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NC State Basketball

Draft Express, the top NBA mock draft site, tweets out highlight reel hyping up Terquavion Smith

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2 years ago

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Draft Express is considered by most people to be the most trusted NBA Mock Draft site on the internet.

That’s why, when they put together a highlight reel and tweet out a national introduction to a young player, you take note. This means that a guy is now on the NBA radar. However, based on the Jonathan Givony (from Draft Express), they believe Smith still has some growing to do before he’s NBA ready.

We’d have to agree with this. Smith needs another year in college. He needs a summer to bulk up and another year in the league to polish his decision-making skills. However, it’s all there for him. In fact, they mention defense as an area he needs to improve, but his defense has actually been pretty darn good. He’s starting to understand the basic concept of help-side defense and his on-the-ball skills are great. He just needs to add strength to be able to stop the more physical guards from getting in the lane.

With all of that said, Smith will likely not be on any mock draft boards this year. And lately Seabron’s stock has been falling as teams have started to scout him and dare him to shoot it. Bates is also nowhere to be found on draft boards this year. However, all 3 have a very good possibility of being first-round or borderline first-round NBA talent.

Sure, guys could transfer or go pro early, but there is also a good chance that all 3 of these guys are back next season, and if that happens, NC State is going to have the talent and experience. That’s the bright side. The other side of that coin is that the pressure will REALLY be on Kevin Keatts. With 3 NBA guys on your roster, you can’t slip up without having the blame squarely on your shoulders.

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Papajohn
Papajohn
2 years ago

If the pieces fall in place, next year’s team could be very good. But there’s a ton of things that have to go right. And our luck hasn’t been so great. Since we used it all in 1983. 1) Manny comes back, and can contribute at a high level (having him for a year to mentor Phillips would also be the dream) If not, we’ll need to get really lucky on the transfer portal. 2) Seabron comes back, and improves his jump shot 3) Smith comes back and can pick up where he leaves off 4) Hayes, or Pass, is… 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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2 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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2 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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3 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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3 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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