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NC State Basketball

Keatts Presser After Win Over VMI: Bulleted

Published

6 years ago

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NC State opened the Kevin Keatts era with a 102-67 win over VMI. Here is the bulleted version of his post-game press conference.

  • Excited about the game. Proud of his players. Team played with tremendous energy.
  • An improvement over the Mars Hill game. Everyone who got in, affected the game in a positive way and it produced balance scoring.
  • The guys really shared the basketball. 18 assists on 37 FGs.
  • Defensively, did exactly what we wanted to do. Played aggressive. Mixed pressure up and forced 21 turnovers.
  • On Lennard Freeman: Proud of him. He had a career-high 15 points. He played aggressive on both ends of the floor and was able to get some baskets. Always has been a great rebounder, but now he’s feeling more comfortable around the hoop. It was exciting to see him get back out there.
  • On what he was looking for from his guys: Wanted to see them come out and play hard. Told them he knew they wouldn’t do everything right, but wanted them to play hard on both ends of the floor. Really proud of how they shared the basketball. Thought they got out in transition and got out to a great start. Ending the first half with 56 points was good for them.
  • On what he liked best and least: Liked the energy best. Thought the guys played with passion but relaxed a bit at the end of the game. Didn’t like that VMI got to the line so much. Thought his guys played a little too much with their hands on defense.
  • On of Yurtseven could be a starter: Looking at it like, you have 9 guys dressing and every game is different. There may be different starters for every game. Don’t get caught up in who starts. Everyone is going to play on this team because there is only 9 bodies. You’ll see games that Yurt starts. He didn’t’ do anything not to start this one. Just wanted Lennard to get the start.
  • On Tucker Thompson not being on the bench: Tucker was in the library studying. He will no longer be with the team any longer. Was struggling with classload of being an engineer and playing college basketball. Outstanding young man and if he wants to come back on the team, he can.
  • On Braxton Beverly: Still hoping to get that call of him being eligible at any time. Been talking to him, just keeping him positive and hopeful that the NCAA seees that he didn’t do anything wrong. Very hopeful on the NC State side and can see it happening. Really hoping it does happen.
  • On Markell Johnson’s growth: Blame him not getting double-double on me. Had game under control and coaches came and told me. Basketball gods don’t like that and didn’t want to risk putting him back in in case of injury. He’s playing well and really embraced his role. Starting to understand. One thing about a good point guard is knowing where his teammates are on the floor. He’s doing a good job with that.

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NC State Basketball

The Roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball Team is all but Set Heading into 2024-25

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1 day ago

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May 3, 2024

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NC State does have 1 scholarship available, and could still add a player out of the Transfer Portal. With that being said, the roster for the Men’s Basketball team is pretty much set for the 2024-25 season.

Non-graduates had to enter the Transfer Portal by April 30th, and Graduates had to enter by May 1st. Jayden Taylor and Michael O’Connell both made public announcements that they were returning, but the closure of entrance to the Portal means that Breon Pass, Ben Middlebrooks, Dennis Parker Jr. and MJ Rice are all set to return next season.

In a world where the Transfer Portal has all but become free agency in College Basketball, with some players switching schools on an annual basis, it’s encouraging that Kevin Keatts not only recruited a Top-10 Transfer Class, but also recruited a majority of the eligible players to stay. Three players that could transfer entered the Portal (I’m not counting Mohamed Diarra in these numbers, who opted to go pro), while 6 opted to continue running with the Wolfpack.

As a result, below is a breakdown of the roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball team heading into 2024-25, realizing the Wolfpack could still add one player (this team is deep).

1 year of Eligibility 

Guard Michael O’Connell
Guard Marcus Hill
Guard Breon Pass
Guard/Forward Jayden Taylor
Forward/Guard Dontrez Styles
Forward Ben Middlebrooks
Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

2 Years of Eligibility

Guard/Forward MJ Rice
Guard Mike James
Guard Jordan Snell (Walk-On)
Guard KJ Keatts (Walk-On)

3 Years of Eligibility 

Guard/Forward Dennis Parker Jr.

4 Years of Eligibility 

Guard Paul McNeil
Guard Trey Parker

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Men’s Basketball 2024 Transfer Class Ranks in the Top-10 Nationally

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2 days ago

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May 2, 2024

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NC State’s Men’s Basketball team has picked up 4 players from the Transfer Portal this offseason, and the class ranks 10th nationally according to ON3, and 15th nationally according to 247Sports.

ON3

247Sports

NC State’s 2024 4-Man Transfer Class

Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville)

Guard/Forward Dontez Styles (Georgetown)

Guard Mike James (Louisville)

Guard Marcus Hill (Bowling Green)

NC State still has a chance to move up in the rankings. East Carolina Power Forward Ezra Ausar just wrapped up an Official Visit to NC State, and things are looking good for the Wolfpack. ON3 ranks Ausar as the #67 overall player in the Portal, and the #15 Power Forward.

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NC State Basketball

WATCH: Andy Katz’s Offseason Convo with NC State’s Kevin Keatts

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2 days ago

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May 2, 2024

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Andy Katz is beginning to make his rounds for his Offseason Convo series, and he took the time to meet with NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts.

In their conversation, Keatts talked about what this run has meant to Raleigh and the Wolfpack fans, how it has helped sell the program the way it deserves to be in recruiting, and even how it helped and hurt in the world of the Transfer Portal.

Check out the conversation below:

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Guard Mike O’Connell Announces He Will Play His Final Year of Eligibility at NC State

Published

3 days ago

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May 1, 2024

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Guard Michael O’Connell announced today that he will be playing his final year of eligibility at NC State next season.

 

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A post shared by Michael O’Connell (@michaeloc_12)

Today was the final day graduate players could enter the Portal.

This past season, O’Connell averaged 5.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Wolfpack, starting 22 of the 41 games he played in.

O’Connell took over as NC State’s starting Point Guard on January 30th in a win against Miami.

He only scored in double figures in 9 of his 41 games this season, but 6 of those came in postseason play (5 in the ACC Tournament). O’Connell took things to another level in the ACC Tournament, playing aggressive on the offensive end, looking for his shot, and attacking the rim.

NC State played it’s best basketball of the season when O’Connell was running the show. He ranked 3rd in the ACC in Assist/Turnover Ratio (2.5).

Heading into next season, with a lineup filled with new faces, having the calming presence of a veteran leader like O’Connell is reassuring.

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