The NC State men’s basketball team is unfamiliar to say the least. The Wolfpack beat Chowan 111-62 in an exhibition game Monday night in PNC Arena, with just two active members of last year’s roster on the court.
Redshirt senior guard Torin Dorn and junior guard Markell Johnson are the two returners, along with sophomore guard Braxton Beverly who will be sidelined for the start of the season with a fractured wrist. With the mass overhaul of the roster, the Wolfpack lost two its top three scorers from 2017-18 in guard Allerik Freeman and center Omer Yurtseven.
There’s no question that this new and likely improved Wolfpack has talent, but there are some questions as to who will takeover that scoring role. Dorn was second on the team with 13.9 points per game last year, and will likely build on that this season. But Dorn can’t do it all. Monday night he didn’t have to, as all 10 NC State players found the scoreboard.
“I think any given game anyone can lead this team in scoring,” head coach Kevin Keatts said. “I know a lot of guys are capable of it.”
Redshirt sophomores Devon Daniels and DJ Funderburk answered the call the most, dropping a combined 42 points. Daniels showed he can be a consistent and creative scorer for the Wolfpack and seems to be the prime candidate to spark the Wolfpack offense early in the season.
Funderburk played his stretch forward role efficiently all night, and was a perfect 7 for 7 from the field with 20 points. Him and Daniels filled the stat sheets, but it was a complete team effort with five guys reaching double digits.
“We’re gelling pretty well,” Funderburk said. “Everybody on our team can score. That’s the great thing about our team. Everybody can put the ball in the basket. It’s surprising with all new players.”
Daniels sat out last season at NC State, after transferring from Utah. As a freshman with the Utes, Daniels averaged a smidge under 10 points per game and shot 57 percent from the field. In his first official game with the Pack, albeit an exhibition, he was electric. He knocked down three 3-pointers, and added three rebounds and an assist to his 22 points.
“I’ve been working hard,” Daniels said. “We can definitely score. If we run our offense, we share the ball a lot and we can all get our points up.”
Funderburk is a junior college transfer, and while not an imposing figure by any means at just 210 pounds, is a natural scorer and a great playmaker. He was perfect monday night, providing the Wolfpack a strong 20 minutes off the bench.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Funderburk said. “I’ve just continued to grind through the summer and everything and I just see it’s finally paying off.”
NC State has a little over a week before its first real game, at home on Nov. 6 against Mount St. Mary’s, and if the exhibition shows anything Daniels and Funderburk will play major roles as Keatts experiments with his lineups early in the season.
“I’m comfortable playing nine or 10 guys,” Keatts said. “I’m looking for the combinations that play well together.”
Redshirt sophomore guard Devon Daniels attacks the rim on Monday, Oct. 29 at PNC Arena. Daniels scored a game-high 22 points on 8-16 shooting as the Wolfpack beat Chowan 111-62.
