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NC State Basketball

Keatts Presser after win over Wake Forest : BULLETED

Published

6 years ago

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NC State head coach Kevin Keatts talked to the media after his team’s 72-63 win over Wake Forest. Above is the full version of the press conference and below is the bulleted summary.

  • First half, went into the break down 5 but thought team had too many breakdowns, too many transition buckets.
  • Made adjustments in 2nd half and won game on the defensive end. Won another ACC game because guys defended at the end. Last 4 minutes were great. Held Wake scoreless.
  • Did not shoot well from 3. (7-26 from beyond the arc), but Markell Johnson and Torin Dorn hit big shots at the end to put team over the hump
  • Yurtseven is getting better because teammates believe in him. Guys are starting to look for him and he’s starting to believe in himself. But not just offensively. He is blocking shots, and altering shots. Getting better every day.
  • Press that led to the 10-second call down the stretch was good coaching (joking…not joking). Called a timeout to put in a press. Guys did a great job. Were active, got in the passing lanes and executed. Big part of the game.
  • Nothing against bigs that didn’t play much (Freeman, Abu), but thought Wake was playing mainly perimeter guys and it was hurting State. Thought Dorn at the 4 was the right matchup. Down the stretch, the group that was in was playing good basketball and team needed ways to score.
  • Beverly is benefitting from Markell being back. he can be freed up from having to handle the ball so much. It’s also helping Yurtseven. Markell is the leading assist guy and can find people. It also allows him to be on the floor with Batts witch is team’s best defensive unit.
  • Assistant coaches should have let him know that Beverly was 1 assist away from a double-double so he could have called a play to get him that assist (joking…not joking). He’s playing well. Freshmen are growing up. Lavar starting to come along too and Beverly is playing really good basketball.
  • Markell has been great since coming back. Adversity helps you grow up. He’s working hard, but not in great shape yet. Still calling on Keatts to take him out when he gets tired on the floor.
  • Group that finished the game was just playing well. Guys on the bench were fresh, but the group in there was playing good basketball and didn’t want to break their rhythm.

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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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2 days 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

Published

3 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

Published

3 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

4 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.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

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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