The Wolfpacker

November 2018

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

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72 ■ THE WOLFPACKER T he second time Sacha Killeya-Jones went through the recruiting process, he had a better understanding of what's important to him. That perspective led him to NC State. Killeya-Jones will sit out this season after transferring in over the summer from Kentucky. When he originally arrived in Lexington, Killeya-Jones was a highly her- alded five-star signing. Rivals.com rated the McDonald's All-American as the No. 24 overall prospect in the country's 2016 class. The 6-11, 220-pound Chapel Hill, N.C., native struggled to find his comfort zone at UK, though. After averaging 3.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 13.7 minutes per game last season, Killeya-Jones decided to transfer, eventually settling on NC State. "The second time I really wanted a place where I felt a connection with the coach and had that trust and freedom to expand my game," Killeya-Jones said. It became clear that NC State second- year head coach Kevin Keatts quickly won Killeya-Jones' trust. "I was just really excited about Coach Keatts," he explained. "He's the main rea- son. He's a winner. He plays a fast style of basketball, an aggressive style of bas- ketball. "He came in last year and really proved a lot of people wrong and proved he's one of the top coaches in the ACC and really one of the top coaches in the country." Killeya-Jones noted that the coaches WOLFPACK BASKETBALL Kentucky Transfer Sacha Killeya-Jones Is Happy To Be At NC State Killeya-Jones, a five-star who was rated as the No. 24 overall player in the class of 2016 by Rivals.com, identified head coach Kevin Keatts as his main reason for selecting the Wolfpack after he decided to transfer from Kentucky. PHOTO COURTESY UK ATHLETICS The NC State men's basketball program was picked eighth in the ACC by all three of the "main" preseason magazines. Athlon, Lindy's and Street & Smith's all projected the Wolfpack to finish in eighth place in the league, which in perspective is pretty good considering only three players returned from last year's squad. Athlon predicted NC State to reach the NCAA Tournament, but lose in the first round as a No. 9 seed to Central Florida. The magazine also had fifth-year senior guard Torin Dorn predicted as a third-team All-ACC performer. Dorn was also picked for the No. 80 spot in its countdown of the top 100 players, with junior point guard Markell Johnson at No. 96. Athlon also listed redshirt junior guard C.J. Bryce as a "Transfer To Watch," and redshirt junior forward Wyatt Walker was a "Grad Transfer To Watch." Lindy's dubbed Bryce and Johnson third-team All-ACC selections, and Johnson was named the "The Top Playmaker" in the league. The magazine tabbed NC State as the No. 37 overall team in the country, and had the Pack reaching the NCAA Tournament but falling short of the Sweet 16. Sophomore guard Braxton Beverly received kudos for his ball security, while Bryce and redshirt sophomore guard Devon Daniels were named to the "Back In The Saddle" category. Lindy's top 150 players breakdown featured Bryce at No. 46, Johnson at No. 70 and Dorn at No. 140. The Wolfpack had the No. 10 backcourt in the country per the outlet. — Jacey Zembal ATHLON 1. Duke 2. North Carolina 3. Virginia 4. Virginia Tech 5. Syracuse 6. Florida State 7. Clemson 8. NC State 9. Notre Dame 10. Miami 11. Louisville 12. Boston College 13. Wake Forest 14. Georgia Tech 15. Pittsburgh LINDY'S 1. Duke 2. North Carolina 3. Virginia 4. Virginia Tech 5. Clemson 6. Syracuse 7. Florida State 8. NC State 9. Notre Dame 10. Miami 11. Louisville 12. Boston College 13. Wake Forest 14. Georgia Tech 15. Pittsburgh STREET & SMITH'S 1. Virginia 2. Duke 3. North Carolina 4. Virginia Tech 5. Clemson 6. Florida State 7. Syracuse 8. NC State 9. Miami 10. Louisville 11. Notre Dame 12. Boston College 13. Wake Forest 14. Pittsburgh 15. Georgia Tech NC State Pegged To Finish Eighth In The ACC By Preseason Magazines

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