Former NC State F Ben Middlebrooks signs professional contract
Former NC State forward Ben Middlebrooks is set to begin the next chapter of his basketball career. He signed a contract with the Norrkoping Dolphins in Sweden’s top professional league Sunday.
Middlebrooks, a former Clemson transfer, spent the past two seasons with the Wolfpack, averaging a career-best 7.5 points with 4.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 assists during the 2024-25 campaign as the team’s go-to option at center.
The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward led the Pack in blocks, while he finished third in rebounds and steals this past season. He also scored in double figures 13 times, including a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double against USC Upstate on Nov. 4. Middlebrooks added a 14-rebound effort in a 63-61 loss to UNC on Jan. 11.
While Middlebrooks asserted himself as the team’s starting center for much of this past season under Kevin Keatts, he was a key reserve in NC State’s miraculous run to the 2024 Final Four in Phoenix. Middlebrooks, who played in all 41 games during the 2023-24 season, scored a team-best 21 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament to help the Pack past Texas Tech, 80-67, in Pittsburgh.
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Before Middlebrooks arrived at NC State, he spent his first two seasons at Clemson, where he was primarily a reserve post behind star PJ Hall. Middlebrooks averaged 3.1 points and 2.7 rebounds on 48 percent shooting as a sophomore with the Tigers.
Now, as Middlebrooks prepares to begin his professional career, he is the second Wolfpack player from this past season’s squad to sign a contract. Former point guard Michael O’Connell is currently playing with Criollos de Caguas in Puerto Rico’s top professional league.
The Middlebrooks-O’Connell duo joins forward DJ Burns (Goyang Sono Skygunners, South Korea) and Mohamed Diarra (Cholet, France), and guard DJ Horne (Heidelberg, Germany) as those that have turned professional from the Wolfpack’s Final Four squad.
