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NC State Basketball

Rothstein’s Way-Too-Early 2024-25 Preseason Top-25

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Jon Rothstein, of CBS Sports and FanDuel, released his Way-Too-Early Men’s Basketball Preseason 2024-25 rankings.

These rankings are insanely premature, considering the amount players each team might experience coming and going via the Transfer Portal in the coming weeks and months. Nonetheless, Rothstein has NC State at #38.

38. NC State

Projected Starting 5:
G Michael O’Connell
G Kam Woods
G Jayden Taylor
F Brandon Huntley-Hatfield
C Mohamed Diarra
Projected Bench: Ben Middlebrooks, Breon Pass, MJ Rice, Paul McNeil, Trey Parker, Dennis Parker Jr.
Key Newcomers: Paul McNeil, Trey Parker, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville)
Key Losses: DJ Burns, Casey Morsell, DJ Horne
COVID Seniors with additional eligibility: Michael O’Connell

(FanDuel)

  1. Houston
  2. Alabama
  3. Duke
  4. Iowa St.
  5. UNC
  6. Arizona
  7. Creighton
  8. Kansas
  9. Gonzaga
  10. Purdue
  11. Auburn
  12. UCONN
  13. Clemson
  14. Tennessee
  15. St. Mary’s
  16. Baylor
  17. Texas A&M
  18. BYU
  19. Kentucky
  20. Wisconsin
  21. Florida
  22. Xavier
  23. Dayton
  24. Ohio St.
  25. Marquette
  26. Michigan St.
  27. Seton Hall
  28. Oregon
  29. UCLA
  30. Rutgers
  31. Cincnnati
  32. Miami
  33. Boise St.
  34. Wake Forest
  35. Texas
  36. Villanova
  37. Kansas St.
  38. NC State
  39. Providence
  40. Mississippi St.

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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NCSUMets
NCSUMets
19 days ago

If MJ Rice is still on the team and he’s not starting over Kam Woods, it’ll be shocking. If Rice is elsewhere and they don’t pick up a guy in the portal to start over Woods, it’ll be shocking. If there are no additional portal additions and they don’t start Dennis Parker Jr. over Woods, it’ll be shocking. If DPJ is somehow unable to go and they don’t start Paul McNeil over Woods, it’ll be shocking

Woods hasn’t given any indication that he’s worth playing more than a handful of minutes per game at the ACC level.

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
19 days ago
Reply to  NCSUMets

You don’t have to worry about Kam Woods anymore. He hit the transfer portal today.

rabies71
rabies71
19 days ago

How Jon Rothstein still gets a paycheck, I don’t know.

NC State Basketball

PI EXCLUSIVE: Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Explains Why He Chose NC State

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Last week, Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) committed to NC State. I caught up with Hill to get his take on why he chose to run with the Wolfpack.

What were the reasons that ultimately led you to commit to NC State? What other schools were recruiting you besides the Wolfpack?

The coaching staff was very professional and straight to the point. They had a detailed plan of my role on the team and how it transitions to the next level. The campus was beautiful, and everyone was super nice. There were several schools from each of the Power 5 conferences that we talked to. The list was very long, and I would like to thank every coach that showed interest in me.

Break down your Official Visit. What did you do? What impression did it make on you and your family?

After entering the campus and meeting the entire coaching staff, we also met with academic advisors. School staff was super nice and acted like we were already family. We had lunch and dinner with staff, the restaurants were prepared, and the food was awesome. We toured the campus with staff, and were treated with a lot of respect. My family enjoyed the coaches and the campus environment.

How did Coach Keatts say you would fit within his offensive system?

Coach Keatts had prepared film on how I would fit into the offense, so after watching the video it was clearly understandable what my role would be.

What impression did NC State’s Final Four run have on you? How did it influence your decision?

NC State’s Final Four run impressed me due to the guys on the team being overlooked and undervalued. They played together and were really enjoying the moment. Basketball can be stressful, however they made it look exciting and fun.

What type of player is NC State getting in Marcus Hill?

Marcus Hill Jr., I’m a great person with a great attitude. I love to win and compete in everything I do. I take pride in defense, but can score from anywhere on the court. I’m unselfish and love to see my teammates succeed. I’ve been overlooked and underestimated, but My God has the ultimate say so!

_______

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 #87 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #12 Shooting Guard.

Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruited him as a Point Guard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRh1suQzx08

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NC State Basketball

Guard Jayden Taylor will Return to NC State for his Final Year

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Guard Jayden Taylor will be returning to NC State for his final season of eligibility.

At this point, I was expecting him to return, but now it is official.

This past season, Taylor averaged 11.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, shooting 46.5% from the field and 36.4% from three, which was a new career high by almost 4%.

Taylor started the first 24 games of the season, but after struggling in January, he became the Wolfpack’s 6th man. Taylor excelled as the 6th man, playing some of his best basketball of the season in that role, giving his team a much needed boost whenever he entered the game.

The return of Taylor was essential to NC State’s success next season. In a world where everyone seemingly hits the Portal, seeing Taylor, Pass, Middlebrooks, O’Connell and Rice not do so is a good sign (I know they still could).

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NC State Basketball

Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar Commits to NC State

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Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar (6’4″) has verbally committed to NC State for her final year.

Weimar took an Official Visit to NC State a little over a week ago.

She is the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year, and has been named Defensive Player of the Year the past two years. She has earned 1st Team Patriot League Honors the past two seasons.

This year, Weimar averaged 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. As a Junior, she averaged 15.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. She shot 55.5% this year, and 59.7% last year.

With the exodus of River Baldwin, picking up a commitment from Weimar is massive.

With the addition of Weimar, NC State now has 2 scholarships available heading into the 2024-25 season.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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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.

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