Primetime with the Pack will introduce a mostly new NC State basketball team Friday night

Any introduction is a good introduction for N.C. State’s basketball team and Friday’s “Primetime with the Pack” is also for a good cause.

Kevin Keatts’ second N.C. State team will put on a show at Reynolds Coliseum on Friday night. There will be a shooting contest and a dance contest, both involving the Wolfpack’s women’s team. There will also be a dunk contest and an autograph session. The doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets cost $10. All proceeds will benefit the Hurricane Florence relief effort.

There won’t be a scrimmage. Keatts prefers to keep his version of “Midnight Madness” on the lighter side. The Wolfpack, 21-12 last season, will have a so-called “secret scrimmage” with East Carolina on Sunday in Raleigh and then host Chowan in an exhibition game on Oct. 29 at PNC Arena.

With only three players back from last season’s NCAA tournament team, an introduction will be necessary.

“When you think about our team, it’s tough because you think about it, we’ve only got three guys that actually wore an N.C. State jersey last year,” Keatts said during N.C. State’s media day last month. “So I don’t know if there’s anybody in the country that has 10 new guys on their roster.”

Guards Markell Johnson (an ACC-best 7.3 assists per game) and Braxton Beverly (9.5 points per game) return and will play major roles, along with senior wing Torin Dorn (13.9 ppg, 6.3 rebounds per game). But Keatts has restocked the roster with transfers and newcomers and heads into the season with the plan to use a deeper rotation and even more running than he did last season.

There will be a lot of “small ball” combinations with transfer guards Devon Daniels (Utah), C.J. Bryce (UNCW), Blake Harris (Missouri) and Eric Lockett (FIU) in the fold.

“You’re going to see all types of different combinations,” Keatts said.

Dorn, who was second on the team in rebounding last season, will again spend a lot of time at forward. Wyatt Walker, a grad transfer from Samford, will be counted on in the middle to lead a group of young bigs.

N.C. State ran more and played at high tempo last season under Keatts, but the rotation was down to about seven players by the end of the season. With more bodies, and brought in specifically to fit Keatts’ system, this team will have the ability to push the pace and press more.

“I think you will really, really enjoy this team,” Keatts said. “The versatility is what you guys will like about it.”