The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1456098
MARCH/APRIL 2022 ■ 41 saw Seabron's breakout coming, he ac- knowledged that his star has exceeded even the coach's expectations. "The expectation was to grow as a sophomore," Keatts noted. "I really thought he could be a guy who could probably jump from five points a game to possibly 12 and give us somewhere around six or seven rebounds. "But he's done a terrific job for us this year, and he's put a lot of work in. Of anybody that I've ever coached, he's a guy that plays to his strengths. He knows who he is and doesn't do any- thing out of the box." Seabron has also earned the respect of opposing coaches. Former Louisville head coach Chris Mack — who was fired midseason after playing NC State twice — noted that Seabron is a game-changer, while Duke's retiring Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski called Seabron "a pro." "He's a very unusually good player," Krzyzewski added. "He impacts every phase of the game: scoring, rebounding, assisting and playing defense. It's very difficult to guard him." Keatts believes that with a healthy redshirt junior center Manny Bates, his team could have been a top-25 squad. However, when Bates injured his shoul- der a minute into the season-opening win over Bucknell, Seabron became the Pack's most important player. Midway through the year, Keatts made Seabron his starting point guard. Yet, Seabron, in Bates' absence, is also argu- ably NC State's best producer in the paint. "We've actually needed him to play the way he's played," Keatts said. "This would be a completely different team if we had Manny Bates. Now our points in the paint … have come from Dereon Seabron. "Even though he's playing the point for us, he's probably been our best post guy because he's our leading rebounder and paint touch guy." Basketball was Seabron's sanctuary when he was younger and continues to provide him with the spotlight as well as a platform to prove his doubters wrong. "When the lights come on, everything goes silent," he said. "Everything starts moving in slow motion, and I know it's my time to go. … I feel like I have been the underdog my whole life. I am used to it at this point." ■