NC State’s DJ Horne is flourishing on and off the court during Final Four run

GLENDALE, Ariz. — When NC State coach Kevin Keatts and graduate guard DJ Horne were walking to the team bus Thursday at the Final Four, the coach had a simple question for his star: “Did you ever think you would be here?” It was a two-sided question. Did he ever think he’d be at the Final Four? That was the goal. But did he ever think he’d be back in Arizona, less than 30 miles away from Arizona State, where he spent the last two years before transferring to NC State? “Being back in Arizona, it’s like a full-circle moment for me,” Horne said. “When I put my name in the transfer portal last year, that was around the time they were announcing the Final Four was going to be back here in Phoenix. I was just telling myself it would be crazy to make it back here.” Well, he’s back in the desert again. And Horne is a key reason why the Wolfpack, which have won nine straight games, is in the Final Four.