NC State basketball transfer additions excites Kevin Keatts

NC State basketball coach Kevin Keatts had a goal when he approached recruiting from the transfer portal this offseason. After landing four additions — Winthrop post player D.J. Burns Jr., La Salle wing Jack Clark, Ole Miss guard Jarkel Joiner and Utah forward Dusan Mahorcic — Keatts considered it a job well done.

“I’m excited about it because we were able to go out and address what we thought were some needs from last year,” Keatts said. “That doesn’t mean that’s a knock on any player from last year, but obviously we needed to get some more inside presence, and then I wanted to get a few guards.

“One of the biggest things I wanted: to get older. I felt like last year we became extremely young, and then obviously we were down to seven or eight scholarship guys at one point.”

Joiner will be a sixth-year senior. The Oxford, Miss., native returned home to play at Ole Miss for two seasons after beginning his career at Cal State Bakersfield. He was a first-team All-WAC selection as a sophomore, averaging 15.6 points a contest, before leaving for the SEC.

He was the Rebels’ leading scorer last year, averaging 13.2 points per game and is considered a strong defender in the backcourt. Joiner averaged 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game along with 2.3 assists.

Keatts sees some similarities in Joiner to former NC State basketball All-ACC guard Markell Johnson.

“He’s been a double-digit scorer since he’s entered in college,” Keatts noted. “He can play the one or two, which I like. We’re bringing him primarily as a point guard. …

“He’s older. He can defend. He can play the way we play. I think he’ll remind a lot of people similar to Markell even though they may not be identical. But he’s a guy that can break you down, get to the paint and be a scorer. Getting the chance to play the way we play, I think he can thrive.”

Clark (6-foot-8, 200 pounds) entered the transfer portal after averaging 11.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game over three seasons at La Salle. Keatts noted that Clark has the versatility to play multiple forward positions for NC State.

“He’s another guy that at his size can put the ball, can come off ball screens, very efficient rebounder at his size, but also very capable three-point shooter,” Keatts explained. “Did not shoot as great this last year, but when you back at his career he made a lot of shots.”

The duo of Mahorcic (6-foot-10, 225 pounds) and Burns (6-foot-9, 265 pounds) add size and depth to the NC State post. Keatts also noted the two could play together at the same time, similar to what the Pack did with DJ Funderburk and Manny Bates two seasons ago.

Keatts believes that Mahorcic will prove to be a fan favorite. He averaged 5.5 points and 4.1 rebounds in 14.4 minutes during 13 games last season for Utah.

“He’s just the enforcer,” Keatts noted. “He rebounds. He can score. He can do a little bit of everything. He’s a guy that’ll bring energy to your team. He’s a guy that will dive on the floor. I think our fans will just fall in love with what he’ll bring to the table.”

Burns reminded Keatts of Louisiana Tech forward Kenneth Lofton Jr., a 6-foot-7, 275-pounder who had 36 points and 17 rebounds against NC State basketball this past season. Burns was the Big South Conference Player of the Year last season, averaging 15.0 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 62.7 percent from the field in 20.6 minutes per game.

“I don’t know if there’s a better scorer in college basketball than DJ Burns, when you look at what he was able to do in 20 minutes of play, … we played against Lofton this year, and Lofton really hurt us, guy who is physical, can score,” Keatts said.

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