Assessing the Best Players of the Kevin Keatts Era: 1st Team All-Keatts

The Kevin Keatts era came to an end this past Sunday, which makes it a good time to ponder the best players at NC State over the past eight years.

Here’s my All-Keatts First Team. Part 2 will be unveiled in a forthcoming article.

All-Keatts First Team

• Guard: Markell Johnson
• Guard: Terquavion Smith
• Guard: DJ Horne
• Guard: Dereon Seabron
• Forward: DJ Burns

Johnson earned Second Team All-ACC honors in 2020, averaging 12.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.4 rebounds. He led the ACC in assists that year, as well as in 2017-18, when he averaged 7.3 assists per game. Johnson’s 607 career assists rank third in NC State history, trailing only Chris Corchiani and Sidney Lowe, and he also ranks seventh in assist/turnover ratio (2.10). Johnson could do it all, leading the Wolfpack in assists three times, steals twice, and field goal and three-point percentages once. He is one of four players in school history to record a triple-double (five total triple-doubles ever), dropping 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists against The Citadel.

Smith was a member of the ACC All-Freshman Team in 2022 (with the third-highest scoring average by a freshman in school history at 16.3 points per game) and earned Second Team honors the next year. In 2022-23, he led the Pack in scoring and assists, averaging 17.9 points and 4.1 assists per game, while also leading the team with 49 steals. Smith earned a spot on the 2023 All-ACC Tournament Team, averaging 20.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games. ‘Baby T’ ranks eighth in NC State history in career scoring average (17.1) and three-point field goals made (187), holding the record for most three-pointers made by a freshman (96) and a sophomore (91).

Horne, only in Raleigh for one year after transferring from Arizona State, led the Pack in scoring and three-point percentage, averaging 16.9 points per game while shooting 40.4% from three. His performance in March will never be forgotten, propelling NC State to their first ACC Title since 1987 and first Final Four appearance since 1983. He earned All-ACC Tournament honors, averaging 15.3 points in four games. Horne also earned NCAA All-Region honors for his stellar performance in the tournament, averaging 17.2 points in five games. In the 2024-25 season, DJ led the Wolfpack in scoring, three-point percentage, and steals, and his 677 total points were the eleventh most in a single season in school history.

Seabron was probably the most versatile player of the Kevin Keatts era. In 2022, he earned Second Team All-ACC honors, averaging 17.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.4 steals, leading the Pack in all four categories. Seabron scored 39 points against Nebraska, which still stands as the twelfth most points scored in a single game in NC State history.

Although never named All-ACC, DJ Burns made a significant impact on his team, the university, and the entire college basketball fandom. In two unforgettable seasons in Raleigh, Burns averaged 12.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, shooting 54.4% from the field. Burns was a blast from the past, showing that an old-school back-to-the-basket big man with twinkle toes and a baby hook can still handle business in today’s game. His personality was contagious. No one will forget the five-game run that Burns had in the 2025 ACC Tournament, averaging 15.2 points per game, which garnered him a spot on the All-Tournament Team, as well as the Tournament MVP Award. Burns fever ran through the nation as he led the Wolfpack to the Final Four, averaging 16.2 points per game in the Big Dance, earning him NCAA All-Region honors.