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Wolferetti: Size matters and Keatts has a big one (basketball team, that is)

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3 years ago

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You’ve all heard the phrase.

“Size doesn’t matter. It’s how you use what you’ve got.”

You know who says that? People with small things.

Now first off, get your minds out of the gutter, you 12 years olds. We’re talking about basketball here.

Keatts is coming into his 5th year as the head coach of NC State, and the whole time we kept hearing about how he wants a long, tall, athletic group of interchangeable athletes who can cause havoc on both ends of the floor. However, for the first 4 years we haven’t seen it materialize.

State has had size, but they’ve never been able to truly run out this type of lineup without seriously hurting themselves. They either would have to take a hit on ball-handling, shooting, or speed.

But not this year.

This is going to be the first year where you’ll be able to see basketball the way Kevin Keatts wants to play it. You’ll likely see a lineup of 6’3 and above most of the time. Cam Hayes (6’3), Casey Morsell (6’3), Terquavion Smith (6’4), Dereon Seabron (6’7), Jericole Hellems (6’7), Manny Bates (6’10), Ernest Ross (6’9), Greg Gantt (6’8).

So why does this matter? Well, the first four guys listed up there are guards. State is going to have 4 guards that are going to have a size advantage almost every night. And what that means is that suddenly, the high screen that nearly every ACC team is going to run is going to lose a lot of its effectiveness.

Look, we loved Braxton Beverly, but he was a defensive liability for this reason alone. Teams would run the high screen and create havoc. Either Beverly would be put into a mismatch, or they’d be scrambling to hedge and switch without giving up the edge.

What this means is that penetration into the lane is going to be tough for teams. They are going to have to beat their man off the dribble, and despite NC State’s size, these guards are also pretty darn quick.

This type of size will affect the game in a lot of ways. Point-to-point passes will be harder to throw around this type of length. There won’t be any ‘shooting over’ guys to get easy buckets, and hey, “You have to guard us to, pal.” (Moment of silence for Mark Gottfried)

Offensively, NC State is going to be able to play big on offense without clogging the lane with traditional lumbering bigs. They’ve worked all offseason in helping Manny Bates acquire a consistent jump shot (and *gulp* 3-point shot), but my guess is that you’ll likely see him play a lot like he played last year.

The difference will be that instead of Funderburk at the 4 (a great talent, but a guy defenders could sag off of a little bit on the wing) you’ll have Jericole Hellems, who is one of the Pack’s best shooters. This is going to cause problems for opposing teams. The 1-3 position will be guards, but again, they’ll be anywhere from 6’3 to 6’7 most of the time.

This NC State team is going to be able to fast while also playing big and that’s something Keatts has always wanted but never been able to do without a trade-off. This year there’s no trade-off. NC State’s best scorers are all big, and all guys who can score on multiple levels.

The big question is going to be whether or not they’re able to hit consistently from outside. Hellems, Hayes and Smith are all great shooters, and if Morsell and Seabron can keep defenders honest with their jumpers, this is going to be a potent team on both ends of the floor.

Of course, you still have Thomas Allen and Breon Pass, both of whom are around the 6-foot mark, and both can shoot it. So, NC State isn’t ALWAYS going to be playing big, however, when they want to or need to it’s a luxury they have at their disposal.

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A pasta eatin', Wolfpack lovin' loudmouth from Raleigh by way of New Jersey. Jimmy V and Chuck Amato fanboy. All opinions are my own and you're gonna hear'em.

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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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1 hour 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.

 

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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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NC State Basketball

ECU Transfer Forward Ezra Ausar to NC State is Trending Up

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13 hours ago

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May 1, 2024

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ECU Transfer Power Forward Ezra Ausar (6’9″/240) was on an Official Visit to NC State yesterday, and according to analysts at ON3 and 247Sports, things are trending in the right direction for the Wolfpack.

Jamie Shaw of ON3 submitted a prediction for Ausar to eventually commit to NC State yesterday morning.

Cory Smith of 247Sports submitted a crystal ball projection for Ausar to run with the Wolfpack this morning.

Ausar just wrapped up his Sophomore season in Greenville, averaging 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds, shooting 51.4% from the field. As a Freshman, he was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team, averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Ausar is a consensus 4-Star prospect in the Transfer Portal, and ON3 ranks him as the #60 overall player in the Portal and the #10 Power Forward.

Originally from Atlanta, Ausar played his Senior Season of High School at Liberty Heights Athletic Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. ON3 ranked Ausar as a 4-Star prospect coming out of high school, the #94 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina.

Ausar has visited Seton Hall, Georgia Tech, met over Zoom with Georgetown, and had an in-home visit with Utah. John Calipari and his staff at Arkansas have been in touch with Ausar, as well as Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, West Virginia, Iowa State and St. John’s. (Link)

At this point, it’s good news that Ausar has no visits scheduled after the visit to NC State.

Ausar has 2 years of eligibility remaining, and NC State currently has 1 scholarship remaining.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Signee Zamareya Jones Showed Out in the McDonald’s & Jordan All-American Games

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14 hours ago

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May 1, 2024

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NC State 2024 signee Zamareya Jones has played in the McDonald’s All-American game and the Jordan Brand Classic over the past month.

In the McDonald’s game on April 2nd, Jones had 13 points, helping her East squad defeat the West.

 

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In the Jordan Brand Classic on April 21st, Jones had 15 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. She also hit the game winner for Team Flight.

Jones is a 5-star prospect in the Wolfpack’s 2024 recruiting class, ranked 21st overall nationally by ESPN.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Kevin Keatts and DJ Burns Sounded the Siren at the Canes Game Tonight

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1 day ago

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April 30, 2024

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NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts and the beloved DJ Burns were both Siren Sounders for the Canes this evening, with Carolina defeating the Islanders 6-3, winning the Round 1 series 4-1.

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