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Keatts, Dorn and Freeman talk to the media after loss to Seton Hall (BULLETED)

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6 years ago

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NC State head coach Kevin Keatts spoke to the media with Torin Dorn and Al Freeman about the team’s NCAA Tournament loss to Seton Hall. Above is the full presser and below is the bulleted summary…

  • Keatts: Congrats to Seton Hall. They played tremendously. Tteam feels like Seton Hall did for the last two years. They have guys who had been here but not won, came back and played like seniors in this game.
  • Keatts: Very proud of this team. Came to NC State not just to have a team but to build a program. Guys did a tremendous job. Came to play here before they even knew type of game we’d play.
  • Keatts: Proud of these guys. Think about it. First-year program going 11-7 in the ACC and win 21 games. Finished 3rd.
  • Keatts: Just couldn’t get over the hump in this game. Would come all the way back and make a play, they would answer
  • Freeman: Got close but they had older guys who had experience and made the most out of the possession. Turned momentum. One of those things where one loose ball, getting one rebound, one shot goes in and you could get momentum to snowball.
  • Freeman: Seton Hall did a great job of handling adversity and handling runs. Able to keep us held off. They did a great job.
  • Dorn: Good to get this experience. For a lot of guys in locker room, this was their first tournament. Will be able to have guys that have tournament experience next year and build on what was started this year.
  • Freeman: Maybe a few tic-tac calls on our end that wasn’t on theirs, but they can probably say the same thing. Lots of whistles, but players have to make adjustments and guard more with our feet and not our hands.
  • Freeman: It was more, when lead got cut down , they put their head down and tried to get to the FT line to stop momentum. Seton Hall guards did good job tonight.
  • Dorn: Lots of whistles but coach say you have to win all types of games. Learn how refs are calling it and adapt to win. Weren’t able to do that. Will be able to take experience into next year and build on it.
  • Freeman: Tough to lose any game. Wish we could run it back. Doesn’t work like that. That’s the beauty and ugly of NCAA. One and done. Seton Hall held us off. Protected the ball enough.
  • Freeman: It sucks as a senior. Hear coaches, former players say they’d give anything to put the jersey back on. You try to take that in and digest it, but don’t understand it until it’s happening to you. When 10 mins are left and it’s back and forth and this is it. You give everything you got. It’s tough.
  • Dorn: Tough because team worked so hard. Hard working group in there. Tough when you work this hard and don’t get the result you want.

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NC State Basketball

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

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7 hours 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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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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NC State Basketball

ECU Transfer Forward Ezra Ausar to NC State is Trending Up

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19 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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20 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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1 day 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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