The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1510285
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023 ■ 31 BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN fter a disappointing 2021- 22 campaign in which it won only 11 games, the NC State men's basketball team turned itself around with a 23-11 showing last season en route to the p rog ra m 's f i rs t NCA A Tournament berth in five years. Now, coach Kevin Keatts and his play- ers want to keep the momentum going. "Last year, we got back on track," Ke- atts said. "I can sit up here and point to COVID and injuries. None of that mat- ters. We got back on track, we just won 23 games, we just went to the NCAA Tournament, and we want to continue to build on that." As part of that effort to keep improv- ing, NC State jumped in the transfer portal to reload its roster. Star guards Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner have departed for professional basketball, while three other players exited via the portal. The Wolfpack added eight new play- ers to the roster, including seven trans- fers and one true freshman. Keatts was happy with how he and his staff con- structed their roster. "It's been a really busy offseason," he said. "I think our staff has done a tremendous job at hitting the transfer portal, which we knew we needed to do if we were going to lose so many impor- tant pieces that we had." Although the Pack dealt with consid- erable turnover in the offseason, Keatts is excited about his squad this year. BUILDING BUILDING BOOM BOOM Sporting A Reconstructed Roster, NC State Hopes To Continue Its Climb In his first season in Raleigh, DJ Burns Jr. finished as the Wolfpack's third-leading scorer, averaging 12.5 points per game. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS A