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Keatts talks to media after loss to UNC : BULLETED

Published

6 years ago

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Kevin Keatts met with the media to discuss his team’s loss to UNC. Above is the full press conference and below is the summary in bulleted format.

  • Was wrong. Always say anytime you play a team twice it’s two different games. It wasn’t.
  • Great offensive game for both teams. Give UNC credit, plays we made at end of last game, they made this game.
  • Biggest play of the game was Kenny Williams hitting that late 3. Gave them separation.
  • Maye was really good. Tremendous. 33 points and 17 rebounds.
  • Proud of my guys. Fought until the end.
  • Told team they are becoming a very good team. Don’t accidentally beat Arizona, Duke, UNC, Clemson. Moving forward have to figure out how to not beat yourself.
  • Expectations coming into the season outside of program were pretty low. Picked 12th. Now in a situation where we are playing top teams in the country down to the wire.
  • Need to get guys to change expectation. Don’t want them to settle with where we are. Team is scoring on everybody, but need to figure out where to go from here.
  • Luke Maye had a great 2nd half. Switched a lot of different guys onto him. They shot 56% for the game, we shot 54%.
  • Team has done a great job running guys off the 3 point line. Most baskets have been 2’s. Happy with that part of defense.
  • Need to do better at closing the game and finishing plays at the end.
  • Excited about defense and game style. People make mistake looking at percentages. Go back adn look at overall game. Typically getting 10 more shots than the other teams because of forced turnovers. Percentages are a little deceiving. Looking more for how many steals, deflections and forced turnovers do we have.
  • Happy with the guard play. Guys did a good job keeping guys up front.
  • Pinson had a great night last time, team contained him today.
  • Went into the game knowing we had to keep them off offensive glass. Didn’t do it. Keep them out of transition. Did that okay. Keep them from getting open 3s. Did that. Only had 6. They had 11 vs Duke.
  • Wore red blazer at the UMKC game in Reynolds as well. It’s great. Knew Roy was going to come in with some Carolina blue blazer on, wasn’t going to let him show me up. I’m a way better dresser than him.
  • Batts didn’t play. Coaches’ decision.
  • Every couple games need to reset expectations. Team is in unchartered waters when you look at last couple years. Program has seen a lot of success, but last couple years they had 5 conference win and 4 conference wins. Got to reset and move forward.
  • Disappointed about the loss, but doesn’t hurt us now. About moving forward. That’s what is important.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Women’s Basketball Ranks 8th in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early 2024-25 Preseason Top-25

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1 day ago

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May 7, 2024

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ESPN released their updated Way-Too-Early Preseason Top-25 for the 2024-25 Women’s Basketball season, and NC State ranked 8th.

8. NC State Wolfpack

The dynamic backcourt that took the Wolfpack to their first Final Four since 1998 returns. Aziaha James (16.8 PPG), Saniya Rivers (12.5 PPG) and Zoe Brooks (9.0 PPG) are enough to keep NC State near the top of a highly competitive ACC. How well a new mix of bigs fits in will determine if the Wolfpack are good enough to win the conference and contend for a trip to Tampa. The experience of River Baldwin and Mimi Collins can’t be replaced, so how well 6-5 recruit Lorena Awou adapts to the college game and 6-4 Boston University transfer Caitlin Weimar, the Patriot League player of the year and two-time defensive player of the year, adjusts to the upgrade in competition will have a big impact on NC State’s season. Previous ranking: 8

(ESPN)

ACC Teams in the Top-25

4. Notre Dame

8. NC State

11. Duke

12. Louisville

17. UNC

18. FSU

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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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5 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

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6 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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6 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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