NC State men’s basketball’s miraculous run in the ACC and NCAA tournaments will go down in history as one of the great Cinderella stories in all of college basketball. While it’s only been a few months since the Wolfpack became nationwide favorites and title contenders, let’s take a way-too-early look at the 2024-25 season for the Wolfpack.
There’s some unknown of what this year’s team will look like without the dynamic duo of forward DJ Burns and guard DJ Horne. Even so, the Wolfpack is still in good hands with its returning players, promising freshmen and the stability of head coach Kevin Keatts.
The Wolfpack adds two promising freshmen this winter in guards Paul McNeil and Trey Parker. These two combo guards should help fill the void of losing Horne and will add some much-needed depth to the bench.
Parker was a four-star recruit and the No. 78 overall recruit per ESPN in 2023. He finished his senior season with Overtime Elite in Atlanta averaging 11 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game and 3.1 assists per game. The highlight of Parker’s high school career was his participation in the Underclassman All-American game during his junior year, dropping 42 points by way of 10 3-pointers.
McNeil is a four-star out of Rockingham, North Carolina, and is currently ranked No. 56 nationally according to 247Sports Composite. During his high school career, McNeil won the 2021-2022 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year when he averaged 24.5 points per game, 9.7 rebounds per game, 3.8 assists per game and 1.7 steals per game.
The Wolfpack was out-rebounded in 18 games last season and will benefit from the active rebounding of McNeil. McNeil also solidified his reputation as a scorer when he broke the North Carolina High School Athletic Association scoring record with a 71-point game on Jan. 17.
Along with McNeil and Parker, Wolfpack fans can be excited for the return of graduate guard Michael O’Connell, senior guard Jayden Taylor and senior forward Middlebrooks.
O’Connell showed flashes of his offensive prowess during last year’s postseason run. The guard averaged 10.2 points per game, 4.1 assists per game, four rebounds per game and 1.2 steals per game during the Wolfpack’s nine-game win streak across the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament. O’Connell was a sharpshooter from beyond the arc, firing a 37.5% clip from deep last season.
Taylor and Middlebrooks are upcoming seniors who will have important minutes this year with Casey Morsell and Burns no longer on the team. Taylor is expected to take the place of Morsell, however, given his inconsistency last year, he could be reduced to a sixth man role this winter.
Nevertheless, Taylor has lots of experience in the starting lineup, starting 29 games for the Pack last season. Taylor averaged 11.2 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game and 1.1 steals per game last year and his intense defense led to winning basketball. Taylor knows his role and his shifty ball handling and ability to create space can break down opposing defenses.
Middlebrooks is expected to take a big jump as he looks to be the squad’s starting center. The former Clemson Tiger had a solid first season off the bench with the Wolfpack, putting up 5.7 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per game. He is also credited as the hustler, going for loose balls and sprinting down the court on defense. Middlebrooks’ intensity instills a gritty culture in the locker room, further contributing to a culture of winning basketball.
There is common thought that last year’s run was a fluke and NC State will look like the team that ended its regular season on a four-game losing streak. But Wolfpack fans shouldn’t fret. The pieces are there for the momentum to carry on for this season and years to come. The “why not us” attitude of players and the constant work that the team puts in will show, and the Pack might just shock the world again.
