By Louis Fernandez, WRAL Sports

NC State men’s basketball head coach Kevin Keatts met with the media on Thursday morning for the first time in a long time.

“It feels like it’s been six months,” he said as he sat down.

It was a time of reflection on the team’s run to the Final Four during the NCAA Tournament and a time to look ahead to what’s next for the Wolfpack.

“We stole March”

Keatts said it was hard to understand the scope of the team’s nine-game winning streak on when it was happening.

“When you’re in the moment, you just don’t get it,” he said.

So the way he’s gone back to soak it all in is the same thing most NC State fans did in March and April: he watched the games.

He watched the games many, many times.

“I see and I scan you know and see the excitement around people. It’s grown men that are crying when we win the ACC Championship. That’s pride,” Keatts said.

It was the first ACC Tournament Title for the Wolfpack since 1987 and its first Final Four appearance since 1983.

He doesn’t just watch the games to enjoy the moment though, in typical coaching fashion, he’s studies. Keatts said he learns something new every time he watches those nine games.

“You could see our confidence started to grow,” Keatts said. “We didn’t make many mistakes and that was on the offensive end and the defensive end.”

It was said so much during that March run and surely it will be said for many more years to come, but that stretch is going to be hard to beat.

“I don’t know if there will be another nine-game run as we had in the history of basketball,” Keatts said.

Between both the men’s and women’s run to the Final Four, Keatts said NC State took control of the sport for the month.

“We stole March.”

Four new transfers

NC State has had a lot of success with transfers in recent years, think Jarkel Joiner, DJ Burns, DJ Horne. The Wolfpack add four more to the roster for this upcoming season.

• Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, forward (6’10” 240 pounds)
  • Huntfley-Hatfield is a rising senior that played previously at Tennessee and Louisville. Last year, he started 32 games for the Cardinals, averaging 12.9 points and 8.4 rebounds.
  • What head coach Kevin Keatts says:
    • “Brandon’s got a chance to be really good, he can step out, he can shoot it. There’s no replacement for DJ Burns… because nobody in the country plays that way… but he’s talented.”
    • “He will be, between him and Ben Middlebrooks, will be our starting center, both of those guys can play some four also.”
• Mike James, guard (6’5″ 200 pounds)
  • James spent his entire career at Louisville and comes to Raleigh as a redshirt junior. He also started 32 games for the Cardinals last year, averaging 12.6 points, 5 rebounds and 1.5 assists. James shot 34 percent from three on 106 attempts.
  • What head coach Kevin Keatts says:
    • “Strong, driver, can really shoot the basketball. He’ll play some two and three for us. I’m looking for someone to replace DJ Horne, I don’t know that I’m going to have anyone to replace him the way he played, but I think both of those guys (Huntley-Hatfield and James) will be really good.”
• Dontrez Styles, guard/forward (6’6″ 210 pounds)
  • Styles is from Kinston, NC and was a recuriting focus for Keatts and his staff for quite some time. He originally went to rival North Carolina where he played for two seasons before transferring to Georgetown last season. In his lone season for the Hoyas, he started 32 games, averaging 12.9 points and 5.8 rebounds. He shot 43 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three.
  • What head coach Kevin Keatts says:
    • “A transfer from Georgetown… all right, got that? Y’all good? Everybody good? He’s going to be really good. We recruited him for, I don’t know, five years? And then he realized we were the best place for him after winning an ACC Championship and going to the Final Four. I think he likes that part of it. I think you guys know what he is, he’s a hybrid four man, can play some three and four, and really can shoot it. Had a great year by his stats last year in Georgetown, and I think he’s really going to help us a lot.”
• Marcus Hill, guard (6’4″ 185 pounds)
  • Hill played at Southern Union in junior college. In 2022-23 he led NJCAA with 780 points, shooting 49.7 percent from the field. Last year, he played at Bowling Green where he finished All-MAC First Team. The senior averaged a whopping 20.5 points, adding 5 rebounds and 2.6 points.
  • What head coach Kevin Keatts says:
    • “A lot of people think because he’s a mid-major guy that he may not have the same impact, he’s really good. 20 points a game, can play some one and two, really can score the ball, he’s a paint-touch guy, knows how to get to the free throw line.”

NC State also adds two freshmen, both from North Carolina: Rockingham guard Paul McNeil and Fayetteville guard Trey Parker. Keatts said that Parker, while a flashy athlete, brings a lot more to the table than highlight dunks. He said McNeil is probably the best shooter on the team. With both of them though, he emphasized they are freshmen that are still trying to adjust to the college world.

Source: wralsportsfan.com