The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1510285
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 ■ 33 and 0.8 rebounds. Both appeared in 30 games. Keatts was adamant about what he wanted to see from Pass and Thomas: take up a defensive role in practice every day, similar to what Smith and Joiner did to them last season. "I need LJ Thomas and Breon Pass to learn from Terquavion Smith and more so Jarkel Joiner," Keatts said. "He made it rough for those guys in practice. It was hard to get the ball up the floor. They couldn't run an offense. This is where you learn from an upperclassman how to play, how to compete. I'm trying to get those guys to take care of that role." Frontcourt Here, too, the Pack appears to have an abundance of depth. Graduate DJ Burns Jr. will hold down the starting center spot, while Missouri transfer Mohamed Diarra provides sta- bility as a reserve junior center, who will also be featured at power forward. Diarra averaged 3.2 points and 3.3 re- bounds in 25 appearances for Missouri last season, but before that he was the No. 1 junior college recruit after averag- ing 17.8 points and 12.6 rebounds during his sophomore season at Garden City (Kan.) Community College. While Diarra likely won't start for the Wolfpack at center, Keatts raved about him in late September. "He's been our most complete player from the summer until now," Keatts said. "He's been really good. He re- bounds the basketball, can step out and shoot it, handles the ball on the break. … I've been impressed with him." At the other forward spot, NC State can get creative. Diarra could play alongside Burns at the four, while the arrival of junior Ben Middlebrooks from Clemson has strengthened the spot as well. In addition, the 6-foot-6 Parker and 6-5 Rice have the size to play at power forward if the Pack wants more versatility on the floor throughout the season. Junior Ernest Ross will also pro- vide depth at power forward after he averaged 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds last season. "We have a lot of options," Keatts said. "We can play big. We can go back to when we had DJ Funderburk and Manny Bates playing, because I love what Mohamed is bringing, I love what Ben brings. And then you've got Dennis and an opportunity to play MJ at some of those positions also." While at Clemson, Middlebrooks re- corded 15 total rebounds in three games against the Wolfpack. He was stuck be- hind ACC star PJ Hall with the Tigers, so his arrival in Raleigh will allow him to be featured at power forward. Keatts joked he had a front row seat to evaluate Middlebrooks a year ago. "He rebounded well against us," Ke- atts said. "That helped him, too." ■ NC State Men's Basketball Roster No. Name Ht., Wt. Pos. Year Hometown 0 DJ Horne 6-2, 180 G Gr. Raleigh Played in 35 games with 34 starts as a senior at Arizona State, averaging 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Spent his first two years at Illinois State before joining the Sun Devils ahead of the 2021-22 season. 1 Jaden Taylor 6-4, 195 G Jr. Indianapolis Made 42 starts in two seasons at Butler, where he led the Bulldogs in scoring (12.9 ppg) and steals (1.3 spg) as a sophomore. 2 Kam Woods 6-2, 185 G Jr. Bessemer, Ala. Averaged 17.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game as a junior at North Carolina A&T. Received second-team All-Colonial Athletic Association honors. 3 MJ Rice 6-5, 215 G So. Henderson, N.C. Spent his freshman season at Kansas, where he averaged 2.2 points and 1.0 rebounds in 23 games. 4 LJ Thomas 6-2, 205 G So. Plant City, Fla. Averaged 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in 30 games for the Wolfpack as a true freshman. 10 Breon Pass 6-0, 175 G Jr. Reidsville, N.C. Has seen action in 55 games in two seasons at NC State. Averaged 1.5 points and 0.8 rebounds during his sophomore campaign. 11 Dennis Parker Jr. 6-6, 205 G Fr. Richmond, Va. Received a four-star grade and was listed as the nation's No. 102 overall recruit, No. 25 small forward and No. 2 Virginia prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking for the class of 2023. 12 Michael O'Connell 6-2, 195 G Gr. Mineola, N.Y. Started 28 of 33 games for Stanford last season, averaging 5.2 points, 3.1 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. 13 KJ Keatts 5-10, 165 G So. Cary, N.C. Appeared in nine games for the Wolfpack during his true freshman season, playing a season-high four min- utes against Austin Peay. A walk-on, he is the son of head coach Kevin Keatts. 14 Casey Morsell 6-3, 200 G Gr. Fort Washington, Md. Was one of only three players to start all 34 games for the Pack last season, ranking second on the team and seventh in the ACC in minutes played at 34.9 per game. Posted career-high averages of 11.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. 20 Alex Nunnally 6-2, 180 G Jr. Cary, N.C. Has seen action in 16 games in two seasons at NC State and last year was named to the ACC Honor Roll. 22 Jordan Snell 6-2, 165 G So. Cary, N.C. Appeared in 10 games as a true freshman for the Wolfpack and was named to the ACC Honor Roll. 23 Mohamed Diarra 6-10, 215 F Jr. Montreuil, France Appeared in 25 games and made six starts for Missouri last season after transferring from Garden City Com- munity College. Averaged 3.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in his lone season at Mizzou. 24 Ernest Ross 6-9, 200 F Jr. Alachua, Fla. Ranked second on the Wolfpack with 27 blocks last season, while averaging 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 34 games. 30 DJ Burns Jr. 6-9, 275 F Gr. Rock Hill, S.C. Was an honorable mention All-ACC choice after a senior season in which he shot 56.1 percent from the field to rank first on the team and fourth in the conference. Averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 34 games with 22 starts. 34 Ben Middlebrooks 6-10, 240 F Jr. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Appeared in 60 games in two seasons at Clemson, including 11 starts. Averaged 3.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in 34 games as a sophomore.