What Kevin Keatts wants to see from Dereon Seabron in final stretch for NC State
Dereon Seabron was notably absent for most of the second half of Saturday’s game against North Carolina .
N.C. State head coach Kevin Keatts wanted to clear one thing up: He was not punishing his star player.
“He just wasn’t playing well,” Keatts told reporters Monday. “I didn’t think he was playing well on either end of the floor.”
Seabron, a 6-foot-7 sophomore guard, finished the game with a season-low two points on 1 of 6 shooting. The Packs’ leading scorer only played four minutes in the second half.
As a freshman, Seabron averaged 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds. Once he got the opportunities a season ago, Seabron showed flashes. He averaged 8.4 points in the final eight games of the 2020-21 year.
Early in this season, Seabron was one of the biggest surprises in the country. And if N.C. State can get on a roll and finish the season strong, Seabron will be a big reason why.
The Wolfpack (10-12, 3-8 ACC) hosts Syracuse (10-11, 4-6) at 9 p.m. Wednesday. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
Seabron was a Day One starter in 2021-22 and averaged 21.7 points through the season’s first seven games. That stretch included a career-high 39 points in a four-overtime win over Nebraska on Dec. 1. He was in the early conversation for ACC Player of the Year.
Even though Seabron still leads the team in scoring (19 ppg), the baskets haven’t come as easy as they did early in the season.
“He’s played so well in the beginning of the year, especially non-conference and the beginning of the ACC (play),” Keatts said, the week N.C. State played at Notre Dame and UNC in consecutive games. “People are game-planning against him.”
Against the Irish, Seabron had 21 points on 9 of 16 shooting. Against the Tar Heels, he started the game 1 for 5 with most of his touches in the paint, where he has been a terror this season.
Keatts calls Seabron the best paint touch player in the country. When he gets the ball in his hand in transition, he’s hard to stop coming downhill. In the halfcourt sets, though, teams have figured out a way to prevent him from attacking the rim. Seabron himself has noticed.
“If I’m trying to attack,” Seabron said on Jan. 19. “All five guys are loaded in the paint.”
That was after N.C. State’s rematch with Virginia Tech. In the first matchup, Seabron finished with 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting. In the rematch in Raleigh, he scored 13 (5 of 10) in a loss to the Hokies. He scored 20 points or more in three straight ACC games from Jan. 1 through Jan. 8 before dropping back into the teens the next four games.
Starting at Louisville on Jan. 12, N.C. State went 2 of 4 to end the month of January with Seabron averaging 13.6 points per game.
Keatts would like to get more.
“What I want him to do is to be more well-rounded,” Keatts said. “When you draw so many people, you have to be able to make the right play and find other guys that are open as you drive. He’s had games where he’s done that.”
Along with scoring, Seabron also leads the team in rebounding, steals and assists. He’s the only player in the ACC to lead his team in all four categories. Seabron had five assists in wins over Louisville and Virginia. The Wolfpack combined for 24 made 3-pointers in those two wins. Seabron’s drive-and-kick game was working well. In games when the shots weren’t falling from outside, teams packed it in, kept Seabron out the lane and let others fire away.
Keatts would like to see Seabron continue to get teammates in the right position to make plays when defenses focus in on him. N.C. State will put the ball in his hands more, which isn’t unnatural for Seabron, who was a tall point guard in high school. With his ability, Keatts would like to see him have more of an all-around impact.
“He’s long, he’s athletic,” Keatts said. “I want him to affect the game in different ways on both ends of the floor and be more of a two-way player.”
This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 5:45 AM.
