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NC State Basketball

Kevin Keatts Media Day Presser: Bulleted Form

Published

7 years ago

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If you want to watch NC State head coach Kevin Keatt’s Media Day press conference in full form, you can do so here, but if you’re just looking for the main points, look no further.

Opening Statement

  • Been working out two hours a week together. Two players he’s been most impressed with are RS Senior PF Lennard Freeman and Sophomore C Omer Yurtseven. They have been extremely good players and have worded hard.
  • Conditioning has been a big deal.
  • Practice starts Friday.
  • They are being picked to finish between 11th and 14th in the ACC by preseason publications. He wishes we were 15th so he could use it as motivation.

On Lennard Freeman

  • In the best shape of his life.
  • Last years team struggled with rebounding. Lennard is a great rebounder.

On Omer Yurtseven

  • He’s back to playing with confidence again. Coming in after missing games last season didn’t set him up to be confident.
  • Had to convince him that this year was going to be a different situation than last year.
  • He didn’t just come back because Keatts recruited him, but because he listened to the NBA guys.

On Style of Play

  • Has 3 legit big guys that he wants to put into the offense. Don’t be surprised to see Lennard and Omer on the court at the same time.
  • They will still play fast, but this team will be a different version of what the team will look like in the future, because he has bigger guys that can contribute.

On Taking over the Program

  • Soon as he stepped on campus, these players became his guys.
  • He told all the players that he doesn’t have any starters. They will determine that.

On Malik Abu

  • He has developed a 15-foot jump shot.
  • He’s started to put the ball on the floor a little bit
  • Goal is to get him confident from 15-18 feet away, but also take guys off the dribble from there.

On Braxton Beverly

  • Submitted the waiver for him two weeks ago, and they haven’t responded back with any questions.
  • He can practice and play, the only thing he can’t do as of now is competition.

On Point Guard

  • The guy that obviously needs to play well is Sophomore Markell Johnson.

On Torin Dorn

  • He’s playing with a lot of confidence. He’s believing in the system. He’s going to see a lot of minutes at Small Forward, but if we get in a situation where we have to go small, he will play Power Forward, or what Keatts calls the ‘4th guard.’

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

NC State Basketball

ECU Transfer Forward Ezra Ausar to NC State is Trending Up

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7 hours ago

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May 1, 2024

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ECU Transfer Power Forward Ezra Ausar (6’9″/240) was on an Official Visit to NC State yesterday, and according to analysts at ON3 and 247Sports, things are trending in the right direction for the Wolfpack.

Jamie Shaw of ON3 submitted a prediction for Ausar to eventually commit to NC State yesterday morning.

Cory Smith of 247Sports submitted a crystal ball projection for Ausar to run with the Wolfpack this morning.

Ausar just wrapped up his Sophomore season in Greenville, averaging 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds, shooting 51.4% from the field. As a Freshman, he was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team, averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Ausar is a consensus 4-Star prospect in the Transfer Portal, and ON3 ranks him as the #60 overall player in the Portal and the #10 Power Forward.

Originally from Atlanta, Ausar played his Senior Season of High School at Liberty Heights Athletic Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. ON3 ranked Ausar as a 4-Star prospect coming out of high school, the #94 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina.

Ausar has visited Seton Hall, Georgia Tech, met over Zoom with Georgetown, and had an in-home visit with Utah. John Calipari and his staff at Arkansas have been in touch with Ausar, as well as Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, West Virginia, Iowa State and St. John’s. (Link)

At this point, it’s good news that Ausar has no visits scheduled after the visit to NC State.

Ausar has 2 years of eligibility remaining, and NC State currently has 1 scholarship remaining.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Signee Zamareya Jones Showed Out in the McDonald’s & Jordan All-American Games

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8 hours ago

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May 1, 2024

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NC State 2024 signee Zamareya Jones has played in the McDonald’s All-American game and the Jordan Brand Classic over the past month.

In the McDonald’s game on April 2nd, Jones had 13 points, helping her East squad defeat the West.

 

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In the Jordan Brand Classic on April 21st, Jones had 15 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. She also hit the game winner for Team Flight.

Jones is a 5-star prospect in the Wolfpack’s 2024 recruiting class, ranked 21st overall nationally by ESPN.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Kevin Keatts and DJ Burns Sounded the Siren at the Canes Game Tonight

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18 hours ago

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April 30, 2024

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NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts and the beloved DJ Burns were both Siren Sounders for the Canes this evening, with Carolina defeating the Islanders 6-3, winning the Round 1 series 4-1.

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NC State Basketball

USC Transfer Power Forward Brandon Gardner Includes NC State In Top 6

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1 day ago

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April 30, 2024

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USC Power Forward Brandon Gardner (6’8″/215) listed NC State in his Top-6 along with Jacksonville, San Francisco, Arizona St., Texas A&M and Arizona.

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Gardner was a 4-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, with Rivals ranking him as the #74 overall player nationally, and ESPN ranking him as the #2 player in the state of New York (Christ the King, New York City). He is originally from Waynesboro, Georgia. Prior to playing for Christ the King, Gardner played for Word of God Academy, so Raleigh is familiar to him.

Kevin Keatts and his NC State Coaching Staff offered Gardner when he was in high school.

Prior to committing to USC, Gardner was committed to St. John’s.

This past season Gardner only played in 4 minutes in 1 game for the Trojans, making it a redshirt season.

Gardner will have 4 years of eligibility wherever he lands.

 

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