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VIDEO: Kevin Keatts’ Press Conference After NC State Beat Mercer 78-74

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5 years ago

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Head Coach Kevin Keatts talked to the media in his postgame press conference after NC State squeaked by Mercer 78-74. The video is ABOVE, and a bulleted breakdown is BELOW.

  • First thing I want to do is congratulate our football team. Earned a heck of a road win and have done a good job with that program.
  • Braxton Beverly is probably going to have to shave his beard now. I told him if he ever went 0-4 he would have to shave his beard, so we will probably have a conversation tomorrow.
  • We needed a game where we had to really finish the game.
  • The first five games we played, they were a little lopsided. We did have the opportunity to try and execute at the end of the game. I thought we did some good things and I thought we had some things we need to work on. I look forward to getting back in the gym and getting after it.
  • It’s tough to win by a larger margin when you shoot 16-for-29 from the free throw line.
  • I wanted to bring Devon Daniels off the bench to kind of look at the game and to see the flow of the game (when asked about starting Braxton Beverly). He was a little more comfortable today. He had been pressing the first couple of games. It was more about Devon, than it was about Braxton. I just wanted him to settle in and see the game.
    • Had to do the same thing last year with Allerik Freeman. Al struggled for a while and then we brought him out for a stretch. He saw the game and worked his way back in.
  • I don’t know that it makes me happy (close game), but it gives me the opportunity to take the tape with those guys and talk about end-of-game situations. As a coach we practice it and we talk about it, but if you don’t experience it during the game, it’s tough.
  • We did some great things at the end, but we fouled too much. Torin Dorn took a shot too early in the shot clock when we could have burned some clock. These are all teaching moments for us.
  • I don’t know if they’re (Mercer) a tournament team. I don’t know if we’re a tournament team. I hope we both are. He’s done a great job. You can’t ignore what he’s done in his career there. They’re a tremendous team. They make you work for everything.
  • I thought we made a couple of big shots when we needed it at the end. Torin Dorn made some shots. Even though we missed a few free throws, Eric Lockett stepped up and made a couple of really big shots. We switched out and guarded the three-point line well, even though we got driven by and gave up layups. With a team like Mercer, we wanted to guard the three-point line first.
  • I haven’t had a chance to watch Wisconsin yet. I’m one of those guys that is very superstitious. I won’t watch a team we’re playing until we’re about to play those guys to prepare. We’ll watch a little film tonight. It’s a different team, a different year, and a different situation.

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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

The Roster for the NC State Men’s Basketball Team is all but Set Heading into 2024-25

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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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NC State Basketball

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

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5 days 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.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Michael O’Connell (@michaeloc_12)

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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