March Mindset Media

Will Wade’s very short tenure at NC State ended in disappointing fashion and now it’s Justin Gainey’s turn to take over the ropes. I really don’t think it will be a transitional year either. There is a lot of turnover, but Paul McNeil Jr. was a huge retention piece. He is an absolute sniper who will be one of, if not, the best shooter in the ACC. His size may give him trouble defending some wings this season though. Christian Hammond from Santa Clara is a great pickup, who should also provide stellar shooting. Starting at point guard is Preston Edmead. Guess what his biggest strength is…shooting! There is a very common theme here, but Edmead is also a good playmaker who should have plenty of guys to be able to set up. Darius Adams will come off the bench and I think he is a lot better than what his numbers showed in his freshman year at Maryland. He is able to create his own shots and the ball just didn’t fall as much as it should have. Eemeli Yalaho is a stretch 4 who also thrives on physicality. He is versatile and will provide a lot of help on the glass. Starting at center is Kyle Evans. He is the one guy who doesn’t shoot, but he is a tremendous rim protector. It seems like a lot of the defense will be funneling to him down low. RJ Keene will be a much needed defensive guy for the Wolfpack. He’s very gritty. Robert Jurkovic is a pretty good spot-up shooter for the frontcourt and is good at finding open position under the basket to get the ball and score. Shah Hall is a center making the transition from JUCO. He is very versatile on both ends of the floor and will be a really steal if he translates to high major ball. Hall will battle with Zymicah Wilkins for this backup center role. There are some concerns with this NC State squad, but I honestly think they have something for Gainey’s first year. I will be willing to bet that they knock off a team they shouldn’t because they go ballistic from deep. Their frontcourt is better than people will expect and the depth has good opportunity. I’d say defense and inside scoring will be the biggest issues. A lot of the defensive issues can be shadowed by the interior presence of Kyle Evans though. There is a clear cut top 5 in the ACC, but I don’t think they will be too many spots behind that. The 7-8 range probably feels right. March Mindset Outlook: ⭐️ Best Player: Paul McNeil Jr. 💪 Biggest Strength: Shooting ⚠️ Biggest Weakness: Defense 🔑 X-Factor: Darius Adams 🎯 Tournament Outlook: Bubble Contender