When the NCAA began allowing transfers to play right away rather than making them sit out a year, college coaches started to recruit players out the transfer portal at the same rate as high school players. NC State men’s basketball head coach Kevin Keatts followed suit, using the rule change to assemble an impressive squad for the 2022-23 season and rebound from the team’s 21 losses the previous year.
Jarkel Joiner
It’s difficult to tell where this team would be without graduate guard Jarkel Joiner, especially after the performance he put on against the Tar Heels where he essentially carried the Pack to victory with 14 points in the final seven minutes of the game.
With sophomore guard Terquavion Smith returning for a second year, it was crucial for Keatts to find him a backcourt mate that could take some pressure off of him and let Smith exercise his talent as an off-ball guard. Keatts found the perfect player for this role in Joiner as he has taken on the role of point guard and leader of the offense.
Joiner has been an unstoppable force for the Pack, recording the program’s fourth-ever triple-double in a loss at Syracuse. Not only does Joiner get it done on the offensive end, but he is also one of the Wolfpack’s best defenders and is always matched up against the opposing team’s best guard.
It is hard to find a better transfer pickup than Joiner in college basketball, not only because of his huge impact on the court, but also the leadership he has shown off the court.
DJ Burns
With the guard position taken care of, Keatts looked to Winthrop University for his big man, where he found the Big South Conference Player of the Year — graduate forward DJ Burns. Burns was also a key part in the Pack’s win over UNC, finishing with 18 points and three rebounds.
When the season started, Burns had low expectations because he wasn’t even starting for NC State and was playing limited minutes behind graduate forward Dusan Mahorcic. But with injury comes opportunity and ever since Mahorcic went down early in the season, Burns has very pleasantly surprised Wolfpack fans with his consistently dominant performances in the paint.
One of Burns’ most notable performances came in the Pack’s game against Wake Forest on Jan. 28, where NC State was trailing for a majority of the second half, and he took it upon himself to will NC State to a victory. Burns scored 23 of his career-high 31 points in the second half, and in doing so, cemented himself as a household name for NC State fans.
Not only is Burns a force on the court, but he’s become a fan favorite among the Wolfpack faithful. Burns is always smiling on the court and jokes around after the games, rocking an iconic pair of sunglasses during postgame interviews.
Jack Clark
Graduate guard Jack Clark may be overlooked because of the outstanding play from the players mentioned above, but his impact can’t be ignored.
There is a common theme among these transfer players; they all came up huge against the Tar Heels, and Clark was no exception. He hit a clutch 3 during a 7-0 run and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
After a dreadful 2021-22 season, Keatts was searching for a versatile swingman that could defend and knock down shots. Clark is a 6-foot-8 guard that can defend multiple positions and can score when called upon and is perfectly suited for this role.
Clark may not stuff the stat sheet like Joiner and Burns, but he does all the dirty work. He usually guards the opposing team’s best wing player and crashes the glass hard for rebounds to keep possessions alive, making him an essential part of the team.
