He’s just a hooper with a 919 tattoo.
Following the departure of guards Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner, NC State men’s basketball was left with a hole at the guard position. After hunting through the transfer portal, head coach Kevin Keatts discovered graduate guard DJ Horne. The Arizona State transfer was the perfect replacement for Smith: an elite 3-point shooter who could score at every level.
But the connection with NC State went further than just basketball.
Horne is a Raleigh native, playing high school basketball for nearby Cary High School before transferring to Trinity Christian School in Fayetteville for his senior season. He was named First-Team All-State by the NCISAA and helped lead Trinity Christian to the state semifinals.
Although Horne had shown his talent and accumulated multiple accolades throughout his high school career, he was not extended an offer by NC State, so he committed to Illinois State. After two years with the Redbirds, Horne transferred to Arizona State.
As a junior, he led the Sun Devils in scoring and 3-pointers made but still had yet to make a trip to the big dance. In his senior season, Horne finally got his team to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 11 seed playing in the First Four. After beating Nevada to advance to the first round, the Sun Devils faced TCU. Down three with 21.8 seconds left, Horne got the isolation he wanted and laced a game-tying 3-pointer. However, TCU made a game-winning floater to bump the Sun Devils from the tournament.
Horne was granted an extra year of eligibility and seized the opportunity to take the starting guard spot for his hometown team, and he immediately made an impact. He led NC State with 16.9 points per game in the regular season and was the team’s best deep threat, leading in 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage.
Horne went down with an injury in the final regular season game against Pittsburgh and there was fear he had just played his last collegiate game. Fortunately for the Wolfpack, the injury only caused him to miss the first game of the ACC Tournament. He returned for the second game against Syracuse, though coming off the bench instead of his usual starting role.
It didn’t matter as he scored 16 points en route to an 18-point victory. He returned to his usual minutes in wins against Duke and Virginia but saved his best performance for the final game. In the ACC Championship against rival UNC-Chapel Hill, Horne scored a team-high 29 points, lifting the Wolfpack over the Tar Heels and punching its ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
“I came home with a mission and to just see this right now, all the confetti and the red-and-white … this is for the city, this is for 919,” Horne said in a postgame interview with ESPN following the ACC Championship. “I love my brothers. I couldn’t play in the first game because I was hurt and they got it done for me. They gave me the opportunity to make this happen, and I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for them.”
Horne’s raw emotion throughout the tournament was a testament to just how much he cared for Raleigh and how much it meant to win the ACC Championship for his city. He proudly displayed a tattoo on his right arm: 919, for Raleigh’s area code. His love for the City of Oaks was undeniable and was a major force behind the Wolfpack’s miraculous ACC tournament victory.
