The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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28 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2018-19 BY JACEY ZEMBAL S econd-year head coach Kevin Keatts asked for patience from Wolfpack fans last year, but ended up over-delivering on his expectations. Keatts turned around NC State in near- record time, going from 15-17 with a broken spirit in 2016-17 to 21-12 and a berth to the NCAA Tournament in 2017-18. The program welcomes 10 new players, though two of them will be redshirting this season — Kentucky junior post transfer Sa- cha Killeya-Jones and freshman forward Manny Bates. Normally, there would be nervousness about implementing eight new players to a nucleus that returns fifth-year senior guard Torin Dorn, junior point guard Markell Johnson and sophomore guard Braxton Beverly. "The three guys that I have thought have done a tremendous job so far are the re- turners," Keatts said. "They all have been leaders. "I think you will really, really enjoy this team." Keatts proved last year that meshing a team together, aided by NCAA rules in al- lowing coaches more time to work with their teams during the offseason, is a lot easier these days. Defining roles will prove to be the challenge for the 11 eligible players, with even Keatts admitting he doesn't nor- mally play that many in a rotation. "We have a lot of versatility and a lot of guys that can play a lot of different posi- tions," he said. "You might see a lot of dif- ferent combinations on the floor that you might have never seen before. "We will not play conventional basketball this year." Guards Keatts loves point guards and combo guards, and has three options at his disposal this season. He has promised that all three could play together at times. Johnson turned the corner during the second half of last year, and led the ACC in assists and ranked sixth nationally. The 6-1, 175-pounder averaged 8.9 points, 7.3 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 29.1 minutes per game. Another major improve- ment came in his ability to shoot from be- yond the arc. He jumped from 25.0 percent as a freshman to 40.9 percent last year. Johnson's improved jump shot will allow him to play in concert with Beverly. The 6-0, 180-pound Beverly can run the show or spot up and shoot three-pointers. He aver- aged 9.5 points and 3.9 assists per game as a freshman, and shot 38.5 percent from behind the arc. "Braxton Beverly is really playing good basketball and shooting the ball well," Ke- atts said. "When you see Markell Johnson, there will be a little bulk on him." Sophomore point guard Blake Harris, a transfer from Missouri, will also factor into the mix. The 6-3, 190-pounder averaged 3.8 points and 3.1 assists and shot 40.7 percent from the field in 14 games with the Tigers last year. Wings/Forwards The strength of NC State this season will be its contingent of players who are at least 6-4 and can play multiple positions. "I think we ran 75 percent of what I wanted to do in my system [last year], the reason being we didn't have the depth," Ke- atts said. "You look at this team, out of the 11 guys, I got seven guys that I can play at the guard position. At times, we can play four guards." Dorn emerged last year, averaging 13.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. The 6-5, 210-pounder thrived playing against other teams' power forwards and should be in line for a great final season. The anticipation has been building ever since former UNC Wilmington standout C.J. Bryce announced he'd follow Keatts and the coaching staff to Raleigh. The 6-5, 195-pounder can play either wing position and averaged 17.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game for the Seahawks as a sophomore in 2016-17. The redshirt junior was an in- tegral component in UNCW reaching the NCAA Tournament both of his years there. Redshirt sophomore Devon Daniels helped Utah reach the NIT during his one year there. The 6-5, 200-pounder averaged 9.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, and shot an impressive 57.1 percent from the field. Former George Mason and Florida In- ternational wing Eric Lockett brings plenty of experience as a graduate transfer. The 6-5, 193-pounder averaged 14.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game at FIU last year. Rounding out the group is incom- ing 6-7, 198-pound freshman Jeri- cole Hellems, a four-star recruit who was ranked No. 130 overall in the country by Ri- vals.com and can play either small forward or possibly as a small-ball power forward if called upon. Post Players NC State's frontcourt has undergone a major overhaul. Gone are departed seniors Lennard Freeman and Abdul-Malik Abu, plus sophomore transfers Omer Yurtseven (Georgetown) and Darius Hicks (Eastern Kentucky). Redshirt junior Wyatt Walker, a graduate transfer from Samford; redshirt sophomore DJ Funderburk, a junior college transfer who started his career at Ohio State; and four-star freshman Ian Steere will try to fill the void in the middle. Walker averaged 12.9 points and 9.7 re- bounds during his sophomore year at Sam- ford in 2016-17, but the 6-9, 240-pounder missed all but two games last year with a knee injury. "We have to figure out which of these guys will emerge," Keatts said. "They bring something different to the table. Steere is a freshman that has a long ways to go, but is very physical. Funderburk is a talented young man that played at junior college and is probably the best scorer out of the bunch. [Walker] is a veteran and knows how to play the game." It is possible that the 6-9, 240-pound Walker and the 6-10, 210-pound Funder- burk could be on the court together, but Keatts will have plenty of lineup options regardless of what he does with his big guys. "If you look at Golden State or San An- tonio or different programs in the NBA, nobody plays with a back-to-the-basket center," Keatts said. "We are going to play unconventional, no-position basketball." ■ CHANGE IS GOOD Expectations Remain High For Wolfpack After Roster Overhaul