Breaking down NC State Wolfpack basketball's projected 2022-23 roster

With the commitment of four-star center Shawn Phillips Jr., a native of Dayton, Ohio playing at Dream City Christian in Glendale, Ariz., hears an early look at how the 2022-23 roster for men's basketball looks on paper.

Centers/Forwards

The big question is what is the likelihood that redshirt junior Manny Bates, one of the premier shot blockers in the country and an improving offensive presence, will be interested in returning for a fifth year at NC State.

The 6-foot-11, 230-pounder made significant strides from year one to two and averaged 9.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game last season. Another similar jump will open doors professionally when the year is over.

Behind Bates is now Phillips, 6-foot-10, 250-pounder known for his physical presence in the paint, and a pair of raw sophomores on the current roster in Ebenezer Dowuona and Jaylon Gibson. Both Dowuona and Gibson will be facing significant years in their development. Dowuona only played nine games as a rookie, while Gibson played 17 but averaged just 0.8 points and 0.9 boards a contest.

At forward, presuming senior Jeircole Hellems does not use a super senior year, the Pack currently looks to have Providence transfer Greg Gantt and freshman Ernest Ross, both former four-stars and top-100 Rivals.com prospects in their respective classes. Gantt averaged 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game last season for the Friars.

Wings

This may be where NC State is thinnest on its current roster makeup, as the only player who meets the classic definition of a wing is redshirt sophomore Dereon Seabron.

Seabron flashed quite a bit as a rookie, when he started eight times. He averaged 5.2 points and 3.5 rebounds while playing an average of 17.5 minutes per game. Seabron had a double-double in a win at Notre Dame (17 points and 13 rebounds) and near one at Wake Forest (14 points and nine boards).

At 6-foot-7, 180 pounds, Seabron has good length and athleticism, and he showcases a nice handle for a wing.

Guards

The assumption here is that like Hellems, fifth-year senior guard Thomas Allen moves on as scheduled after this season. Although eligibility was frozen last year, the official GoPack.com roster has all players listed by what their official classification would have been originally. Hence Allen and Hellems are listed as seniors.

The most experienced option at NC State is sophomore Cam Hayes, who emerged as the Wolfpack's primary ball handler a season ago, starting 14 games and contributing 7.8 points per contest while having a team-high 72 assists.

NC State added three guards to the roster. Virginia transfer and junior Casey Morsell is a former four-star touted prospect that Rivals.com ranked at No. 49 nationally in the 2019 class and averaged 4.4 points per game last season. Freshman Terquavion Smith was a four-star, Rivals150 pickup (No. 143) and Breon Pass a highly decorated in-state signing from Reidsville (N.C.) High.