The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516111
MARCH/APRIL 2024 ■ 23 W BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN hen the NC State m e n 's b a s k e t b a l l team returned to the court after an 11-day h o l i d ay b rea k , DJ Horne's three-point shooting stroke did not pick up where it left off. He went from being one of the hottest marksmen in the country to just 4 made triples in a three-game span. Eager to get back on track, the gradu- ate guard headed to the Dail Basketball Center and did what he has been doing for years: a 30-minute shooting routine designed to improve his marksmanship. Horne, a well-traveled scorer, dis- covered the drill at Illinois State, where he spent his first two years of college basketball. He begins with mid-range shots, starting inside one corner of the three-point arc and working his way around the circumference with 10 to 15 attempts at each spot. After he's satisfied with his shoot- ing from inside the arc, he backs up to three-point distance and repeats the process. In all, Horne launches 200 shots to keep his shooting form — and mindset — at peak performance. The routine has helped him become one of the ACC's best three-point shooters this season. Through 24 games, he boasted the third-highest clip from distance (43.2 percent) and the fourth- most made triples (2.92 per game) in the league. Horne said he's not trying to "overdo it or underdo it" with his shooting rou- tine. He just wants to stay sharp. "For me, coming to the gym is a safe space," he said. "If I'm not in the gym, I'm in bed or just chilling. So definitely, at this point in the season, it's routine. For me, it's trying to stick to that routine so that I don't get off track. "Once I see it go in, and get that touch, it won't really leave from there." Becoming A Scorer Coming out of high school, Horne was overlooked on the recruiting trail. Although he grew up a few miles from NC State, he ended up at Illinois State after graduating from Fayetteville (N.C.) Trinity Christian. Horne was not looked at as a pri- mary scorer when he joined the Red- birds program, but he showed that he could knock down shots. He made 47 three-pointers that first season, hit- ting 40.2 percent of his attempts from deep, averaging 8.7 points per game and making the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman squad. Horne was third on the team in scor- ing during his first season of college basketball, and his mindset started to click: He could pour points in the bas- ket. By his sophomore year, he was the Redbirds' go-to option. Horne averaged a team-best 15.1 points, with 61 made three-pointers on a 42.4 percent shoot- ing rate from beyond the arc. The Raleigh native was able to parlay that performance into a bigger role via the transfer portal. He landed at Ari- zona State, where he averaged a team- leading 12.5 points per game in his first season with the Sun Devils, totaling 73 three-pointers. A year later, he matched that 12.5-point average and ranked sec- ond on the team in scoring. For Horne, those four seasons served as a learning experience, showing him how to become an assertive scorer at the collegiate level. "I was relied upon to score a lot, and I think having that responsibility taught me how to score the ball," he said. "It slowed the game down for me. I think I'm benefiting from it now. I'm a smarter player, and it's just easier." Horne had to work to become the go- to guy, but five years into his college career, he has solidified that status. He thought the way he had to earn it helped the most when he established himself as a scorer by the end of his time at Ari- zona State. "For all my life, I've been playing with a chip on my shoulder, trying to prove something, prove myself to somebody," Horne said. "Not coming in and being told that I was 'that guy' helped me. It made me go out there and keep work- ing." Embracing A New Role When Horne entered the transfer portal for the second time, NC State coach Kevin Keatts laid out his vision for the 6-foot-2 guard. Last season, NC State had provided a platform for Ole Miss transfer Jarkel Joiner to in-