NC State coach gives inside look to basketball team roster. ‘I like our potential.’
With a perfect mix of old guys and freshmen and a dab of guys who can play all over the floor, N.C. State head coach Kevin Keatts likes the endless possibilities when it comes to his 2020-21 basketball roster.
The Wolfpack will begin official practice on Wednesday. Keatts has had his team assembled on campus since the summer and the players were able to go through workouts. First, because of COVID-19, they worked out in small groups, finally getting five-on-five work last week.
Even in small pieces, Keatts has a roster full of positionless players who fit his style of play.
Entering his fourth season at N.C. State, Keatts recruited a five-man freshman class, threw them in the mix with his three seniors and baked a big expectation pie for the upcoming season.
“I like our potential,” Keatts told the media on Tuesday. “I love the fact that we have an older group on the back end and then we have five new guys. I finally have a team that I really like that we can play at least nine to 10 guys and play guys at multiple positions.”
Keatts welcomes back full-time starters like senior guard Devon Daniels and sophomore forward Manny Bates, plus guys like senior center D.J. Funderburk, junior forward Jericole Hellems and senior guard Braxton Beverly who started a combined 50 games last year.
Where it gets fun for Keatts is finding roles for his true freshmen — guards Shakeel Moore and Cam Hayes, and forwards Jaylon Gibson, Nick Farrar and center Ebenezer Dowuona — and redshirt freshman forward Dereon Seabron. There’s also transfer guard, and former Garner Trojan, Thomas Allen, a junior.
What Keatts has is depth and plenty of talent. Chances are he won’t lose sleep at night trying to find the right role for everyone. Mainly because so many guys can fill different voids.
Beverly, Moore, Hayes and Allen, for example, can all play the point. Keatts said Hayes, a freshman from Greensboro, is further along than Moore, but that Moore, also from Greensboro, is the best on-ball defender in the program. Beverly has played both positions at N.C. State, and Allen did the same at Nebraska before coming back home to finish out his career.
“I feel like I’m a football coach because everyone is wondering who the starting quarterback is going to be,” Keatts said with a smile. “In my situation I have several guys I feel comfortable with who can play the point.”
Keatts said Allen is a true combo guard, who can really score, comparing him to former Detroit Pistons guard Vinnie “The Microwave” Johnson. That opens up the lead guard spot for either one of his true freshmen, or maybe back to Beverly, or Allen, not that it matters. Keatts can roll out any combination of guards on the floor at the same time and not miss a beat. Keatts said he would actually like to keep Allen and Beverly off the point, but knows they are capable of running the show.
“I’ve been able to help the new guys learn that spot,” Beverly said. “We’re going to have many guys we can rotate in and out to play that position. I’ve been doing what I can as if I’m playing it, or to help other guys as well.”
That versatility carries over to the post and wing as well. Keatts noted that Seabron (6-7, 180) is the one guy on the roster who could legit play all five positions this season. Hellems (6-7, 205) will get work at small forward and power forward and could also play center if they go to a small lineup.
“It’s our most versatile roster that we’ve had,” Keatts said. “I love our roster, I love our versatility, I love the fact that guys can play multiple positions.”
Daniels, the second leading returning scorer (12.7) said the key to guys being able to play all over is leaving their egos at the door.
“Whatever the team needs from me, I’m willing,” Daniels said. “That’s kind of the vibe from the team. I don’t really get the vibe that people are pressed to play a certain role, a certain position. They are just really open with whatever the coach needs, whatever the team needs to be the best we can be.”
This story was originally published October 13, 2020 at 1:11 PM.
