career 36% 3-point shooter, and Parker is right there as well. Both were fearless and played much bigger than their frame, thanks to their physical style of play. The difference really is that Parker is probably one of the most athletic guys on the NC State roster, while Hellems wasn’t very athletic at all. Parker can get out on the break, he can finish above the rim, he can block shots and he can rebound against much bigger opponents.

Here’s an example:

If these two can keep expanding into these roles, NC State’s biggest questions will be answered, and the potential for this team will continue to rise.

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NCSUMets
NCSUMets
3 months ago

SMDH over anyone who cant see the value of a PG with 17 assists and 0 turnovers.

My hope is that we’ll see lineups with a frontcourt of Burns, Diarra and Parker.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
4 months ago

O’Connell is not worth mentioning. He is a liability on defense and can’t shoot a lick. Please play Rice more or you might see him in the portal again.

-3

NC State Basketball

NC State Women’s Basketball Ranks 8th in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early 2024-25 Preseason Top-25

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13 hours ago

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May 7, 2024

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ESPN released their updated Way-Too-Early Preseason Top-25 for the 2024-25 Women’s Basketball season, and NC State ranked 8th.

8. NC State Wolfpack

The dynamic backcourt that took the Wolfpack to their first Final Four since 1998 returns. Aziaha James (16.8 PPG), Saniya Rivers (12.5 PPG) and Zoe Brooks (9.0 PPG) are enough to keep NC State near the top of a highly competitive ACC. How well a new mix of bigs fits in will determine if the Wolfpack are good enough to win the conference and contend for a trip to Tampa. The experience of River Baldwin and Mimi Collins can’t be replaced, so how well 6-5 recruit Lorena Awou adapts to the college game and 6-4 Boston University transfer Caitlin Weimar, the Patriot League player of the year and two-time defensive player of the year, adjusts to the upgrade in competition will have a big impact on NC State’s season. Previous ranking: 8

(ESPN)

ACC Teams in the Top-25

4. Notre Dame

8. NC State

11. Duke

12. Louisville

17. UNC

18. FSU

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NC State Basketball

The Roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball Team is all but Set Heading into 2024-25

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4 days ago

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May 3, 2024

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NC State does have 1 scholarship available, and could still add a player out of the Transfer Portal. With that being said, the roster for the Men’s Basketball team is pretty much set for the 2024-25 season.

Non-graduates had to enter the Transfer Portal by April 30th, and Graduates had to enter by May 1st. Jayden Taylor and Michael O’Connell both made public announcements that they were returning, but the closure of entrance to the Portal means that Breon Pass, Ben Middlebrooks, Dennis Parker Jr. and MJ Rice are all set to return next season.

In a world where the Transfer Portal has all but become free agency in College Basketball, with some players switching schools on an annual basis, it’s encouraging that Kevin Keatts not only recruited a Top-10 Transfer Class, but also recruited a majority of the eligible players to stay. Three players that could transfer entered the Portal (I’m not counting Mohamed Diarra in these numbers, who opted to go pro), while 6 opted to continue running with the Wolfpack.

As a result, below is a breakdown of the roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball team heading into 2024-25, realizing the Wolfpack could still add one player (this team is deep).

1 year of Eligibility 

Guard Michael O’Connell
Guard Marcus Hill
Guard Breon Pass
Guard/Forward Jayden Taylor
Forward/Guard Dontrez Styles
Forward Ben Middlebrooks
Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

2 Years of Eligibility

Guard/Forward MJ Rice
Guard Mike James
Guard Jordan Snell (Walk-On)
Guard KJ Keatts (Walk-On)

3 Years of Eligibility 

Guard/Forward Dennis Parker Jr.

4 Years of Eligibility 

Guard Paul McNeil
Guard Trey Parker

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Men’s Basketball 2024 Transfer Class Ranks in the Top-10 Nationally

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5 days ago

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May 2, 2024

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NC State’s Men’s Basketball team has picked up 4 players from the Transfer Portal this offseason, and the class ranks 10th nationally according to ON3, and 15th nationally according to 247Sports.

ON3

247Sports

NC State’s 2024 4-Man Transfer Class

Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville)

Guard/Forward Dontez Styles (Georgetown)

Guard Mike James (Louisville)

Guard Marcus Hill (Bowling Green)

NC State still has a chance to move up in the rankings. East Carolina Power Forward Ezra Ausar just wrapped up an Official Visit to NC State, and things are looking good for the Wolfpack. ON3 ranks Ausar as the #67 overall player in the Portal, and the #15 Power Forward.

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NC State Basketball

WATCH: Andy Katz’s Offseason Convo with NC State’s Kevin Keatts

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5 days ago

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May 2, 2024

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Andy Katz is beginning to make his rounds for his Offseason Convo series, and he took the time to meet with NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts.

In their conversation, Keatts talked about what this run has meant to Raleigh and the Wolfpack fans, how it has helped sell the program the way it deserves to be in recruiting, and even how it helped and hurt in the world of the Transfer Portal.

Check out the conversation below:

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