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NC State got back on track by taking out St. Joseph’s 73-63 in their Paradise Jam finale.

The Pack got off to a slow start but got back on track thanks to sharp shooting from Torin Dorn, Terry Henderson, and Dennis Smith Jr. The 3 guards led the way with a combined 58 points and were outstanding beyond the arc, going 17-34.

St. Joe’s came out hot, but simply couldn’t handle the Wolfpack athletes. State was just too quick and too strong at the guard position. Once again, however, there was a glaring weakness in the paint for the Pack. Abu did have 12 points and 10 boards, and he is not to blame. The blame falls on the fact that Kapita and Yurtseven both not being able to compete. In their absence, Anya played 16 minutes, had 3 points, 2 boards, and 2 blocks. Simply put, NC State needs more out of this position if they want to be a contender. There really was no reason that St. Joe’s should have beaten the Wolfpack on the boards like they did (43-33), and no reason that teams in this tournament should have been as successful in the paint as they were. I think the added competition for the two spots in the post is going to make NC State a much better, more well-rounded ball club in the near future.

Aside from lapses on defense and poor rebounding, this was a good win for NC State. They were able to show that they could bounce back from a loss. It was close down the stretch so it challenged the guy to close out a game when a team makes a late run. It also was another game under the belt for this young team who seems to be just giving us glimpses of what they might soon become.

Along with all of those positives in this tournament was the play and emergence of Dennis Smith Jr.(who was named to the All-Tournament team) We finally are seeing him shake off the rust and start to play aggressive. We are seeing just how good he can be when he decides to take control. For instance, he’s just as dangerous a finisher, as he is a passer. This creates a major problem for teams on the break and off the ball screen. You put defenders into a choose your poison positions. See below.

With Smith coming alive, Henderson finding his stroke, and Dorn and Abu putting up steady gaudy stat lines, this Wolfpack teams looks like it’s about a month away from reaching it’s full form. And when that happens, we are in for a treat.

Next up is Loyola on Saturday at 4pm at the PNC.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
7 years ago

I disagree with Wolfer96. We already knew that Gottfried is a horrible in-game coach. Maybe when the team gels, they can disregard him completely and dominate in spite of him.

Let me temper my opinion. It’s based on him giving me a heart attack each year with recruiting.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

What I learned from this tourney is that we have lots and lots of talent but Gottfried is a horrible in-game coach. He failed to take advantage of the whistle happy refs. Instead his kids jacked up a bunch of jumpers. The avg fan could not name one guy on any of these other teams. We have the guys the press is talking about so we need to do better. Better on D and smarter on offense.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

Dennis has to realize that he controls his own destiny. He can play himself into #1 pick in the NBA draft or #15. During this tourney when he keyed in on defense he was really good. At other times he wasn’t engaged and left his man wide open on the perimeter or gave his man an open lane to the basket. What takes him from #15 to #1 is that all out effort on D to match his offense.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

My pick for consistent effort in this tourney would be either Markell or Torin. Markell played hard on defense for most of the tourney while Torin provided consistent scoring and did all the little things. Really like these 2 players. Torin’s defense has been a little suspect but then he is playing out of position a lot of times so I guess he gets a pass.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

It’s crazy the streakiness this team has from the perimeter. Last game Torin could not miss and before that Terry was on fire. Hopefully as the season progresses we don’t have to rely on just one person getting hot from outside. Need more balanced scoring.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

Only saw the 2nd half but Dennis played like he should have played all tourney. He was aggressive. He was driving to the rim. It doesn’t matter that he scores every time. The point is that with dribble penetration it causes the defenses to collapse and that opens up other guys or gets Dennis to the FT line. Can’t believe it took the last game for Gott to figure this out. We should have won it all.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

What happened to the start time? I saw that it was scheduled for 7pm but when I tuned in the 2nd half was starting.

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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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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NC State Basketball

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

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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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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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