Under the direction of head coaches Kevin Keatts and Wes Moore, the NC State men’s and women’s basketball programs are enjoying historically great starts.
With the men off to a 16-4 start and the women off to a program-record 20-0 start, the immediate future is bright for the Wolfpack.
However, for the first time in a long time, both programs are simultaneously set up for both short- and long-term success.
The men’s team is off to its hot start largely on the backs of non-seniors. After leading scorer Torin Dorn, a redshirt senior, the Pack’s next six top scorers are all eligible to return next year.
In guards junior Markell Johnson, redshirt junior C.J. Bryce, sophomore Braxton Beverly and redshirt sophomore Devon Daniels, NC State has four underclassmen averaging over 20 minutes per game and two more returners, forwards redshirt sophomore DJ Funderburk and graduate Wyatt Walker, averaging over 18 minutes per game.
Barring surprise NBA draft declarations or transfers, the NC State men’s basketball team is entrenched as an ACC contender with a roster that is expected to return 78 percent of its minutes next year.
In addition to its returning players, the Wolfpack will also be welcoming four-star recruit Jalen Lecque, a guard at Brewster Academy in New York, to Raleigh next year, adding even more talent to what will be a seasoned group.
By combining a mixture of high school recruiting and transfer recruiting, Keatts has already, in just his second year at the helm, stocked up a program that is built to contend for years to come.
Over in Reynolds Coliseum, Moore has the undefeated NC State women’s team ready to be replenished with talent once starting guard Kiara Leslie and starting forward DD Rogers leave after the season.
Joining the Wolfpack next season will be two five-star recruits in Jakia Brown-Turner, a forward from Maryland, and Jada Boyd, a forward from Virginia.
Brown-Turner and Boyd will hit the ground running with a team that is expected to return six players averaging at least 17 minutes per game: junior guard Aislinn Konig, redshirt junior guard Grace Hunter, freshman center Elissa Cunane, junior forward Erika Cassell, sophomore guard Kai Crutchfield and sophomore forward Kayla Jones.
After reaching the Sweet 16 in last year’s NCAA Tournament, Moore’s Wolfpack squad has an excellent opportunity to advance even further in this year’s tournament, and should be able to replicate that success in the years to come.
With the men’s team reaching the NCAA Tournament last year for the first time since the 2014-15 season, Keatts’ young Wolfpack team is primed for a return to the tournament this year and could become a real contender as soon as next year
Both programs’ two-year tournament hiatuses feel like ancient history now. With both teams in the AP Top 25 and in the upper half of the ACC, it is safe to say NC State is a basketball school once again.
Head coach Kevin Keatts points out an open Clemson player on defense during the Wolfpack’s 69-67 come-from-behind win on Saturday, Jan. 26 in PNC Arena.
