Kevin Keatts Explains the Strategy of Developing Young Talent in the Era of the Transfer Portal

The NC State Men’s Basketball team has struggled to score effectively this season, resulting in a 9-12 overall record and a 2-8 ACC record.

The Wolfpack is averaging 69.8 points per game, ranking 16th out of 18 in the ACC. As a team, they are shooting 43.9%, which ranks 15th.

NC State is 124th nationally in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency (109.3) according to KenPom, and 252nd in Effective Field Goal Percentage (49.1%).

In search of a spark, freshmen guards Trey Parker and Paul McNeil have seen increased playing time recently.

NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts was asked during his weekly press conference on Monday whether this decision was to start developing young talent for next season, given the bleak outlook of the current season, or if he was truly turning to them as a solution to the current problem.

Here was his response:

Well, when there was no transfer portal and guys had to sit out if they left, you knew that you could obviously try to develop players. You knew that they were going to come back. At the end of the year, I think every coach goes through this because of the portal.

There are going to be guys that you feel like that you want to have back, guys who want to be back and guys who want to leave. I think in this era, you have to try to play the best guys at the time based on how they’re playing at the time, meaning you got to get your players playing the best basketball on the court. We didn’t have a great first 10, so back in the day, the argument would be, ‘Hey, do you just play freshmen and develop them?’ But there’s no sign that they’re going to be on this roster or any roster.

So I think, in today’s time, you just try to figure out, who’s playing the best basketball, who puts NC State in the best situation to win games.

The argument can be made that the likelihood of both freshmen returning next season could increase if their roles expand to close out the year. Most of the minutes they are receiving are from players who will be out of eligibility next season anyway. However, no matter how much playing time these guys get for the remainder of the season, in the era of the Transfer Portal, their return is far from guaranteed… especially given how this season has unfolded.

To interpret Keatts’ response, Parker and McNeil are getting more playing time lately not to prepare them for next season, but because he believes they might give the Wolfpack the best chance to win now.

Before the Duke game, Parker had played in 7 of the previous 9 games, averaging 6.1 minutes in those games. In the last two games, he has averaged 17 minutes per game. Meanwhile, McNeil only played in 5 of those games but has participated in the last three, averaging 10.3 minutes.

Parker scored 15 points against Duke and 6 against Clemson, shooting 52.9% from the field. McNeil scored 8 against SMU and 6 against Clemson, including hitting 2 of 3 from beyond the arc against the Tigers. Although McNeil has not been exceptionally efficient over the past three games, shooting only 27%, he has shown flashes of potential.

Parker and McNeil haven’t yet proven themselves to be superior offensive players compared to the rest of the Pack. However, when seeking a spark, it’s necessary to exhaust all options. Entering the season, there was optimism that McNeil could be the best three-point shooter on the team. While that hasn’t fully materialized—he has only hit 5 of 17 from behind the arc—going 2 of 3 in his last outing provides some reason for optimism. Parker has shown confidence beyond his years, and although that hasn’t always led to the best decisions, he has performed well against top competition, scoring 7 against Purdue, 6 against BYU, 15 against Duke, and 6 against Clemson, shooting 53.3% in those games.

The traditional approach of developing freshmen for their sophomore seasons may be becoming obsolete, but giving Parker and McNeil a chance could still prove worthwhile. After all, the veterans in front of them haven’t managed to get the job done so far.