NC State men’s basketball has reloaded ahead of 2023-24 season

After a first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament last season, the NC State men’s basketball team underwent significant changes during the offseason. Key players moved on to the draft or transferred to other schools, leaving head coach Kevin Keatts with many holes on the roster. To fix the issue, Keatts brought in several new players to retool and prepare for contention in the 2023-24 season.

Guards

Last season, Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner were the Pack’s primary guards, working in tandem to create an elite backcourt. Both players took their talents to the next level, creating opportunities for new playmakers to step up and control the offense. Keatts recruited many viable options to take the mantle.

Graduate guard DJ Horne is a transfer from Arizona State, where he averaged 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game last season. The 6-foot-2 Raleigh native shot 35.5% from long-range, which is a welcome sign as Smith previously led the Wolfpack in three-pointers made. Horne led Arizona State to the NCAA Tournament and a preliminary win during the First Four matchups. They fell to TCU in the first round, but he led the team in scoring in both games with 20 and 17 points, respectively.

Butler transfer, graduate guard Jayden Taylor, will fill the other guard position. Last season, Taylor averaged 12.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. The 6-foot-4 junior also excels on defense, where he averaged 1.3 steals per game last year, with a season-high four-steal performance vs. Tennessee. In high school, Taylor was a 2021 Indiana All-Star, where he averaged 25.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, leading his team to their first winning season in six years. 

NC State’s guard depth runs deep  as there is lots of talent coming off the bench, beginning with returning sophomore guard LJ Thomas. Last season, Thomas averaged 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in 30 appearances. The 6-foot-2 guard shot 47.4% from beyond the arc and has shown extreme potential on the defensive side, as he had a four-steal game against Furman. Thomas was a four-star prospect in high school, where he averaged 18.5 points, 4.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, leading his team to the semifinals of their state championship.

Next up is Stanford transfer, graduate guard Michael O’Connell. He averaged 5.2 points, 3.1 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. He scored a career-high 22 points against No. 4 Arizona, leading them to an upset victory. The 6-foot-2 graduate finished second on the team in steals, averaging 1.3 steals per game. He has also shown flashes of great playmaking, dishing out 12 assists against Washington.

Finally, returning junior guard Breon Pass averaged 1.5 points and 0.8 rebounds per game through 30 appearances. In high school, he was a four-star prospect, averaging 32.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. He finished his prolific high school career with 13 school and county records in basketball. 

Wings

Graduate guard Casey Morsell will once again lead the wings again as he returns for his fifth and final season. He started every game, where he averaged 11.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-3 small forward had the second-most 3-pointers on the team and shot 41.1% from beyond the arc, leading the Wolfpack and ranking sixth in the ACC. In addition to his prolific shooting, Morsell is also a great defender. He was third on the team with 38 steals and fourth on the team with 22 blocks. He will be a key scorer and leader of this revamped Wolfpack roster.

Sophomore guard MJ Rice is a transfer from Kansas, where he averaged 2.2 points and one rebound per game with an average of 7.6 minutes per game. Though he didn’t have much playing time on a loaded Kansas team last season, Rice has a huge upside. The 6-foot-5 sophomore was a consensus four-star recruit and was ranked No. 28 in his class. During his senior season, he averaged 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He was also a McDonald’s All-American in his junior year.

Forward Jack Clark transferred to Clemson, but his production could be replaced by Missouri transfer, junior forward Mohamed Diarra. Last season, Diarra averaged 3.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 25 appearances. In his sophomore season at Garden City Community College, he averaged a double-double with 17.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-10 French native is a monster on the defensive end, as he had 71 blocks his sophomore season to earn Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Rounding out the wings is consensus four-star recruit, freshman guard Dennis Parker Jr. During his senior season of high school, he averaged 19.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He led his team to a perfect 28-0 record and a state championship. The 6-foot-6 guard won three state championships during his high school career. Parker also averaged 2.4 steals per game, proving to be a great defender as well. Expect him to be a dynamic two-way player who can make plays on both sides of the floor.

Forwards

The departures of forwards Dusan Mahorcic and Ebenezer Dowuona paved the way for graduate forward DJ Burns to become the primary big man for the red-and-white. Last season, he averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last season. He led the team in field goal percentage and ranked fourth in the entire ACC with a 56.1% efficiency. The 6-foot-9 forward found his rhythm late in the season, becoming a key scorer for the Wolfpack with games of 31, 24, 24 and 21 points. He is dominant in the post and has a plethora of post moves. Expect Burns to be the primary scorer for the Wolfpack, as most plays will run through him. 

Junior forward Ernest Ross is the other returning Wolfpack center. Last season, Ross averaged 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds while appearing in 34 games last year. He shot 50% throughout the season and had a season-high of 17 blocks and nine rebounds against Miami. Though Ross isn’t primarily a scorer, he has proven to be a great defender. He was second on the team with 27 blocks.

Finally, the Pack’s last big man is Clemson transfer, junior forward Ben Middlebrooks. Last season, he averaged 3.1 points and 2.7 rebounds on seven starts. The 6-foot-10 forward was a four-star prospect in high school, where he averaged 20.5 points and 13.6 rebounds per game his senior season.