NC State men’s basketball head coach Kevin Keatts loves to go fast, and he loves to utilize his guards. Keatts often plays with four guards on the court at once, and will likely use a four-guard starting lineup this season.

Keatts’ roster is chocked full of dynamic and explosive guards, with seven of 12 active scholarship players being backcourt guys. Here is a breakdown of the Wolfpack’s guards for the 2018-19 season:

Redshirt senior Torin Dorn

Dorn is one of only three returning players from last year’s roster, all of which are guards, and has the most experience on the team when it comes to playing ACC basketball. At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, Dorn is an aggressive and dynamic guard that plays just as much of a role for NC State inside as he does on the perimeter.

In fact, Dorn was second on the team last year with 6.3 rebounds per game, and he often finds himself matched up with bigger players at the four. Defensively, Dorn is quick, strong and a huge asset to the Wolfpack.

Offensively, Dorn often provided a spark for NC State last season, and had a knack of taking over games in close situations. He’s an above-average scoring threat as well. He shot well over 50 percent from the field last season, while finishing second on the team with 13.9 points per game. He can pull the trigger from outside, where he shot 23 of 74 last year, but is much more of a threat driving to the basket.

Dorn is the cog that makes the wheel turn for NC State, and his progression over the last two years with the Pack after transferring from UNC-Charlotte has been significant. With a final season and chance to throw himself into the radar of NBA teams, Dorn is set to lead the Pack once again.

Junior Markell Johnson

Johnson is one of the other Wolfpack returners and is unquestionably the team’s starting point guard. Johnson started all but two games for NC State last season, averaging a touch under 10 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc.

While Johnson can score the ball, it is his passing that really makes him stand out. Johnson’s vision and ability in distributing the ball as a true point guard is something becoming less common among college guards, and Johnson is one of the best in the country when it comes to finding teammates.

Last season, Johnson averaged 7.4 assists per game to lead the ACC. He had a five-game streak in the middle of the season where he had double-digit assists in every matchup, breaking the program record. Johnson isn’t going to lead the Wolfpack in scoring, and may not even average over 10 points per game. However, Johnson is an incredibly valuable asset to the Pack, and his ability to pass the ball effectively makes him special.

Sophomore Braxton Beverly

After a lengthy spat with the NCAA over his eligibility, Beverly broke onto the scene last year with the Wolfpack in a big way. Beverly worked his way into the starting lineup, playing alongside Johnson in the point guard role.

Beverly, at times, is a scoring threat with a pretty deadly shot. He averaged 9.5 points per game last season, which included the second most 3-pointers on the team with 60. He’s a strong shooter who can also pass well, finishing second to Johnson on the team last year in assists.

Beverly will likely have a starting role again with the Wolfpack, but it won’t come right away. Beverly broke his wrist in practice leading up to the season, and it could be a little while before he sees the court for NC State.

Redshirt sophomore Devon Daniels

Daniels is one of six transfers on NC State’s roster, and one of four transfer guards. Daniels played his freshman year at Utah, before transferring to NC State before last season. In Keatts’ first year, Daniels sat out due to NCAA rules but received a lot of praise for his work in practice.

On the court, Daniels provides another dynamic scoring option for the Wolfpack. In NC State’s exhibition win over Chowan last week, Daniels led all scorers with 22 points and looked very comfortable in Keatts’ system. Daniels shot 8 for 16 in that game, including going 3 of 6 from long range.

Daniels has a great shot and is a weapon inside and out. In his lone season at Utah, he shot 57 percent and averaged 9.9 points per game. Daniels will likely start for the Wolfpack when the season begins Tuesday and may take on a big role in providing points for NC State.

Redshirt junior C.J. Bryce

Another transfer, Bryce is a little less new to NC State’s system than Daniels. Bryce spent two years playing for Keatts at UNC-Wilmington, where he had a ton of success. In his second year with the Seahawks, Bryce led the team in scoring with 17.4 points per game while shooting 48 percent from the field.

Bryce is a scoring threat, and also offers some versatility at 6-foot-5. A good shooter and pretty good passer, Bryce should fit seamlessly into a Kevin Keatts system that he is very familiar with. Bryce started the Pack’s exhibition and scored nine points to go along with five rebounds. He will likely find himself in the starting lineup to begin the season, especially with Beverly out.

Sophomore Blake Harris

Harris transferred from Missouri midway through the season last year, and he had an eligibility waiver approved to allow him to play at the beginning of this season. He didn’t see a lot of action for the Tigers, starting in just nine games before deciding to leave the program. He averaged 13.9 minutes and 3.8 points per game.

In the exhibition last week, Harris played 21 minutes and scored nine points. Harris probably won’t start for NC State, and won’t be a leading scorer, but he does provide a lot of value for Keatts’ team. Against Chowan, Harris looked dangerous and aggressive playing defense in the full-court press, and any team that plays a press needs that spark man to provide chaos.

If Harris can be defensively strong, especially in that press, he will have no trouble finding minutes for NC State.

Graduate Eric Lockett

A graduate transfer from Florida International, the journeyman guard joins NC State as the fourth school of his collegiate career. Lockett started at George Mason, where he played five games before sustaining a season-ending injury, and then played a season for Chipola College. He has spent the last two seasons at FIU.

Lockett has a big frame, 6-foot-5 and 193 pounds, very similar to Dorn. Lockett is a scoring threat, as he averaged 14.3 points per game last season on 47 percent shooting. Much like Dorn, Lockett’s scoring comes almost exclusively in the paint, and he acts as more of a hybrid guard than a true perimeter player.

He won’t start for NC State, but he will get minutes off the bench filling in as a bigger guard when Keatts is running four of them at once.