With the lights illuminating the hardwood in PNC Arena, NC State men’s basketball took the stage for the 2023-24 season. If tonight was any indication, graduate forward DJ Burns is ready to put on one heck of a final season.
Burns was firing on all cylinders. The graduate hit his first six shots from the field and led hitting his first six shots from the field and led the Wolfpack to a 72-59 win over The Citadel in the season opener.
“DJ Burns was DJ Burns,” said head coach Kevin Keatts. “When we can get him the ball and he’s that efficient, we’re a really good basketball team.”
The Wolfpack (1-0) got an excellent outing from its star big man as well as quality contributions from a number of new faces on the team this year, all while keeping the visiting Bulldogs (0-1) at bay.
Burns got the ball early and often, scoring his team’s first six points and helping the Pack get out to an early lead, but he wasn’t the only player to make his presence felt early.
Making a name for himself in his first game in a red-and-white uniform was graduate guard Michael O’Connell, a Stanford transfer who came off the bench to score 11 points in the first half, including three 3-pointers. O’Connell also finished the game with seven assists, proving he can be a floor general for the red-and-white. O’Connell and Burns combined for 23 points on 10-11 shooting in the first half, leading NC State to a 36-27 lead at the break.
“I thought he was really tremendous,” Keatts said. “Michael did not like the way he played in the exhibition, and I wanted him to kind of see the game start and then kind of figure out how he can come into play.”
The second half saw more contributions from other members of the team, both new and returning. After going 0-4 from the field in the first half, graduate guard Casey Morsell went 4-5 for nine points in the second, including a nice dunk on a fast break.
Perhaps the most unsung hero of the night was junior forward Mohamed Diarra, who put up a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds in addition to three blocks while also showing off his surprising range with two 3-pointers. Diarra’s double-double was the first of his Division I college career, which includes his previous season at Missouri.
“[Diarra] knows he’s good,” Burns said. “That’s one guy that’s gonna give it his all every time so I think that was a great way for him to get going.”
In all, eight players played more than 10 minutes tonight, only two of whom were on the team last season — Burns and Morsell. This is a new team, and it’s going to take time for everyone to gel and learn how to play with one another.
“What I’m trying to get them to do was to buy into their role,” Keatts said. “When you got 10 or 11 guys that are all effective, you may not play 30 minutes a game. So can you perform in that 20 to 25 minutes a game?”
Despite so many fresh faces, the Pack already showed signs of good chemistry with its 19 assists. That chemistry is only going to continue to grow, and considering that Keatts has had his best seasons at NC State when his team has been led in large part by transfers, this is an encouraging first step.
The Wolfpack’s next contest is another matchup in PNC Arena on Friday, Nov. 10 against Abilene Christian at 7 p.m. After a solid attendance for the season-opener, Burns would like to see even more people come out for game two.
“On Friday, we need more grannies in the building,” Burns said.
