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
What I see in these numbers is progress. Plenty of room for improvement, but a fine season to learn from and build on. The NCAA Gottfried crap is behind us, we have an excellent inbound freshman class, the best assistant coaches we’ve had, we have returning talent next season – and three scholarships (so far) to fill in next season’s starting lineup. I’m optimistic.
I hear compliants about our low assist numbers. There are 3 key things to factor in. One is that when a good part of your offense is feeding the DJ on the post and letting him back down the defender, you won’t get any assists from that, except maybe an occasional pass out of the double team to a cutter or shooter. But DJ is supposed to keep it most of the time. Second, when your point guard creates a lot of shots for himself you won’t get assists. Third, when you have a player like Smith who can be… Read more »
The numbers that I care about most right now are number of players entering portal. No new entries past few days I suppose is a good sign.