NC State basketball doesn't have any scholarships available, but that doesn't mean the 2020-21 roster is finalized.
College basketball is too unpredictable for that to be assumed in mid-March. However, one thing that will be drastically different next year is the Wolfpack's strength in numbers. NCSU often played between seven and nine healthy players en route to going 20-12 overall and 10-10 in the ACC.
The ability to not press proved challenging for head coach Kevin Keatts. Foul trouble at certain positions, particularly the post, also became problematic in games.
Here is a first look at what the roster might be like next year. All players are listed with their eligibility next year:
NC State will be Noah's Ark with two of everything.
Freshman point guards Shakeel Moore and Cam Hayes will battle it out, with senior Braxton Beverly waiting in the wings if things sputter. Hayes is taller and a better jump shooter than Moore, but Moore is more adept at finishing at the rim and should be terrific in the press defensively.
Fifth-year senior wing Devon Daniels, former Nebraska transfer and redshirt sophomore Thomas Allen, and Beverly will handle the shooting guard minutes, but Hayes or Moore can also play off the ball.
Daniels emerged as a two-way threat down the stretch, often guarding the top scorer on the opposing team, and he finished fourth on the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game. He added 5.3 rebounds a contest and shot 32.2 percent on three-pointers.
Beverly has never shot above 39.5 percent from the field at NC State, but a back injury didn't help the cause this past season. He averaged 7.1 points in a career-low 24.8 minutes a contest, and shot 37.3 percent from three-point land. Allen averaged 8.7 points and shot 36 percent on threes at Nebraska in 2018-19, but redshirted this past season after transferring and had ankle surgery.
Freshmen Josh Hall and Dereon Seabron (who redshirted) can both play small forward, and junior Jericole Hellems could in a pinch. Daniels also has plenty of past experience at the position if Hall elects to enter the NBA Draft, which the Durham, N.C., native is eligible for because he attended high school for five years.
Rivals.com ranked Hall No. 22 overall in the class of 2020, while Seabron was ranked No. 124 in the class of 2019. The latter redshirted due to being an academic non-qualifier.
Continuing on the theme for the frontcourt, the Wolfpack have a lot of flexibility in playing "big" or going to Keatts' more-favored "small ball" lineup.
The return of fifth-year senior D.J. Funderburk, redshirt sophomore Manny Bates and junior Jericole Hellems gives the Wolfpack an experienced and proven trio.
Funderburk played both post positions and flourished in ACC play. He averaged 12.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the season, and shot 60.9 percent from the field.
Bates is raw offensively, but is a gifted shot-blocker and finished with 83 rejections, which ranked third all time among single-season marks at NC State. He'll be gunning for Thurl Bailey's record of 95 blocks in 1983. Foul trouble slowed Bates down in parts of the ACC schedule, limiting him to 18.4 minutes per game while averaging 5.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.9 blocks a contest.
Hellems bounced in and out of the starting lineup, but has strong offensive potential. He shot 33 percent on three-pointers but will need to improve his shot selection. Hellems averaged 9.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 25.5 minutes a game.
Freshmen Ebenezer Dowuona and Nick Farrar, plus junior college transfer A.J. Taylor, will provide depth. Dowuona can settle into the third-string center role, and if he proves capable enough play with Funderburk at times.
Both Taylor and Farrar are in the 6-6 range, though Taylor is lighter at a listed 205 pounds. He missed the season after suffering a knee injury last fall but looked good in the Wolfpack's workout at the ACC Tournament.
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