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“They gotta guard us too, pal.” This is a common saying by Coach Gottfried and is the keystone of his coaching philosophy. Mark Gottfried is first and foremost an offensive coach who loves to have his teams go up and down the court.  Sure some people like to criticize him for this, but all coaches have their trademarks.

The shorter shot clock will have very little effect on the Pack as Gottfried regularly uses a 30 second clock during practice in order to have his teams push tempo and get into their sets quicker. Efficiency is the name of the game and he wants his team to push first in order to take advantage of an unset defense. If you pay attention to offense you can see that we have quick sets built in to be explored first in order to better capitalize on a scrambling defense. Turnovers and long rebounds are excellent opportunities that allow State to strike quick but sometimes running off of a made basket can be just as effective.

This season we could see one of the fastest paced teams in the Red and White since Gottfried arrived on campus. The reason being is Cat Barber who rides into this season with lots of momentum from the end of last season. Then you incorporate a smaller lineup and our games could resemble a track meet. I also believe that defensively State will be much more aggressive in the back court to force more turnovers. Our team has all the pieces to play ultra aggressive and fast.

However questions still remain. Will our team have enough outside shooting and firepower to hang in the ACC? It is tough to replace Lacey (15.7 PPG) and Turner (12.8 PPG). That’s our two leading scorers and emotional leaders from a season ago; however, I will remind you it is not the first time Gottfried has overcome a huge turnover! Look back to our team that lost in the opening round to Temple a few years ago. Following that season State lost 5 of our top 6 scorers and Gottfried still managed to get us into the NCAA the following season.

What will benefit the most from the faster pace? Defense? Or offense?

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wulfpacker
wulfpacker
8 years ago

Wolfer96 ThatWiggaJigga I agree, Gottfried must set the standard that defense will be at the forefront. If he can get his team to buy into that end then we could be really good. I look at our roster and see a more talented group offensively than UVA fielded last season.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
8 years ago

ThatWiggaJigga I agree with you on paper it looks like we are replacing 2 average to below average defenders with potentially better defensive players in Henderson and the twins. Also, Anya showed last season that he could be a shot blocking threat  so if he comes in lighter and faster then there is no reason why he can’t be even better this next season. So we should be better overall defensively. However, seeing that Gott has yet to produce a team that plays solid defense for 40 minutes I will not hold my breath. Will Gott sit a player for… Read more »

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ThatWiggaJigga
ThatWiggaJigga
8 years ago

As much as losing Lacey and Ralston hurts, I think it will be partially offset on the Defensive end.  As good as Lacey and Ralston were, they were a little slow on Defense and lacked any ability to defend around the rim.  With these 2 gone you will have a lineup of Cat at the 1, Terry at the 2 (Lets not forget he’s a Bob Huggins recruit, who loves defensive minded players), The Twins at the 3/4 as well as Anya, Abu, and Freeman in the paint.  That should be a tough team to score on, especially if Anya… Read more »

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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

Published

5 days ago

on

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

Published

5 days ago

on

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

Published

5 days ago

on

May 1, 2024

By

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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