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NC State Basketball

PLAYER PREVIEW: Wyatt Walker set to bring experience, grittiness to Wolfpack frontcourt

Published

6 years ago

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Wyatt Walker might be a new face in Raleigh, but he’s certainly no rookie.

The 6’9 grad-transfer played at Samford for 3-years and starred for the Bulldogs, averaging 12 points and 8 rebounds per game. At NC State he’ll be asked to do a lot of the same as he steps into a prominent frontcourt role with the Wolfpack.

So how did Keatts end up nabbing an experienced center who has had this much success?

“I knew I wanted to play at a higher level after my 3 years at Samford.” said Walker  “So, I opened up my recruitment. Coach Keatts and me had already built a great relationship when he was at UNCW. I knew him and Coach Siddle. CJ Bryce and me were pretty good friends. As soon as he contacted me I was pretty fired up.Then I scheduled a visit, came in and loved it from day one.”

Walker is coming into a great situation. With the transfer of Omer Yurtseven and the loss of Lennard Freeman and Malik Abu to graduation, he is likely going to slot right into a starting role. But the situation isn’t just great on his side, it’s pretty darn good for NC State as well.

Walker is a rare graduate transfer who has 2-years of eligibility left. That is due to separate knee injures that cost him a season.

“I tore my meniscus in the preseason and I did surgery and rehab. I was at 100% and then had a freak accident in the 2nd game of the season last year and tore it again. Then did my last surgery in December, so it’s been a long time. I’m back at 100%, playing, running, feeling great.”

While it’s always concerning when a player has injured a knee multiple times, Walker isn’t too concerned about it and feel like he’s back to full strength.

“I feel great. Our trainers and strength coach do a great job… When I got here there was a big emphasis on getting my body right before anything. I feel great. At this point, you just have to go out and play. I rarely think about it anymore and whatever God’s plan is, whatever happens, happens.”

So what can NC State fans expect to see when he suits up in the red and white? Well, when asked who he patterns his game after, he mentioned a name we hadn’t heard in a long time.

“Arvydas Sabonis”

Not what we were expecting, but certainly not dissapointing at all. Sabonis was one of the best European players the NBA has ever seen. He could pass it, shoot it and score with his back to the basket. He had nearly unstoppable post moves and what he lacked in athleticism, he made up for in craftiness and work ethic.

That type of work ethic is already being noticed by his teammates.

“He works hard.” said PG Braxton Beverly. “He’s gritty. He’s got a lot of experience and had a great career as Samford when he was healthy and he’s doing the same thing here. He’s working his butt off every day. He brings that experience that is going to make a big difference for us.”

And his post moves seem to be turning some heads as well.

“90% of the time Wyatt gets it down there it’s a bucket, as far as post-moves.” said frontcourt mate DJ Funderburk.

If NC State is going to be as good as some think they are, they’re going to have to have quality play from their frontcourt, and whether he’s ready or not, Wyatt Walker is going to be a deciding factor.

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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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8 hours 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

Published

4 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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5 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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5 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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