1. Would NC State have won the ACC Tournament and reached the Final Four if it played a small ball lineup?
It’s a great question and what NC State does in trying to replace power forward Mohamed Diarra will dictate what direction the Wolfpack go in. NC State will either go after a starting caliber taller power forward, or settle with 6-foot-6 Dontrez Styles likely 6-6 Dennis Parker as the small ball power forwards.
If it’s a taller power forward, The Wolfpack Central put together a list of the better ones still on the board. One from the original top 10 picked West Virginia and then Middle Tennessee State post player Jared Coleman-Jones picked San Diego State later on Thursday. Bigs are going fast which is why Diarra’s timing was not idea. If the portal remains the current time period — it ends May 1, even for graduate transfers — then knowing what you need by about April 10 is a must each year.
The most obvious player on the hot board is South Florida junior power forward Kasean Pryor. At 6-10 and 210 pounds, he could fill in at center in a pinch, and rebounding would be covered. Pryor and Louisville center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield are a lot of good things, but neither are active rim protector. Huntley-Hatfield had 18 blocks his sophomore year and 26 this season, while Pryor had 23 blocks this past season.
Pryor attended Boise State his first two years and didn’t accomplish much and ended up at Northwest Florida State College in 2022-23, which is where Derek Funderburk attended. Pryor averaged 14.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game and got the attention of NCSU assistant coach Kareem Richardson.
NC State opted for Clemson transfer Ben Middlebrooks on April 20, 2023, and Diarra on April 24. That led to Pryor picking USF on May 1. He blossomed and averaged 13.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game and hit 37 three-pointers this season. He’s got eccentric energy on the court and would fit in well.
The other intriguing power forward that is floating around is Illinois State senior Myles Foster. NC State’s D.J. Horne and Dusan Mahorcic also previously played at Illinois State. Foster is not the ideal height at 6-7 and 235 pounds, but has a skillset few others do. He would be able to post-up on the block against other power forwards and go to work, which is something that will be lost with D.J. Burns gone.
Foster averaged 12.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, and shot 52.5 percent from the field. He had 20 points and 15 boards at Kentucky on Dec. 19 for his signature performance. Finding a player who could get doubled in the post is rare these days. Maybe Huntley-Hatfield can provide that, but that is to be determined.
2. Each day the transfer portal still is producing a trickle of players in the portal. One of the most intriguing in the last 48 hours plays for one of the most unlikely programs — freshman Eli Wilborn of St. Francis (Pa.). The 6-8, 215-pounder from Middletown, Conn., will have three years of eligibility and that is important to note.
Next year could be called the “Last Dance” with NCSU having seniors in Huntley-Hatfield, Middlebrooks, Jayden Taylor, Michael O’Connell, Breon Pass, Hill and Styles all seniors. A banner year would also put assistant coaches Richardson and Levi Watkins in position to become head coach candidates. So, a lot is riding on the 2024-25 season.
Wilborn would be a good building block and he averaged 10.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 25.6 minutes per game this season. He’s bouncy, a good passer and gets work done in the paint. He’s not a three-point threat at this point and his free-throw shooting will need to improve (56.0 percent).
Sometimes in the smaller leagues, it’s hard to know if a player translates, but Wilborn pops with athleticism and has good size, and few freshman get eight double-doubles. Rebounding usually translates.
Wilborn played at prep powerhouse South Kent Prep in Connecticut for his fifth-year of high school and was part of a powerhouse squad. He played with Kansas point guard Elmarko Jackson and Pittsburgh center Papa Kante.
3. The Under Armour Association event is this weekend in Rock Hill, S.C., but coaches won’t hit the road until May 17-19.
Under Armour is the lessor of the three circuits, but has a trio of players who are expected to be McDonald’s All-American candidates, who are part of Atlanta-based Overtime Elite.
Junior power forward Bryson Tiller is an Atlanta native and ranked No. 6 by Rivals.com. Junior point guard Tyler Jackson, who is from Baltimore, is everything NC State looks for in a lead guard. He’s ranked no. 28 in the country. Canadian small forward Efeosa Oliogu is ranked No. 35 in the nation.
Two players that NC State will monitor coming up are sophomores Josiah Sanders of Fayetteville, N.C., and point guard Ian Bailey of Asheville, N.C. Bailey is on Team Curry 16s and Sanders plays for Knoxville, Tenn.-based B. Maze Elite 16s.
Sanders is a versatile 6-8 point forward, who can do some things you can’t teach. He’s a consistent jumper and playing smart with the ball from being a top 50-75 prospect. Sanders has a college ready body and is athletic for his size.
Bailey is tracking as a better prospect than a past Asheville area standout. A good learning lesson from the last year is a The Wolfpack Central favorite Derin Saran. The combo guard came from Turkey to play at The Asheville School and he couldn’t break through with any high-major offers. He signed last spring with Cal-Irvine and went on to average 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, and shot 34.9 percent from three-point land.
Saran has entered the transfer portal and guess what? He has several high majors now wanting him — Stanford, California, Northwestern, Georgia and Marquette per reports. Bailey, who attends Asheville Christian, could benefit from the success of Saran, and he’s expected to have a great spring and summer.
The third NC State potential target in attendance could Bryce Slay of Team Curry 17s. He is the son of former NBA and Marshall standout Tamar Slay, who coached his son this past year at Matthews (N.C.) Carmel Christian.
Junior Bryce Slay is a lanky 6-5 wing who is getting better each every year, and it will be good to see his progress this weekend. He unofficially visited NC State this past winter, but with assistant coach Joel Justus recruiting numerous Charlotte and Triad players, the Wolfpack will need to have a new coach on him and others.
