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Kevin Keatts, Markell Johnson & Torin Dorn’s Presser After NC State Beat Hofstra in NIT

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5 years ago

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NC State defeated Hofstra 84-78 in the 1st round of the 2019 NIT last night, and head coach Kevin Keatts, along with Redshirt Senior Torin Dorn & Junior Point Guard Markell Johnson met with the media for the postgame press conference. The video is ABOVE (Via TheWolfpacker), and a bulleted breakdown is BELOW.

KEATTS

  • Have to congratulate Hofstra on a great season.
    • Joe Mihalich has done a tremendous job with their program.
    • Told guys this is probably going to be as tough as any game they are going to play.
    • Knew whoever the champion coming out of that league was (CAA) was going to be very good.
    • Obviously pushed us to the limit.
    • It’s a great program.
  • Thought our guys did a great job of responding.
  • We put so much emphasis on making the Big Dance, and when you don’t make it, it is a tough thing, especially for 19 to 21-year old guys.
    • But these guys came out and responded.
    • They gave an honest day of hard work yesterday in practice and it paid off.
    • These two guys, Markell Johnson and Torin Dorn, being veterans, obviously carried us, and you can say the same about C.J. Bryce.
    • Excited to move on.
    • Our focus has completely changed, we are playing for a championship and that’s what we want.
  • Had 19 offensive rebounds.
    • Went into the game saying that in order to be successful, had to have at least 12 offensive rebounds.
    • They played an untraditional zone…when the ball gets in the middle, it turns into a little bit of man-to-man, but I thought we did a good job of rebounding against it.
  • Still trying to figure out if the length of the lane makes a difference (experimental NIT rules).
    • Thought that at this level, because the lane was wider, there would be more three-second calls.
      • Markell seems to think that because the lane is so wide that it stretches you out so much that you can’t play help-side defense.
  • Been playing against Justin Wright-Foreman for 3 years. He is tremendous.
    • He is a tough guard because he can step back and shoot, he is shifty enough to get to the rim.
    • What makes him really good is he doesn’t miss his free throws, so he gets to the basket and gets fouled and then makes his free throws.
    • When you think about the CAA, there is always 1 or 2 really good guys that come out of that league and he is one of them that has a chance to play for money one day.
  • At the end of the game, when we get 2 or 3 possessions, I will call some plays. Tonight Markell was feeling it and I wanted him to play.
    • I thought he made some great plays down the stretch.
    • When you have a veteran point guard, sometimes as the coach the smartest thing you can do is let him make plays, and I thought he did that tonight.
  • I haven’t thought about that, but this is probably the first time I have been favored too (On winning 1st Post Conference Tournament Game).
  • Our fan base is tremendous.
    • The excitement in this building today, our fan base is incredible. Without them, I don’t know if we would have gotten the win.
    • This is a special building…it’s an electric building, and to get a postseason win in this building means so much.
  • I’ve got to talk to Coach Yow about scheduling more game in Reynolds.
  • Winning the game means more to me because we are advancing.
    • When it comes to March, it is more about our players than the coaching staff. I have won enough games in my career, so it is about making sure these guys feel good and get to advance. It is not about me, it is about us.

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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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10 hours 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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1 day 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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1 day 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

Published

2 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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