NC State basketball roster outlook for 2023-24: First look

The NC State basketball season is over after a loss to Creighton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. With the transfer portal already active, there is no rest for the weary. NC State head coach Kevin Keatts and his assistants must get to work quickly on next year’s roster.

TheWolfpacker.com detailed four questions that must first be answered before figuring out what to do in the transfer portal.

Here is how the NC State basketball roster is currently configured for the 2023-24 season, subject to many changes to come over the next few months. However, the write-up features every player eligible to return doing so.

Guards

Currently the only certain departure from the NC State basketball backcourt is Jarkel Joiner. The second-team All-ACC performer was arguably the Pack’s MVP this season after averaging 17.0 points per contest, while committing just 49 turnovers in 34 games and playing a team-high 35.8 minutes per contest.

Joiner also led NC State in ACC play in scoring at 17.3 points per contest and was 64 of 70 from the free throw line against conference teams.

Terquavion Smith joined Joiner on the All-ACC second team. He led the Wolfpack in scoring at 17.9 a contest and eclipsed 1,000 career points, putting him on pace to be one of the all-time leading scorers in school history if he stayed four seasons. Smith, though, shot 38.0 percent from the field, and while he made 91 threes, he only connected on 33.6 percent beyond the arc.

Smith also led NC State with 140 assists and 49 steals.

Casey Morsell, who has an extra season of eligibility left due to the Covid rule that added a year for everyone playing in 2020-21, enjoyed a breakout campaign, averaging 11.8 points per contest and shooting 41.1 percent on threes, making 78 of 190 attempts. Morsell was second on the team in both threes made and shooting percentage beyond the arc.

Rookie LJ Thomas had the highest percentage at 47.4 percent after he made 9 of 19 treys. Thomas played in 30 of 34 games, averaging 9.5 minutes per contest. He contributed 2.4 points per game.

Breon Pass played a reserve role for the second straight year, although he played more frequently in games (30 vs. 25 as a rookie). He averaged 1.5 points.

The addition to the backcourt is Trey Parker, a Fayetteville, N.C., native playing at Overtime Elite in Atlanta, which is a semi-pro league for high schoolers. In 19 games, the high-flying Parker averaged 12.1 points, 2.8 boards, 2.3 steals and 2.2 assists.

The On3 Industry Ranking for Parker has him rated No. 77 nationally in the 2023 class.

NC State’s Backcourt Roster For 2023-24

Name	Year*	Height, Weight	Hometown	2021-22 Stats
Casey Morsell	Sr.	6-3, 200	Ft. Washington, Md.	34 starts, 11.8 ppg
Breon Pass	Jr.	6-0, 175	Reidsville, N.C.	30 games, 1.5 ppg
Trey Parker	Fr.	6-1, 165	Fayetteville, N.C.	—
Terquavion Smith	Jr.	6-4, 165	Greenville, N.C.	34 starts, 17.9 ppg
LJ Thomas	So.	6-2, 205	Plant City, Fla.	30 games, 2.0 ppg

* — Year is based on players’ 2023-24 classification

Forwards And Centers

The departure (currently) from the NC State basketball roster is Dusan Mahorcic, who averaged 8.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in 10 games (9 starts) before dislocating his patella and missing the remainder of the year. However, there is a chance that Mahorcic could be granted a waiver for an extra season of eligibility.

Mahorcic was platooning with D.J. Burns Jr. before his injury, averaging 20.9 minutes per game. In Mahorcic’s absence, Burns saw increased playing time and finished the year averaging 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 22.9 minutes, shooting 56.1 percent from the field.

In conference play, Burns was notably effective, averaging 16.1 points and 5.6 boards while shooting 56.6 percent from the field. Burns was named honorable mention All-ACC.

After being forced into action a year ago and starting 27 of 31 games, Ebenezer Dowuona returned to a primary reserve role, although his playing time increased after Mahorcic’s injury. Dowuona averaged 1.7 points and 1.9 rebounds while blocking 26 shots in 30 games and averaging 10.9 minutes per contest.

At the power forward position, Jack Clark, who like Morsell and Burns has an extra season of eligibility available because of the Covid year, missed 11 games due to injury, but was effective when he did play, averaging 9.0 points and 6.9 boards while making 28 threes, albeit at just a 28.9 percent clip.

Greg Gantt and Ernest Ross split the power forward duties while Clark was absent. Ross played all 34 games and averaged 3.5 points and 2.5 boards, while finishing second on the team with 27 blocked shots. Gantt missed games early in the year with a knee injury and then was sidelined for the last two contests after getting hurt in the ACC Tournament opener. He averaged 2.0 points and 4.5 boards.

Redshirting after enrolling midyear was prized 7-footer Isaiah Miranda. After reclassifying into the 2022 class, Miranda was rated at No. 40 nationally in the On3 Industry Rankings.

Dennis Parker Jr. from John Marshall High in Richmond, Va., also signed with NC State basketball in November, joining Trey Parker. In 25 games as a senior, Dennis Parker averaged 20.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals per contest while shooting 57.4 percent from the field.

The On3 Industry Ranking for Parker has him rated No. 97 nationally in the 2023 class.

NC State’s Frontcourt Roster for 2023-24

Name	Year*	Height, Weight	Hometown	2021-22 Stats
Jack Clark	R-Sr.	6-8, 200	Cheltenham, Pa.	23 games, 9.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg
DJ Burns Jr.	R-Sr.	6-9, 275	Rock Hill, S.C.	34 games, 12.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg
Greg Gantt	R-Sr.	6-8, 210	Fayetteville, N.C.	22 games, 2.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Ebenezer Dowuona	Sr.	6-11, 225	Accra, Ghana	30 games, 1.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.9 bpg
Isaiah Miranda	R-Fr.	7-1, 205	Pawtucket, R.I.	—
Dennis Parker Jr.	Fr.	6-7, 175	Richmond, Va.	—
Ernest Ross	Jr.	6-9, 195	Alachua, Fla.	34 games, 3.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg

* — Year is based on players’ 2023-24 classification

NC State Basketball Scholarship Count

Due to the NCAA’s ruling from the IARP committee on the case involving the recruitment of Dennis Smith Jr., NC State basketball lost a scholarship in 2022-23, but that returns to the team this coming season, increasing the limit back to 13.

NC State is currently at 12 scholarships, pending any decision on a Mahorcic waiver.