NC State basketball transfer portal needs
NC State basketball is amping up the pursuit of players in the NCAA transfer portal. Here are the areas of need facing the Wolfpack.
Point Guard
NC State is losing its starter from 2022-23 in Jarkel Joiner, who averaged a team-high 35.8 minutes per game. He also paced the Pack in ACC play at 17.3 points per contest.
The Pack does have both reserves from a year ago in rising junior Breon Pass and rising sophomore LJ Thomas still on the roster, but neither have yet shown they can run an ACC offense.
Currently, the transfer portal is thinner on proven point guards than some of the other needs for NC State. The question also is what type of point guard will Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts seek. Joiner was a score-first guard who never averaged more than 2.3 assists per game prior to coming to Raleigh. He contributed 3.6 per game this past year.
While Joiner did a good job of taking care of the basketball, the backcourt of Joiner and Terquavion Smith also led the way on a team that fifth fewest assists per game in the ACC. Does that matter, though, when NC State was also second in the league in scoring behind only Elite Eight-bound Miami?
Whether Keatts gets a scorer or pass-first point guard, he will need a strong defender. Joiner was one of the Pack’s best on-ball defenders.
Guard With Height
An issue that plagued NC State last year was the lack of height on the wing. Smith, who is expected to turn pro, is listed at 6-foot-4. Senior Casey Morsell, who is expected to enter the NBA Draft but maintain his eligibility, is 6-foot-3. Joiner, Pass and Thomas were all 6-foot-2 or shorter.
If Smith leaves as presumed, NC State becomes really short on the perimeter. The Pack already needs more wing help. Incoming freshman Dennis Parker Jr. is listed at 6-foot-7, but he may be more of a true forward.
The good news is that the portal is currently loaded with options, including Temple all-conference performer Damian Dunn. The Kinston, N.C., native visited NC State unofficially on Saturday. Dunn is listed at 6-foot-5, 195 pounds and averaged 14.6 points per game over the past three years for the Owls.
Frontcourt Depth
The losses of Jack Clark and Ebenezer Dowuona to the transfer portal heighten the need for adding frontcourt depth, both at forward and in the post.
Currently, NC State has four players returning in the frontcourt, plus Parker. Additionally, Dusan Mahorcic is expected to apply for a waiver to get another season, but even if Mahorcic is back, his recent injury history suggests that NC State probably should not put all if its eggs in the basket relying on a healthy, full-strength Mahorcic.
Clark’s departure heightens the need to find a potential starter at power forward, preferably one with the capability to stretch the defense like Clark could.
Fortunately for NC State, there appears to be options. Louisville junior Jae’lyn Withers is a Charlotte native who considered the Wolfpack coming out of high school and averaged 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game over three years with the Cardinals. He shot 40 of 96 on threes this past year, or 41.7 percent.
Ole Miss junior Jaemyn Brakefield began his career at Duke before transferring to Ole Miss, where current NC State basketball assistant Levi Watkins played a role in bringing him to the Rebels. Brakefield averaged 11.1 points and 5.7 rebounds last year and in two seasons with Ole miss made 65 of 180 threes, or 36.1 percent.
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