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VIDEO: Kevin Keatts’ Press Conference after NC State’s 105-55 Victory over Mount St. Mary’s

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6 years ago

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NC State head coach Kevin Keatts met with the media for his postgame press conference after the Wolfpack beat Mount Saint Mary’s 105-55 in their 2018 season opener. The VIDEO is below, with a BULLETED breakdown underneath.

  • It was a good game because we were able to see two different teams. We have a couple of guys who haven’t played a meaningful game in a year-and-a-half. Thought guys came out with jitters to start the game. Once we settled in, I thought we played great.
  • I think we finished the game on a 51-14 run, which was good for us. Our press got involved.
  • DJ Funderburk was one point from being in double-digits.
  • Thought we shared the basketball and didn’t turn it over. We were able to force some turnovers. That’s my vision for how I want us to play.
  • I knew we were going to start off slow, but was glad we were able to finish the game.
  • We’ll take this tape and learn from it. Early on, we had some defensive breakdowns that I want to clean up. You’ll look at it and say that they shot 32%, and we held them to 55 points. I’m always looking for perfection on the defensive end.
  • When we get out in transition, and we start playing, we can be a very good basketball team.
  • When we were struggling, I thought Markell Johnson and Torin Dorn stepped up and made a couple of big plays. They played like guys that were in the program last year. Also, I could say the same thing about CJ Bryce. He had a few great rebounds and everything else. It’s important for the guys who have played for me before to lead by example, and those three guys did.
  • I took Torin Dorn out at the end, because I told him if I don’t take him out, I was going to mess his average up from three. It’s good for some of those guys seeing the ball going in. With Braxton Beverly, we are a really good three-point shooting team. Without him, we are average.
  • Still trying to figure out which combinations play well together. If we need to play a traditional lineup, I can play DJ Funderburk at the 4.
  • Markell Johnson is one of the best point guards in the ACC when he plays. He’s not a guy who is hunting shots. An ideal game for Markell, would be to have 10 assists and 8 points.  That’s ok, but with this team , as a veteran, he has to be able to score the basketball. We needed him to, and he did tonight.
  • I thought that CJ Bryce got in a groove, but I never thought that Devon Daniels did. He never hit his stride, which is probably a good thing for him and us. We’ll be able to look at the film, and see some of the things to work on. Thought he forced a couple of shots. That’s ok. We went through some of the same stuff early in the year last year with Al Freeman. Once we told him what a good shot was, and he started sharing the basketball, he became a good player for us.
  • I think we’re going to see a lot of zone this year. Coaches around the country are going with a little bit of man and a little bit of zone. It was good because our guys did a good job sharing the ball throwing over the top.
  • We were playing man-to-man press, but when we went to our “diamond” press, I think it changed the game around.
  • We take pride in stopping guys, so I’m not happy with anyone scoring 24 points. If they do, I want them to shoot a bad average. I thought he (Gibbs) got too many open shots. He played a good game.
  • I’ll give you a secret. Most guys that come out of the game are the ones that broke down on defense. If they breakdown on a defensive assignment, they are coming out of the game.

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Basketball

Georgia Center Transfer Frank Anselem-Ibe Visited NC State this Week

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6 hours ago

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May 8, 2024

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Georgia Transfer Center Frank Anselem-Ibe (6’10″/215) was in for a visit to NC State yesterday, according to a source.

Anselm-Ibe was at Georgia the past two seasons, and was at Syracuse the two before that.

Back in 2020, Anselm-Ibe was a 4-Star prospect out of Prolific Prep in Georgia. 247Sports ranked him as the #18 player in the state of Georgia.

Anselm-Ibe hit the Portal on April 30th.

ECU Power Forward Transfer Ezra Ausar took an Official Visit to NC State a little over a week ago, and while things were looking good at first, at this point, it seems like things have reached a point of radio silence. From what I’m hearing, NC State would definitely take Ausar, but they aren’t going to wait for him either.

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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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2 days 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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