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Is this the real reason Omer Yurtseven decided to leave NC State?

Published

6 years ago

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Most expected that Omer Yurtseven (NC State’s star big man last season) wouldn’t be around this season.

They were right. However, not many expected that his departure would be by way of transfer.

At the end of the season, Omer Yurtseven was averaging 13.5 points and almost 7 rebounds per game. He was NC State’s go-to-guy in the middle and was a big reason they shocked the ACC and made it to the tournament in Kevin Keatts’ first season.

After almost declaring for the NBA draft after his freshman season, it seemed as if it were a foregone conclusion that he would do so after showing so much promise in his sophomore season.

Yurtseven did declare, but did not hire an agent. Then, the news started to leak that he wasn’t going to return, even if he chose to come back to school.

Then the news broke that he was pulling himself from the draft and transferring to Georgetown. The N&O reached out to him for an explanation and he basically said it was because he wanted to play for Patrick Ewing.

If you were following during that time, then you know we were a bit confused. Sources were telling us that Yurtseven had no beef with the NC State staff, so to us it seemed as if he may have seen the writing on the wall. Keatts wanted to implement his style of ball 100% this season and that style doesn’t really compliment a slower, more methodical type post-player like Yurtseven.

And that’s where it was left. Until now.

Yurtseven recently spoke with The Georgetown Voice and shed a little more light on the situation.

According to Yurtseven, there were “a few events” that caused him to feel uncomfortable in Raleigh. (TGV)

While they don’t have specific quotes from Omer about what those ‘few events’ were,  it seems to be hinting that his Muslim religion may have weighed in on the decision.

“Knowing that a place respects my religion is definitely important,” Yurtseven said. “It just comforts you. (TGV)”

You can go and read the article, but we won’t post anymore here because some may take some of the quotes as slights to North Carolina and it’s policies, and here at PackInsider.com, we don’t allow politics (either side) on our site.

The takeaway here is that maybe we didn’t get the full story the first time around. Maybe it isn’t all about the NC State basketball program. Maybe it was a culmination of things that led Yurtseven to decide a change of scenery would feel more comfortable to him, part of which was likely playing for Ewing.

“Omer is already a very good player and will be a valuable addition to our team,” Ewing wrote to the Voice. “I want him to add a few more things to his game, but I want him to get the joy back into playing basketball again.”

Either way, we hope Omer finds what he is looking for. We wish him well and honestly believe it is probably a better fit to play under someone who will invest in a traditional-style post player.

As for NC State and their fans, we believe moving over to Keatts system ASAP is the right move. Basketball is changing and the traditional post player is being left behind. We wish Omer well, but we are very confident in the direction Keatts is taking this ship.

**Note: We’ve been doing this long enough to know that some of you may not like us reporting on guys who have transferred. If you follow us closely, you’ll realize that we rarely ever do. The reason we are writing this is because there were unanswered questions around Yurtseven’s decision and after the transfer situation we just saw with Gottfried, we thought a little more info around this topic could help squash any rumors that had been floating around.

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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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10 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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22 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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23 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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