NC State building chemistry during summer workouts, newcomers fitting in well

Just three months after NC State made its first Final Four appearance in 40 years, the Wolfpack is back on the practice court inside the Dail Basketball Center, preparing for another marathon of a season. 

But even though the Pack made a mad dash to Phoenix in March, this year’s team has a blank slate. Yes, it’s a new season with a fresh set of opponents, but there are six new faces in Raleigh via the transfer portal (four) and high school recruiting (two). 

“I think everybody understands now that there’s going to be a lot of turnover in college basketball,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said Thursday. “I went into this year knowing that we’d have more and more transfers. That being said, our guys are doing really well.”

Keatts’ job has evolved over his seven seasons at the helm of the Wolfpack. Now, he has to constantly blend a handful of returning players with a new batch of transfers each season. But it is nothing new for Keatts, who turned his roster over year after year in his decade leading Hargrave Military Academy.

So when he brought in Louisville transfers Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Mike James, Georgetown transplant Dontrez Styles and Bowling Green scorer Marcus Hill this offseason, Keatts already knew what he needed to do — build chemistry. 

Last season, it seemed that chemistry didn’t click until the postseason. And nine straight wins to reach the final weekend of college basketball was the final product of that, but Keatts is looking to get the Wolfpack’s chemistry together a little quicker this time around. 

NC State is using this summer to do that, and it is coming primarily away from the hardwood. 

“You have to figure out how to create it off the court,” Keatts said. “We try to create chemistry by playing golf, doing stuff in the community, tailgating. … You cannot have great play if you don’t have great chemistry. We don’t have it right now, we’re trying to get there, but it’s the summer.”

It is the summer, and it is a prime time for the Wolfpack to blend its talent with the new faces. So far, Keatts has been happy with how the transfers and freshmen have practiced to this point. 

Huntley-Hatfield and James arrived together from Louisville, who did hold a 12-point lead over the Wolfpack early on in the opening game of the ACC Tournament. Keatts has been pleased with that duo. 

“Talented,” Keatts said of Huntley-Hatfield. “Brandon’s got a chance to be really good. He can step out, he can shoot it. There’s no replacement for DJ Burns … but he’s talented.”

While Huntley-Hatfield isn’t Burns, and Keatts doesn’t need him to be, he is primed to have a major role in the Wolfpack’s offense this year. He averaged 12.9 points and 8.4 rebounds last season with the Cardinals. 

Huntley-Hatfield and senior Ben Middlebrooks will anchor the Wolfpack’s center rotation, while both players can also be featured as a four-man as well. 

While the post play is under control this summer, James provides an opportunity to bring a scoring presence to the shooting guard and wing spots this season. 

“Strong driver that can shoot the basketball,” Keatts said of James. “I’m looking for someone to replace DJ Horne [but] I don’t know if we’ll have anyone replace the way he played, but I think he’ll be really good.”

While the two Cardinals transfers have looked good in practice, so have Styles and Hill. 

Styles, who had a career-best season with 12.6 points and 5.8 rebounds at Georgetown last year, brings a versatile skill set to the Wolfpack. 

“He’s going to be really good,” Keatts said of Styles. “He’s a hybrid four man that can play some three and four, and can really shoot it. He had a great year by his stats last year at Georgetown and I think he’ll help us a lot.”

Hill, meanwhile, brings an impact from the mid-major level. He was among the country’s best at getting to the free throw line — 219 attempts last season — while he averaged 20.5 points a night. 

Keatts said that Hill will make an impact as both a point guard and shooting guard this season, while providing a consistent paint touch presence. 

In addition to the four transfers, Keatts seemed impressed with how the two freshmen — guard Trey Parker and wing Paul McNeil — have fit in this summer. Parker is more than a “dunker,” Keatts thought, while he called McNeil “ probably the best shooter on our team.”

“Both of those guys are doing well,” Keatts said of the two first-year players. “But understand that they’re freshmen, so understand everything’s coming at them really fast. They’re trying to adjust to everything.”

As the six newcomers all blend into the roster, NC State’s five returning players — guards Michael O’Connell, Jayden Taylor, Breon Pass, wing Dennis Parker Jr. and Middlebrooks — have a different feeling about themselves. 

Or as Keatts put it: “Our returners have swag now,” he said.

“We’ve put them against the new guys a few times, and the difference [is] the new guys are so talented, but they’ve never played together,” Keatts said. “Those guys have swag.”

That “swag” has led to a confident five players. O’Connell has been “making all types of shots,” while Middlebrooks has shown off his pick and pop ability. That newfound confidence has forced the newcomers to follow along, which Keatts thought was a positive heading into a new year. 

And, well, that is not a bad problem for the Wolfpack. In fact, Keatts is excited that he could play an entire lineup that boasts deep postseason experience in practice. That, in turn, has been beneficial for the new players. 

“In the world that you don’t have many that are returning, I’ve got five guys that I can roll out there that have been a part of an ACC championship and a Final Four run,” Keatts said. “I think that’s helped the new guys.”