NC State continues to grow with large batch of newcomers
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — This past offseason was a busy one for NC State coach Kevin Keatts and his staff. The Wolfpack had a lot to replace from last season’s squad, including its top two leading scorers, which led to eight additions: seven transfers and a freshman.
NC State brought in Arizona State’s DJ Horne, Clemson’s Ben Middlebrooks, Missouri’s Mohamed Diarra, Stanford’s Michael O’Connell, North Carolina A&T’s Kam Woods, Butler’s Jayden Taylor and Kansas’ MJ Rice through the transfer portal. The Pack also signed freshman guard Dennis Parker Jr. to round out the newcomers.
With more than half of the team’s scholarship players being a new face, it presented a unique challenge for the Wolfpack: get everyone on the same page in terms of the team’s culture. But according to the seventh-year coach, that has not been an issue.
“I think what’s happening is we’ve got eight new dudes that played for eight different guys last year, really good coaches,” Keatts said at ACC Tipoff on Wednesday afternoon. “Getting them to understand the NC State way, and how competitive we play and how our practices are, I think they’ve embraced it.”
The transfers have adjusted well so far, and part of that has been due to the leadership by NC State’s upperclassmen, including graduate forward DJ Burns and graduate guard Casey Morsell.
Both have done different things to help the newcomers get up to speed, including paintball and bowling, while also getting to know each other better. But the biggest way for Morsell to learn his teammates has been constant pick-up basketball runs.
“Everyone’s different, everyone’s adjusted differently,” Morsell said. “The transfers essentially are learning fast. Just creating a culture where they’re always playing. I’m always playing pickup, and anytime I call those guys to play, they’re always quick to answer and want to get better.”
Keatts said the team has worked on its chemistry every day at practice because of the large number of new faces on the court this season. He’s been pleased with the team’s ability to learn one another and its growth over the past month, but the energy piece has been through the roof.
“I’ve been very pleased by our group with the energy that we’ve had,” Keatts said. “You don’t know that because you get eight new dudes, but I would say [it’s been] fun and competitive.”
Competitive is a word that Keatts used numerous times as he spoke, and with NC State’s free-flowing offense, it is needed. He noted NC State’s competition in the front court between Burns, Diarra and Middlebrooks has been something that has stood out through the team’s practice slate so far.
Some of the other new players have turned some heads on the Wolfpack’s practice court. Burns picked Woods, while Morsell had a trio on mind: Horne, Taylor and Parker.
“Those are valuable weapons, especially on the offensive end,” Morsell said of his selections. “That’s what this program needs, especially with what we lost. This team will be different, but we’ll still be dangerous.”
While the Wolfpack is focused on improving the team’s chemistry every time it hits the practice floor in Raleigh, Keatts said he’s still learning about his team.
That might be the case, and Keatts would like more time to work with his team, but he added that they’ll be set to face The Citadel in the season opener on Nov. 6 at PNC Arena.
“I wish I had another month, but I don’t,” Keatts said. “I do like the strides that we’ve made. We’ve got one more tune up in the exhibition, and then we’ll be ready to play.”
