NC State transfer portal commitment analysis: Marcus Hill
Former Bowling Green guard Marcus Hill announced his commitment to join NC State on Thursday evening. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Hill is the Wolfpack’s fourth transfer portal commitment of the cycle, but is the first that did not hail from a Power Six conference at his previous stop.
Elite scorer
When it comes to scoring the basketball, Hill checks that box with flying colors. The rising senior averaged 20.5 points with 5.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists on 44.3% shooting from the field in his first season at the Division I level.
Hill spent his previous two seasons at Southern Union State Community College, where he impressed as a scorer too. He led the NJCAA in points scored with 780 during the 2022-23 season, which was along with a 49.7% shooting percentage from the floor.
That season gave Hill third team All-America honors and he was the No. 32 junior college prospect after his sophomore year. And when he arrived at Bowling Green, Hill was able to keep his high-volume shooting going.
Hill paced the MAC in total points (698), field goals made (255) and total minutes (1,236) this past campaign. He was 6th in the NCAA in field goals made, 14th in total points, 20th in minutes played and 27th in points per game.
The Rockford, Ill., native did all that playing 36.3 minutes a game, which was 90% of Bowling Green’s minutes, according to KenPom. That was the 24th-most minutes among all Division I players this past season.
In addition to that high total, like referenced earlier, Hill uses a high volume of shots to get to his prolific scoring. He had 31.8% of Bowling Green’s shots, according to KenPom, which was 49th among all D-I players.
Paint touch player
Hill is an elite driver and will allow NC State to get paint touches inside from the shooting guard spot. He shot 46.9% inside the arc this past season. While he was able to be efficient as a creator off the bounce, Hill was able to draw a high amount of fouls in the process.
The guard attempted the 24th-most free throws in the NCAA (219) this past season, while he knocked down the 37th-most in the country (162).
Hill’s paint touch ability is a key strength as he is not a prolific three-point shooter. Although he told TheWolfpacker.com he “loves” to shoot threes, Hill only had a 28.9% clip from beyond the arc with just 26 makes on 90 attempts this past season.
Capable defender
To play in NC State’s system, the guards have to play defense at a high level. Hill fits that mold. He logged a 104.3 defensive rating last season at Bowling Green, a place where he drew the opposing team’s top scorer as his assignment multiple times.
“At the start of MAC play, I was guarding everybody’s best player,” Hill told TheWolfpacker.com earlier this week. “I know I can be great. I love to play defense, I love to stop the best players. I love to get stops for the team.”
Hill averaged 1.0 steals and 0.3 blocks per game with the Falcons last season.
Wolfpack roster is veteran-laden now
Taking a look at how Hill’s addition will impact NC State’s roster is rather obvious when laying out the players by their year in school. The Wolfpack will have seven players in their final season of eligibility next season, including Hill along with fellow transfer portal additions Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Dontrez Styles.
But while that will make next season’s recruiting cycle busy, it gives NC State an opportunity to make another run into the postseason. The Wolfpack reloaded a team that made a Final Four run with experienced collegiate players that have been in the battles on the court already. That is a piece of the transfer portal that could allow the red and white to become a threat again since it could patch its holes with experience rather than freshmen like in the past.
Does NC State need a shooter?
Many thought NC State would dip their toe into the transfer portal and nab a three-point shooter. Hill does not check that box, and now with one scholarship left, it is unlikely the Pack will do that now. That last spot is likely to be used on a post player to replace Mohamed Diarra, who turned pro Wednesday.
So what does NC State do with perimeter shooting? There’s a chance the Wolfpack will rely on rising senior guard Jayden Taylor and graduate guard Michael O’Connell to present that threat from the outside.
O’Connell was nearly unconscious from deep in the postseason — 16-of-31 — and if he could keep that going, that would fill the need on the perimeter. Taylor, meanwhile, shot a career-best 36.4% from deep this past season and if he can continue that improvement, up from 32.6% his sophomore year at Butler, then the Pack would have two capable guards that can knock down shots consistently next year.
NC State scholarship count
The Wolfpack has one open scholarship ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. NC State has three other transfer portal commitments and two incoming true freshmen to add to the red and white’s roster.
NC State transfer portal commitment timeline
Forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville) — April 4
Guard/forward Dontrez Styles (Georgetown) — April 19
Guard/forward Mike James (Louisville) — April 23
Guard Marcus Hill (Bowling Green) — April 25
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