North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Holds First Practice of 2020-21 Season
10/14/2020 4:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Pack is entering fourth season under head coach Kevin Keatts
RALEIGH – The NC State men's basketball team held its first official practice of the 2020-21 season on Wednesday afternoon inside the Dail Basketball Practice Facility.
Head Coach Kevin Keatts is beginning his fourth season at NC State. Keatts has led NC State to 20 win seasons in each of his first three years.
The Pack's 14-man roster features 12 scholarship and two non-scholarship players. Five players saw action last season for NC State, two players were with the program but redshirted and the program welcomes five freshmen for the 2020-21 season.
Seniors Braxton Beverly, Devon Daniels and D.J. Funderburk pace the Pack's returnees. Beverly led the team in three-point field goal percentage (37.1%) and three-point field goals made (50) last season. Daniels averaged 12.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and ranked second on the team (eighth in the ACC) with 53 steals. Funderburk averaged 12.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season. He shot 60.9% from the field which led the team and ranked as the third-highest season field goal percentage in program history.
Also returning for the Pack is a pair of players entering their third-year in the program. Redshirt sophomore Manny Bates made his presence felt last season. He led the ACC and ranked sixth in the NCAA with his 2.93 blocks per game average. He finished the season with 83 blocked shots which shattered the old program record (36) for most blocks by a freshman. Junior Jericole Hellems averaged 9.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game last season and ranked third on the team with 34 three-pointers made.
Also back for NC State is junior Thomas Allen and freshman Dereon Seabron. They were both with the program last season, but sat out the season as redshirts.
The seven returnees are joined by a five-man freshman class. The freshman class consisting of Ebenezer Dowuona, Nick Farrar, Jaylon Gibson, Cam Hayes and Shakeel Moore was ranked as a top-10 recruiting classes by multiple recruiting services.
Wednesday's practice is the beginning of a six-week preseason practice window. The NCAA announced in September that the first date college basketball teams could play regular season games this season is Wednesday, Nov. 25.
NC State's schedule for the 2020-21 season will be announced in the next few weeks.
Head Coach Kevin Keatts is beginning his fourth season at NC State. Keatts has led NC State to 20 win seasons in each of his first three years.
The Pack's 14-man roster features 12 scholarship and two non-scholarship players. Five players saw action last season for NC State, two players were with the program but redshirted and the program welcomes five freshmen for the 2020-21 season.
Seniors Braxton Beverly, Devon Daniels and D.J. Funderburk pace the Pack's returnees. Beverly led the team in three-point field goal percentage (37.1%) and three-point field goals made (50) last season. Daniels averaged 12.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and ranked second on the team (eighth in the ACC) with 53 steals. Funderburk averaged 12.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season. He shot 60.9% from the field which led the team and ranked as the third-highest season field goal percentage in program history.
Also returning for the Pack is a pair of players entering their third-year in the program. Redshirt sophomore Manny Bates made his presence felt last season. He led the ACC and ranked sixth in the NCAA with his 2.93 blocks per game average. He finished the season with 83 blocked shots which shattered the old program record (36) for most blocks by a freshman. Junior Jericole Hellems averaged 9.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game last season and ranked third on the team with 34 three-pointers made.
Also back for NC State is junior Thomas Allen and freshman Dereon Seabron. They were both with the program last season, but sat out the season as redshirts.
The seven returnees are joined by a five-man freshman class. The freshman class consisting of Ebenezer Dowuona, Nick Farrar, Jaylon Gibson, Cam Hayes and Shakeel Moore was ranked as a top-10 recruiting classes by multiple recruiting services.
Wednesday's practice is the beginning of a six-week preseason practice window. The NCAA announced in September that the first date college basketball teams could play regular season games this season is Wednesday, Nov. 25.
NC State's schedule for the 2020-21 season will be announced in the next few weeks.
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