The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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32 ■ THE WOLFPACKER "I think we have possibly 10 guys that we could put in a game," he said. "I won't make hockey substitutions where we'll go five and five, but I do think for the first time in a long time that we have two point guards, two shooting guards, two small forwards, two power forwards, two centers. We have a lot of interchangeable parts that can play different posi- tions." Backcourt While Joiner and Smith have d e pa r te d , NC S ta te h a s n o shortage of talent here. The Wolfpack welcomes six new- comers at guard, including five transfers and true freshman Dennis Parker Jr. NC State brought in Arizona State transfer DJ Horne, Butler transfer Jayden Taylor, North Caro- lina A&T transfer Kam Woods, Kansas transfer MJ Rice and Stanford transfer Michael O'Connell to Raleigh to bolster the roster. That's a lot of new faces, but the upside lies in the depth that NC State has developed. "I think it's a lot of competition," Keatts said. "We have a lot of options. I don't know who we will ultimately go with at the end." O'Connell and Horne are both grad- uate students with experience play- ing point guard at the Power Five level. Horne can also play off the ball, hav- ing averaged 12.1 points and 2.1 assists across his four seasons of college bas- ketball between Illinois State and Ari- zona State. O'Connell is a true pass- first floor general who averaged 5.2 points and 3.1 assists in three seasons with the Cardinal. Horne, a Cary native, provides a scor- ing threat as a ball handler, but his lead- ership abilities are also key traits for this season's Wolfpack squad. "It's always great to get a young man to come back home," Keatts said. "He's been here, he's been positive. He's a great older guy to have in your locker room, let alone his ability to score the basketball." Outside of those two, NC State has depth with Taylor, a junior whom Keatts described as the team's top on-ball defender this season. Woods is awaiting approval of an NCAA waiver since he is a two-time transfer from Troy and North Carolina A&T; Keatts said the Wolfpack will not fight it if the request is denied. If he can suit up this season as a ju- nior, the former Aggie is sure to make a splash for NC State. He averaged 17.3 points and 4.2 re- bounds a year ago. "You don't average 17 points in Division I, no matter what level, unless you can really score the basketball," Keatts said. "He's gotten a lot stronger, he's shoot- ing the ball a little more consis- tently at this level. He would be a great addition to our roster." Rice, a sophomore and former Mc- Donald's All-American, took a leave of absence from the program for personal reasons but is expected to return to the team soon. In addition to the newcomers, Casey Morsell is back for his final season of college basketball and is expected to remain in the Wolfpack's starting five. Junior Breon Pass and sophomore LJ Thomas are also still in Raleigh. Thomas averaged 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds last season, while Pass added 1.5 points Date Opponent Location Time/TV Nov. 1 Mount Olive (Exh.) PNC Arena 7 p.m. Nov. 6 The Citadel PNC Arena 7 p.m./ACCNX Nov. 10 Abilene Christian PNC Arena 7 p.m./ACCNX Nov. 17 Charleston Southern PNC Arena 7 p.m./ACCNX Nov. 23 Vanderbilt* Las Vegas 10 p.m./ESPN2 Nov. 24 Arizona State or BYU* Las Vegas 8 or 10 p.m./ESPN2 Nov. 28 Ole Miss** Oxford, Miss. 9 p.m./ESPN2 Dec. 2 Boston College Chestnut Hill, Mass. 4 p.m./ACC Network Dec. 6 Maryland Eastern Shore Reynolds Coliseum 7 p.m./ACCNX Dec. 12 UT Martin PNC Arena 7 p.m./ACC Network Dec. 16 Tennessee^ San Antonio, Texas 10 p.m./ESPN2 Dec. 20 Saint Louis PNC Arena 7 p.m./ACCNX Dec. 23 Detroit PNC Arena 1 p.m./ACC Network Jan. 3 Notre Dame South Bend, Ind. 9 p.m./ACC Network Jan. 6 Virginia PNC Arena 2 p.m./ACC Network Jan. 10 North Carolina PNC Arena 8 p.m./ESPN Jan. 13 Louisville Louisville, Ky. Noon/The CW Date Opponent Location Time/TV Jan. 16 Wake Forest PNC Arena 7 p.m./ACC Network Jan. 20 Virginia Tech PNC Arena Noon/The CW Jan. 24 Virginia Charlottesville, Va. 7 p.m./ACC Network Jan. 27 Syracuse Syracuse, N.Y. 7 p.m./ACC Network Jan. 30 Miami PNC Arena 9 p.m./ESPN2/U Feb. 3 Georgia Tech PNC Arena 5:30 p.m./The CW Feb. 7 Pitt PNC Arena 7 p.m./ESPN2/U Feb. 10 Wake Forest Winston-Salem, N.C. 4 p.m./ACC Network Feb. 17 Clemson Clemson, S.C. 7:45 p.m./The CW Feb. 20 Syracuse PNC Arena 7 p.m./ESPN2/U Feb. 24 Boston College PNC Arena 2 p.m./ACC Network Feb. 27 Florida State Tallahassee, Fla. 9 p.m./ESPN2/U Mar. 2 North Carolina Chapel Hill, N.C. 4 p.m./ESPN Mar. 4 Duke PNC Arena 7 p.m./ESPN Mar. 9 Pitt Pittsburgh 7:45 p.m./The CW * Vegas Showdown; ** ACC/SEC Challenge; ^ Basketball Hall of Fame San Antonio; ACCNX = ACC Network Extra NC State Men's Basketball Schedule Kevin Keatts brings a 113-79 record into his seventh season as head coach at NC State. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP