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Who is NC State’s New Big Man DJ Burns?

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Big fella DJ Burns (6’9″/275) made quite the impression in his NC State debut on Monday night, posting a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds in only 18 minutes of play, coming off of the bench. Burns made all 5 of his field goal attempts.

So who is DJ Burns?

Burns was a 4-Star high school prospect out of York Prep Academy in Rock Hill, South Carolina. ESPN ranked him as the #82 overall player nationally in the 2018 recruiting class, and the #3 player in the state of South Carolina behind Zion Williamson and Ja Morant.

Burns didn’t have an offer from NC State, though he did take an unofficial visit to Raleigh. He did hold offers from Davidson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Virginia, Auburn, Houston, LSU, Oklahoma St, Virginia Tech and others, but the offer that stood out the most to Burns was the one from Tennessee.

On June 1st, 2018, Burns verbally committed to Tennessee, but after failing to play in a single game for the Volunteers as a Freshman, he decided to transfer to Winthrop.

Since he didn’t play at all in his lone year in Tennessee, Burns joined Winthrop as a Redshirt Freshman, and made an immediate impact, averaging 11.9 points per game (2nd on the team) in 17.5 minutes per game, shooting 58.3% from the field. Burns was the Big South Freshman of the Year in 2019-20, and also earned All-Big South 2nd Team honors. His 394 points as a Freshman were the 2nd most by a Freshman in Winthrop school history.

As a Sophomore, Burns earned All-Big South Honorable Mention, averaging 10.1 points in 15.7 minutes per game, shooting 58.2% from the field.

Last year, as a Junior, Burns was the Big South Player of the Year and 1st Team All-Big South, averaging 15.0 points per game in 20.9 minutes per game. Burns shot an insane 62.6% from the field, which led the Big South, and ranked 9th in the NCAA.

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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Dof87
Dof87
1 year ago

On a side note, Louisville lost to Belllarmine, a school i didn’t even know existed.

Papajohn
Papajohn
1 year ago

“Big fellas DJ Burns (6’9″/175) …”
😂 he can’t remember when he was 175.

Size aside, he is a very skilled player. Well coached, and obviously put the work in. He’s probably going to be a 20 minute guy, but he’ll make the most of it.

Dof87
Dof87
1 year ago

His interior shooting touch is undeniable. We’ll see how he plays against quick athletic bigs but I think he knows how to keep a body on them and disrupt.

Watching a big rebound and kick out is such a pleasure.

Rev
Rev
1 year ago
Reply to  Dof87

Good hands, smooth moves, and rebounds well. I expect quicker, more athletic bigs will test him, but he may be able to match them point for point. I was afraid he might get two fouls during warmups. If the whole team improves as the season progresses, this season will be a LOT more fun than last year.

NC State Basketball

NC State’s Men’s Basketball 2024 Transfer Class Ranks in the Top-10 Nationally

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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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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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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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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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NC State Basketball

ECU Transfer Forward Ezra Ausar to NC State is Trending Up

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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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