The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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74 ■ THE WOLFPACKER WOLFPACK BASKETBALL who reached out to him after he announced that he was leaving Kentucky understood that they had to be up front with him. "It was similar to the first [recruitment], but it definitely had its differences," he ex- plained. "You can tell the difference more when coaches talk to you. They understand you are more experienced, you know what to expect, you know what you want from a program and you're aren't a high school kid just looking wide-eyed at a school. "It was definitely a more informed pro- cess." Thus far the transition for Killeya-Jones at NC State has been a good one. He's had positive experiences in the summer work- outs and early practices. He can already tell that he will fit Keatts' system well. "The offense is really free flowing — a lot of ball screens, a lot of freedom on the offensive end," he added. The challenge will come when NC State gets into the heart of the schedule and ACC play, and Killeya-Jones is forced to watch the action from the sideline in street clothes. He has a mental plan for how to approach his redshirt year, rattling off a long list of objectives to improve his game: increasing his foot speed and strength, improving his penetration abilities and becoming a shot blocker at the rim, just to start. It helps that Killeya-Jones' two room- mates are childhood friend Blake Harris, another Chapel Hill native, and C.J. Bryce. Both Harris and Bryce are transfers. Har- ris, a sophomore guard, sat out the second half of last season after transferring mid- year from Missouri. Bryce, a redshirt junior guard, missed the entire year after following Keatts from UNC Wilmington. "Just talking to those guys about what they did last year — they took their game to another level and made the most of their sit- out year — has been really good for me just to kind of get an idea of what to expect go- ing into it," Killeya-Jones noted. "All these guys are extremely talented and just going up against these guys in practice is making me better already." — Matt Carter Freshman Manny Bates To Redshirt NC State freshman forward Manny Bates thought he was past the worst with his high school shoulder injury. Bates suffered his first shoulder injury prior to the start of his senior season at Fay- etteville (N.C.) Northwood Temple Acad- emy. He played just two contests, missing out on the chance of playing with future Wolfpack teammate Ian Steere, also a for- ward. He thought he was back to 100 per- cent last February, but was held out of the NCISAA 1A playoffs as a precaution. Bates got to play in front of the fans again at the Josh Level Classic May 19 at Greensboro (N.C.) Dudley High. He was rusty, but the 6-11, 221-pounder chipped in seven points, four rebounds and two blocks. Most importantly, he felt confident about his health. However, NC State announced Aug. 21 that Bates would have to redshirt this sea- son after reinjuring his shoulder. He was "bummed out" at first about the news. "It was bad luck because it happened when I was home [this past summer]," Bates said. "It was a random accident. "It's the same injury as a year ago. This one happened when I was sleeping. I was sleeping and it just came out. I think my arm raised while I was sleeping and it just happened." Bates is keeping a positive attitude de- spite being on the sidelines for basically two straight seasons. He was able to ditch his sling and begin rehab a few weeks ago. "I'm trying to look at the bigger picture," he said. "Instead of playing through this and risking my career even more, I know sitting out will give me the bigger picture of getting stronger and better with the team." Bates, who Rivals.com ranked as the No. 11 center and No. 139 overall player nation- ally in the class of 2018, said riding the bike would be his main way of conditioning this fall. "I've been feeling better," he said. "The team is doing a good job of boosting me up at practice. They are doing a good job of boosting my confidence up." The rookie plans to hit the ground run- ning next year, and is looking forward to learning all the plays and Wolfpack schemes in the meantime. He's accepting his role of "Coach Bates." "From the sideline, I can see stuff that they [NCSU post players] might not see dur- ing the game," Bates said. "During timeouts, I can help them and boost them. They'll be able to give me knowledge back." A healthy Bates would join Kentucky junior post transfer Sacha Killeya-Jones and Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy five-star point guard Jalen Lecque, who is expected to sign with the Wolfpack during the November signing period, as newcom- ers on next year's roster. The trio would give the Wolfpack a pair of Rivals.com five- star prospects to go along with the four-star Bates. — Jacey Zembal Bates — a 6-11, 221-pounder who was rated as the No. 11 center and No. 139 overall player in the country by Rivals.com — reinjured the shoulder he initially hurt prior to the start of his senior season at Fayetteville (N.C.) North- wood Temple Academy and will redshirt. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM 2018-19 NC State Men's Basketball Schedule Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET) Oct. 29 Chowan! (ACCNE) 7 p.m. Nov. 6 Mount St. Mary's (ACCNE) 7 p.m. Nov. 10 Maryland Eastern Shore (RSN) 12 p.m. Nov. 13 UNC Asheville (ACCNE) 7 p.m. Nov. 17 Maine (ACCNE) 2 p.m. Nov. 20 Saint Peter's (RSN) 7 p.m. Nov. 24 Mercer (ACCNE) 2 p.m. Nov. 27 at Wisconsin% (ESPN2) 9 p.m. Dec. 1 vs. Vanderbilt^ (ESPN2) 5 p.m. Dec. 5 Western Carolina# (ACCNE) 7 p.m. Dec. 15 vs. Penn State$ (ESPNU) 2 p.m. Dec. 19 Auburn (ESPN2) 7 p.m. Dec. 22 USC Upstate (RSN) 12 p.m. Dec. 28 Loyola (Md.) (ACCNE) 7 p.m. Jan. 3 at Miami* (ESPN/ESPNU) 7 p.m. Jan. 8 North Carolina* (ESPN/ESPN2) 9 p.m. Jan. 12 Pittsburgh* (Raycom) 12 p.m. Jan. 15 at Wake Forest* (Raycom) 8 p.m. Jan. 19 at Notre Dame* (Raycom) 2 p.m. Jan. 24 at Louisville* (Raycom) 8 p.m. Jan. 26 Clemson* (Raycom) 2 p.m. Jan. 29 Virginia* (ESPN/ESPN2) 7 p.m. Feb. 2 Virginia Tech* (Raycom) 12 p.m. Feb. 5 at North Carolina* (Raycom) 8 p.m. Feb. 9 at Pittsburgh* (Raycom) 2 p.m. Feb. 13 Syracuse* (Raycom) 8 p.m. Feb. 16 at Duke* (ESPN/ESPN2) TBA Feb. 20 Boston College* (RSN) 7 p.m. Feb. 24 Wake Forest* (ESPNU) 6 p.m. Mar. 2 at Florida State* (ESPN/ESPN2) 12 p.m. Mar. 6 Georgia Tech* (RSN) 9 p.m. Mar. 9 at Boston College* (RSN) 2 p.m. Mar. 12-16 ACC Tournament+ TBD ! Exhibition; % Big Ten-ACC Challenge; ^ Hoophall Miami In- vitational in Miami; # Reynolds Coliseum; $ Boardwalk Clas- sic in Atlantic City, N.J.; * ACC game; + at Charlotte; ACCNE — ACC Network Extra; RSN — Regional Sports Network