WATCH: Around Raleigh With Coach Wade Episode 1: Jerry Deng (with transcript)

NC State Men’s Basketball released their 1st episode of Around Raleigh With Coach Wade yesterday. Coach Wade sat down with Forward Jerry Deng, who transferred to NC State this offseason from Florida State. You can read the transcript below, and watch the video underneath.

WW: This is coach Will Wade from NC State men’s basketball. I’m here with Jerry Deng, our Junior transfer from Florida State. We’re at the iconic NC State Bell Tower.

We’re looking forward to winning a lot of games and lighting the bell tower red when we win. But for today, we’re going to have an interview with Jerry where our fans and our supporters can get to know Jerry better on and off the court.

You were born in Rochester, New York. You’ve lived in Texas. You’ve lived in South Dakota. You’ve been to a couple of different schools in Virginia and Florida. Your family’s refugees from from South Sudan.

How does that kind of shape you? How’s that shaped your experience as a basketball player, shaped your experience in the United States?

JD: They came over in 2003. I was born in 2004.

It really just helped me know that it’s a long journey to anywhere. You’ve got to work hard, and I’ve seen that. It made me grind and see what it takes.

WW: Your given name is Malo, named after your grandfather. You were transitioned into Jerry by the family that taught your mother English when she got to the United States, but talk about your grandfather a little bit. I know he was a big time general in South Sudan, and it’s a powerful, powerful name. Talk about the background of your name Malo.

JD: Yeah, it’s a very important name back home. It holds a lot of weight just because of all the stuff he was able to do over there, and lead the nation to where it is now, a flourishing country.

WW: In high school, you’re in Rochester. You originally went to Hampton University, then to Florida State and now to NC State. Talk about your your basketball journey a little bit, and how you ended up here.

JD: So I was in Sioux Falls originally playing. That’s where I started. Really didn’t have any trainers. There weren’t a lot of resources. My brother, he was already in Atlanta. He was like, ‘You’ve got to come down here so you can try to make a name for yourself, or try to make it out.’ When I was 14, I left, moved to Atlanta, started playing and started working there.

WW: You had your Freshman year at Hampton University. How was that year for you?

JD: I’ll say it was a good year to just see how college basketball works, how hard you’ve got to work to be at the D1 level. Even at that level, there are still people that are going to be coming for you every day.

WW: Talk about your experience at Florida State…obviously your familiarity with the with the ACC.

JD: I’ll say definitely Florida State was a good experience, because it helped me see how tough it is to win in the ACC every day. Even the teams at the bottom of the league, they could get you. It definitely showed that every day you’ve got to bring in practice. You’ve got to have a high energy in practice, because the day you don’t have high energy, someone’s going to get you.

WW: One thing that most fans don’t realize that’s important to every player, is the number they wear. You wear 15 because Carmelo Anthony was your favorite player growing up. So I want you to talk a little bit about what 15 means to you. Why number 15? And most importantly, why Melo?

JD: When I was younger, that was the first player my brother was watching a lot. I just liked his swag, his game, how he was able to score all over the court and just how dominant he was.

WW: What’s the stuff you try to emulate from Melo? You’ve got to get a little bit of his swag. You’ve got a little bit of it. We need a little bit more of that swag. Certainly the scoring.

JD: I’ll say definitely bring that swag. Try to get that swag.

The Hezi pull-up. That’s my favorite move. You can see a lot of that in the film. I’ll say definitely try to add his offensive rebounding. I’ve been looking at how he offensive rebounds and gets extra possessions for his team.

WW: What are our fans going to look forward to? Obviously, you’re a great shooter. Everybody knows your nickname is Clip. That’s his nickname, Clip, because he’s a really, really good shooter. Talk to our fans about what they can expect from you, and what they can expect from you game-to-game, and every day.

JD: Definitely just maximum effort. That’s the one thing I control every day. That’s what they get from me.

Obviously, I’ll try to make shots. A lot of more rebounds this year, for sure. I feel like that’s the part to focus on. Just improving my body and stuff like that.

WW: I think, so far this summer, you’ve been very disciplined. You’ve done a good job carrying around your water jug, making sure you’re hydrated and making sure that you’re putting yourself in the best position. I think you know one thing that was exciting for us, is that you’ve made jumps every year. You got better from high school to Hampton. You got better Hampton to Florida State. I think you’re going to continue that. I think that trend is going to continue. So we’re really, really excited about having you as a part of the Pack.

Jerry Deng opens up about family, his basketball journey, and what he’s bringing to the Pack.

Episode 1 of Around Raleigh With Coach Wade is here. pic.twitter.com/ppQ8Yi2wAa

— NC State Men’s Basketball (@PackMensBball) June 26, 2025

You can learn more about Deng here.