I could have done this with The Run Down, but just going to spell some things out.
The NCAA has changed from 28 official visits to 35 visits over a two-year period, so that will help out NC State this spring. Players from the state who are looking to transfer, can just as easily take an unofficial visit.
D.J. Burns, Casey Morsell, Jack Clark, L.J. Thomas, Treymane Parker, Dennis Parker and likely Isaiah Miranda is a nucleus of seven scholarship players that shouldn't have drama.
Burns will need to lose weight this offseason — that isn't breaking news — and likely played in the postseason at around 330 pounds. He's listed at 275 and I pegged him for 300 last November. If Burns is serious about his basketball career, he'll be at around 290 pounds or less by next October. I just wouldn't expect something radical like him being at 260 pounds. The 330 pounds can work in the ACC, but not as well against a track-meet team like Creighton in the altitude of Denver.
Miranda apparently just wasn't close to being someone that could be counted on the court during his first semester on campus. Big learning curve, big maturity curve, so the talk about him just skipping to the NBA Draft this June was so premature. My hunch is that I could talk to five different people on what to expect on Miranda next year, and get five different answers. So, I personally will just take a wait and see approach and actually see him in real games.
Morsell has great options and people around him are also telling him to make sure he's in a situation where he has teammates setting him up, since so much of his offense was catching the ball open from three-point land, particularly in the corners. Burns proved to have good chemistry with Morsell when passing out of double teams, and Morsell proved if there is space available on a drive, he can get to the rim and isn't just a stand-still guy.
There is an awareness that there won't be minutes for all of Thomas/Breon Pass/Treymane Parker next year. Something always gives with that many players.
A pair of trusted sources said Dusan Mahorcic's knee just never bounced back after late January. It was the second time he had that injury, and there are fears about his health for next year, wherever that is. He just got married a few weeks ago and that's a factor. I think if you see a lot of movement in the portal on true centers, Mahorcic's knee is a big reason why, more so than getting him a waiver. He kind of said good-bye in a Instagram post, but not a total good-bye and that is a good summary of his situation. Most important thing for him moving forward regardless, is getting healthy again. A healthy Mahorcic is a rock-solid 20 minutes a night guy, but NC State won't gamble at that position after what happened in 2021-22.
Which could also lead to Ebenezer Dowuona being needed on next year's team. Dowuona will have smaller schools letting him know he can get 30-plus minutes there. I'd put him at 55-45 returning to NC State because he could be close to getting his degree next year as a senior, but I don't foresee him getting more than 8-10 minutes a night as Burns' backup in a best-case scenario. Now, if the staff felt Louisville center Roosevelt Wheeler was a better backup option than Dowuona, then they'll make those kind of decisions.
I mentioned the Thomas/Pass/Parker glut and same applies at power forward. If NC State wants to get a Jaeymn Brakefield from Ole Miss or Dontrez Styles at UNC in the portal, something will give with Greg Gantt and Ernest Ross, and like I said, what position is Miranda in the big picture, power forward or can he be a backup center? Brakefield and Clark is an upgrade at power forward, that isn't a debate, though Brakefield would need a NCAA waiver after using his transfer from Duke. The nice thing about Brakefield and Clark, is that they could also steal some minutes at small forward if needed, but obviously neither could ever play backup center minutes.
Gantt has his degree this May and a long history of tough injuries. He really comes off as a first-class guy who will be great in whatever career he sets out to do. Ross will always be an energizer guy off the bench, who might pop up and have a good game here and there like he did against Miami and Georgia Tech. Can he ever be more than that? Maybe.
As for shooting guard Terquavion Smith, I'll just assume he sticks to his plan and enters the NBA Draft, go through the process and make a decision by the NBA Draft deadline based on his feedback. It's the prudent smart move that his agents should have him do. He already has the built-in knowledge of going through it last year. I think he remains in the draft myself, but I also don't view him as a first-round lock.
What will help Smith after watching a lot of NCAA Tournament basketball over the last week is that college game is certainly down at the guard position. If the best NBA type of backcourt is Arkansas' Nick Smith, who has an injured knee, and Anthony Black, both freshmen, then it's telling about the college game right now. The second best backcourt for the NBA Draft, some have Baylor freshman Keyonte George, who has a hobbled ankle, and his junior running mate L.J. Cryer, a junior.
