WATCH: Terrance Arceneaux: “It’s exciting knowing that you’ve got a coach that cares about you”

Guard Terrance Arcenaux met with the media on Monday prior to NC State’s first 2025-26 Men’s Basketball practice. You can watch the video above, and read the transcript below.

How exciting has it been to work under him (Wade), leading up to the season?

Great, really great. I mean, the things we do here are super fun.

He does stuff to help us build our team chemistry.We’re always together. He’s always with us.

Sometimes he may even do some things with us. It’s exciting knowing that you’ve got a coach that cares about you, and just wants to see you do good.

Talk about the Navy SEAL training

The Navy SEAL training was crazy. I still can’t believe they have that stuff.

I’m not a swimming guy, so that was crazy for me, but doing that with everybody on the side of you, looking left and right and seeing your guys, I mean, there’s definitely a confident boost and it builds chemistry.

Knowing that that opener’s so close, it’s just a couple weeks away. It’s gotta give you a little more excitement during practice.

For sure, this is what the summer is all about, getting to this point where first practice comes and then the game right around the corner. We are very, very excited, but we know we’ve got to stay in here, get to work and improve.

Is that Navy SEAL experience something that you’ll probably take with you for the rest of your life?

Yeah, I’m telling everybody I did that. I told somebody the other day, they was like, “Did you ever think you would do something like that?” I said, no way, no way. I never thought, even on the way up there, I thought they were kidding.

But doing it, I mean, that’s definitely an experience. I’ve got so much respect for the guys that does that on a daily, because that’s crazy, all that, it’s crazy.

Coach said you’re one of the best defenders in college basketball. What is it about you that makes you an elite defender and what does it mean for you that your coach sees you that way?

That means a lot.

That’s something I take pride in and I owe credit to the last squad I was with, because we were the defense, and learning from them, and being able to take that, and bring it here, doing it at a higher pace now is something that I take pride in. I’ve still got to get better at defense, I believe, but like I said, I take pride in defense and I’m happy he thinks better of me.

Wade talked about the addition of Musa (Sagnia). He said you’re one of the best defenders in college basketball, but he said Musa comes in instantly, and he’s one of the best defenders in college basketball. Talk about the addition of Musa.

We’re kind of similar in the way we play. He definitely uses his length. He’s active and moves real, real well for his size. It’s crazy to see him sometimes running up and down, and how he gets his hands on the ball.

I’d be like, ‘Dang, I would have got my hands on that too.’ We’re kind of fighting for steals sometimes. I’ll be like, ‘Move, Musa, move.’

He’s definitely come in right away and made an impact on this defense.

You went to the Final Four last year, and NC State’s a team that went to the Final Four two years ago. Talk about bringing that experience of playing in a big atmosphere here.

For the younger guys, and the people that probably haven’t played on that level, I’ve definitely been telling them, and showing them, what it takes to get to that point, and how it is at that point. Everybody in here wants that feeling.

And I’ll say, ‘This is what we’ve got to do to do it, because I have seen it, and been blessed to be able to see it. It’s definitely been a blessing to be able to play at that higher level and then bring it here to these guys.