The NC State men’s basketball team boasted new talent in its exhibition-game victory over Mars Hill University, 109-66, Friday night in PNC Arena.
Wolfpack fans got a taste of what the new regime of head coach Kevin Keatts will look like: an energized attitude resulting in a fast-paced offense and an intense defense.
“I’m so proud of this group,” Keatts said. “Everybody played extremely hard on both ends of the floor. We go into every game trying to get 40 deflections we had 53 tonight.”
After playing last season in the shadow of now-Dallas Maverick point guard Dennis Smith Jr., sophomore point guard Markell Johnson entered the starting lineup and dished the ball with ease.
Johnson recorded a double-double just five minutes into the second half, finishing with a stat line of 16 points, 12 assists and five steals.
“[Starting at point guard] feels good,” Johnson said. “But I can’t get complacent; I have to work every day.”
Graduate transfer guard Allerik Freeman and freshman guard Lavar Batts Jr. were the two new faces in the starting lineup. Freeman tallied a bunch of action in his debut as he was on the floor for 32 minutes, scoring 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
Batts, the No. 97 prospect in ESPN’s class of 2017 rankings, was the source of a handful of explosive plays for the Wolfpack, causing State fans to erupt in a simple exhibition match.
PNC Arena ignited after an acrobatic bucket that drew a foul, and a crafty steal that Batts would have turned into an open dunk had he not been fouled.
“I’m excited about [Batts],” Keatts said. “…when you got a freshman who plays with a lot of energy like he does, you have to live with some of his mistakes; but I thought he did a great job. He really lived in the paint, did a great job getting to the free-throw line.”
A familiar face for Pack fans stepped onto the hardwood for the first time in nearly two years. Redshirt senior Lennard Freeman returned to the starting lineup after a lower body injury forced him to sit out the 2016-17 season.
Keatts limited the Washington, D.C. native to 19 minutes, but that didn’t stop him from registering 10 boards and 7 points for a perfect 100 percent from the floor.
“I wanted to play [Lennard Freeman and Omer Yurtseven] under 20 minutes,” Keatts said. “It worked out that way. I think he’s fine, he’s doing a good job — you know very cautious with Lennard, obviously I know what’s happened in the past couple of years.”
Redshirt guard Torin Dorn fluctuated last season from the starting lineup to the bench, but the UNC-Charlotte transfer got the starting nod and more than proved himself against the Lions. Dorn shot 66 percent from the field and scored a quiet 19 points, yet he led the Wolfpack in scoring.
Keatts said earlier in the week that sophomore center Omer Yurtseven had been struggling in practice, so the Turkish big man was limited in action; however, Yurtseven still chipped in 12 points, five rebounds and four blocks coming off the bench.
Friday’s exhibition was NC State’s last dress rehearsal, the other being a previous scrimmage against Campbell University, before the season opener on Nov. 10 against VMI in PNC Arena. Keatts was pleased with the improvements the Wolfpack made since the scrimmage, but believes there is still room to grow.
“We got a lot of contributions from a lot of guys,” Keatts said. “We’re going to take this film work, on some things and then obviously be ready for our opener on Friday.”
