Source: Lance King / Getty
2023 Record: 23-11 (12-8) 6th in the ACC, Lost in First Round to Creighton
Key Losses: G Terquavion Smith (17.9 pts, 4.1 ast), G Jarkel Joiner (17.0 pts, 3.6 ast), G Jack Clark (9.0 pts, 6.9 reb), C Dusan Mahorcic (8.7 pts, 6.6 reb)
Key Returnees: F D.J. Burns (12.5 pts, 4.8 reb), G Casey Morsell (11.8 pts, 4.4 reb), F Ernest Ross (3.5 pts, 2.5 reb)
Key Transfer Additions: G D.J. Horne (12.5 pts, 2.4 ast), G Kam Woods (17.3 pts, 3.3 ast), G Jayden Taylor (12.9 pts, 3.8 reb), F Ben Middlebrooks (3.1 pts, 2.7 reb), G MJ Rice (2.2 pts, 0.2 ast)
Key High School Additions: G Dennis Parker Jr.
Outlook: The Wolfpack are coming off of their first NCAA appearance in five years and will have a lot of changes to navigate to get back. Four of the team’s six leading scorers from that team are gone, including the backcourt duo of Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner who were so instrumental in making it a year ago. Head coach Kevin Keatts did a great job in the transfer portal of retooling the roster with three players that averaged at least 12.5 points per game a year ago and a couple of young players that buried on the roster at their previous stops. They will combine with D.J. Burns and Casey Morsell to form a team that will be more than capable of getting back to the tournament and could possibly make a run at being a top four team in the ACC.
Quotes from Wes & Walker:
Kevin Keatts- “I don’t take last year for granted at all and here’s why. Not only did we make it to the tournament, it’s really tough to make the tournament, especially the amount of teams that we’ve (the ACC) been getting in. We don’t take it for granted.”
