NC State basketball’s big problem and what Keatts wants to see from his young forwards
Even though Jaylon Gibson and Ebenezer Dowuona are sophomores, N.C. State head coach Kevin Keatts still considers them freshmen.
Last season, Gibson and Dowuona played limited minutes, with D.J. Funderburk and Manny Bates on Keatts’ roster. But, Funderburk decided not to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility, and Bates played less than one minute this year before an injury finished his season.
Gibson and Dowuona have been thrust into action earlier than expected, with mixed results, and a few flashes of potential.
“Both have had games where you’re like, ‘Here they come,’” Keatts said.
Dowuona will never be mistaken for Bates on the defensive end, but he’s been a reliable rim protector. On the road against Duke last month, he had nine offensive rebounds to go along with 10 points. Gibson’s breakout game came against Syracuse last week, when he had a career-high 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
Those performances, though, have been the exception.
Gibson followed his career night with a scoreless game against Notre Dame on Saturday. He only took one shot in 18 minutes of action. Dowuona’s 10-point game against Duke was only the second time he’s scored in double figures this season. Since that Jan. 15 game in Durham, Dowuona is averaging 3.8 points per game. He’s blocked a total of two shots in the past five games.
N.C. State’s offense has lacked consistency, mainly from its post players. The Wolfpack (10-14, 3-10) has played a lot of four-against-five when it has the ball. Dowuona has shown the ability to clean up misses or occasionally catch a lob for a dunk, but the ball is rarely thrown into the post.
It’s more of the same when Gibson enters the game. The former Grace Christian star has gone scoreless in 11 of the 21 games he’s appeared in this year. The first time Gibson attempted more than three shots in a game was gainst the Orange — when he started in place of Dowuona.
“Both of those guys do a great job in practice,” Keatts said. “And they really beat up on each other. It’s been hard to get it from practice to the game where they are more consistent. That being said, they both have grown in a lot of areas.”
BREAKOUT MOMENTS
Gibson put on his best show in a Wolfpack uniform in his first start, which came after Dowuona suffered a lower leg injury against UNC and missed the Syracuse game.
Gibson scored 33 total points in his previous 19 games, including 0-for-5 shooting with no points in the three games prior to facing the Orange.
“Just hiding behind that 2-3 (zone),” Gibson said. “I knew once I caught it I’d better make a quick move.”
Leading up to the game, Keatts had a simple message for Gibson: “I better dunk everything,” Gibson said.
So there was Gibson, catching the ball on the block, laying it up, even dunking on a Syracuse player, while drawing a foul late in the second half.
“I was telling him, even in the previous practices,” sophomore guard Dereon Seabon said. “I was telling him this next game could be his opportunity to have a breakout game and show everybody what you could do.”
Against Notre Dame on Saturday, his biggest contributions in 18 minutes were two rebounds. Dowuona came off the bench and added three boards and a pair of free throws.
Even though they lost to Syracuse, N.C. State’s offense showed how effective it can be with an active post player. The 82 points it scored against the Orange were the second-most scored in an ACC game this season.
TOUGH SITUATION
Coming into the year, Keatts only expected Dowuona and Gibson to play 10 minutes or less each, mostly to relieve Bates.
Keatts calls their sophomore year a “tough situation.” Greg Gantt, a transfer forward from Providence was also expected to log heavy minutes. Gantt hasn’t played all season with a lower body injury.
The situation for Gibson and Dowuona got tougher when freshman forward Ernest Ross was lost for the season. Ross had ankle surgery the week after the Duke game.
On the bright side, Keatts got an earlier-than-expected look at Gibson’s and Dowuona’s potential. It’s no guarantee that Bates returns next season. He could fully recover from shoulder surgery and decide he wants to test the professional waters. Transferring in college basketball is also always a potential threat. Bates briefly thought about transferring last offseason, but ultimately returned to Raleigh.
Keatts also has 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward Shawn Phillips arriving on campus next season. Phillips, a four-star prospect from Arizona, should provide a presence inside to either complement or replace Bates.
LOOKING AHEAD
If Keatts has all of the bigs at his disposal, finding minutes for everyone will be one of those good problems to have. Gibson and Dowuona can only benefit from being thrown into the fire this year.
“I’m proud of their growth,” Keatts said. “You cannot substitute the experience they both are getting this year. We will be better for it, either at the end of this season or next year.”
With seven regular-season games remaining, there’s still plenty Keatts wants to see from the duo.
“I just think consistency,” Keatts said. “At this point, we are who we are. I think both of those guys know that they have to play. I want them to come in and play with extreme confidence. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us, this is the ACC. They are both ACC scholarship guys, so I want them to accept their role and just go in there and play.”
This story was originally published February 7, 2022 at 2:03 PM.