The NCAA has changed from 28 official visits to 35 visits over a two-year period, so that will help out NC State this spring. Players from the state who are looking to transfer, can just as easily take an unofficial visit.
D.J. Burns, Casey Morsell, Jack Clark, L.J. Thomas, Treymane Parker, Dennis Parker and likely Isaiah Miranda is a nucleus of seven scholarship players that shouldn't have drama.
Burns will need to lose weight this offseason — that isn't breaking news — and likely played in the postseason at around 330 pounds. He's listed at 275 and I pegged him for 300 last November. If Burns is serious about his basketball career, he'll be at around 290 pounds or less by next October. I just wouldn't expect something radical like him being at 260 pounds. The 330 pounds can work in the ACC, but not as well against a track-meet team like Creighton in the altitude of Denver.
Miranda apparently just wasn't close to being someone that could be counted on the court during his first semester on campus. Big learning curve, big maturity curve, so the talk about him just skipping to the NBA Draft this June was so premature. My hunch is that I could talk to five different people on what to expect on Miranda next year, and get five different answers. So, I personally will just take a wait and see approach and actually see him in real games.
Morsell has great options and people around him are also telling him to make sure he's in a situation where he has teammates setting him up, since so much of his offense was catching the ball open from three-point land, particularly in the corners. Burns proved to have good chemistry with Morsell when passing out of double teams, and Morsell proved if there is space available on a drive, he can get to the rim and isn't just a stand-still guy.
There is an awareness that there won't be minutes for all of Thomas/Breon Pass/Treymane Parker next year. Something always gives with that many players.
A pair of trusted sources said Dusan Mahorcic's knee just never bounced back after late January. It was the second time he had that injury, and there are fears about his health for next year, wherever that is. He just got married a few weeks ago and that's a factor. I think if you see a lot of movement in the portal on true centers, Mahorcic's knee is a big reason why, more so than getting him a waiver. He kind of said good-bye in a Instagram post, but not a total good-bye and that is a good summary of his situation. Most important thing for him moving forward regardless, is getting healthy again. A healthy Mahorcic is a rock-solid 20 minutes a night guy, but NC State won't gamble at that position after what happened in 2021-22.
Which could also lead to Ebenezer Dowuona being needed on next year's team. Dowuona will have smaller schools letting him know he can get 30-plus minutes there. I'd put him at 55-45 returning to NC State because he could be close to getting his degree next year as a senior, but I don't foresee him getting more than 8-10 minutes a night as Burns' backup in a best-case scenario. Now, if the staff felt Louisville center Roosevelt Wheeler was a better backup option than Dowuona, then they'll make those kind of decisions.
I mentioned the Thomas/Pass/Parker glut and same applies at power forward. If NC State wants to get a Jaeymn Brakefield from Ole Miss or Dontrez Styles at UNC in the portal, something will give with Greg Gantt and Ernest Ross, and like I said, what position is Miranda in the big picture, power forward or can he be a backup center? Brakefield and Clark is an upgrade at power forward, that isn't a debate, though Brakefield would need a NCAA waiver after using his transfer from Duke. The nice thing about Brakefield and Clark, is that they could also steal some minutes at small forward if needed, but obviously neither could ever play backup center minutes.
Gantt has his degree this May and a long history of tough injuries. He really comes off as a first-class guy who will be great in whatever career he sets out to do. Ross will always be an energizer guy off the bench, who might pop up and have a good game here and there like he did against Miami and Georgia Tech. Can he ever be more than that? Maybe.
As for shooting guard Terquavion Smith, I'll just assume he sticks to his plan and enters the NBA Draft, go through the process and make a decision by the NBA Draft deadline based on his feedback. It's the prudent smart move that his agents should have him do. He already has the built-in knowledge of going through it last year. I think he remains in the draft myself, but I also don't view him as a first-round lock.
What will help Smith after watching a lot of NCAA Tournament basketball over the last week is that college game is certainly down at the guard position. If the best NBA type of backcourt is Arkansas' Nick Smith, who has an injured knee, and Anthony Black, both freshmen, then it's telling about the college game right now. The second best backcourt for the NBA Draft, some have Baylor freshman Keyonte George, who has a hobbled ankle, and his junior running mate L.J. Cryer, a junior.
