N.C. State Basketball: Projected roster breakdown for 2024-25 season

N.C. State moves into the new season leaving behind one of the most memorable runs college basketball has ever seen. Five heart-stopping wins in five days at the ACC tournament sparked a run all the way to the Final Four where the Wolfpack made the school's first appearance since 1983. Losing all but one starter from a year ago, head coach Kevin Keatts turned to the transfer portal to replenish his roster. Here is a breakdown of what the roster looks like heading into 2024-25 for the Wolfpack.

Departures

Guards: D.J. Horne (16.9 PPG), Casey Morsell (11.1 PPG), LJ Thomas (2.6 PPG), Kam Woods (1.2 PPG)

Forwards: DJ Burns (12.9 PPG), Mohamed Diarra (6.3 PPG)

The Wolfpack will look to replace most of their scoring from a year ago losing stars DJ Horne and DJ Burns. Mohamed Diarra and Burns were each top 3 in rebounding for the Pack with rising senior Ben Middlebrooks expected to pick up some of that production after a solid NCAA tournament performance along with some help from the transfer portal.

Returners

Guards

Michael O'Connell (5.7 PTS, 3.4 REB, 3.2 AST per game)

Jayden Taylor (11.2 PTS, 3.6 REB, 1.3 AST per game)

Dennis Parker Jr. (4.7 PTS, 3.2 REB, 0.4 AST per game)

MJ Rice (4.1 PTS, 1.9 REB, 0.1 AST per game)

Breon Pass (1.3 PTS, 0.5 REB, 0.3 AST per game)

Forwards

Ben Middlebrooks (5.7 PTS, 4.4 REB, 0.6 AST per game)

Ernest Ross (0.3 PTS, 0.4 REB per game)

Despite losing the majority of its starting-five, Kevin Keatts returns valuable experience at the guard position with O'Connell and Taylor each having played key roles down the stretch this past season. The guard duo ranked 3rd and 4th in minutes played for the Wolfpack with Taylor also ranking 3rd on the team in points per game.

Rising sophomore Dennis Parker Jr. missed all of the Wolfpack's post season run due to illness but showed flashes throughout the year with a career-high 15 points in a win over Virginia. With his size and athleticism at 6'6, Parker Jr. could be primed for a breakout year on both sides of the floor.

Newcomers

F Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (12.9 PTS, 8.4 REB, 1.0 AST) Transfer from Louisville

G Mike James (12.6 PTS, 5.0 REB, 1.5 AST) Transfer from Louisville

G Marcus Hill (20.5 PTS, 5.0 REB, 2.6 AST) Transfer from Bowling Green

G Dontrez Styles (12.8 PTS, 5.8 REB, 0.8 AST) Transfer from Georgetown

G Paul McNeil: 4-Star recruit from Raleigh, N.C. Rated as the 54th best incoming recruit by 247 Sports.

G Tremayne Parker: 3-Star recruit out of Atlanta, Georgia

Kevin Keatts is no stranger to finding players in the transfer portal with N.C. State's entire starting five this past season transferring in from previous schools. Keatts went for scoring in this spring's transfer window with each of the four incoming transfers averaging over 12 PPG. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield may be the best addition as he brings size and power at 6'10. He has solid perimeter skills for a guy his size and can score multiple ways off the block with an added ability to get past slower defenders on the perimeter. Much like we saw with DJ Burns, Huntley-Hatfield has the potential to affect games with his size and strength as a mismatch for opposing teams.

Marcus Hill arrives in Raleigh as a pure scorer out of the MAC scoring 20 or more points in 19 games during his junior campaign. His 20.5 PPG ranked 27rd in the country and earned him First Team All-MAC honors. Hill is great at getting to the rim and showed the skills to be a good passer as Bowling Green's main option all season.

Mike James brings added experience on the perimeter for the Wolfpack having played in the ACC for multiple years at Louisville while starting every game this past season. James was 3rd on the team in scoring and one of the better three-point shooters on the team at 34% with 36 makes on the year.

Overall, this team will need a large offensive lift from its transfers. Having lost a great deal of the team's scoring production, guys like James and Hill will need to step up as go-to guys on the offensive end throughout the gauntlet of ACC play. That being said, seeing them competing for a top-8 finish in the conference would not be a surprise if they could put things together this upcoming season.