NC State will get a little bit of a sneak peak at next season with its trip to Italy on Aug. 2-12.
Related link: Audio/video of Keatts' summer press conference
It won’t be a complete preview — sophomore center Omer Yurtseven will miss the trip while he plays with the Turkey national team — but first-year head coach Kevin Keatts will get a chance to see how the players adjust to his schemes and demands.
Yurtseven entered the NBA Draft and went through the combine in Chicago and worked out for various teams. He ultimately decided to return to NC State, but elected to head back home to Turkey in late May, and is currently playing on the under-20 FIBA Tournament.
“He is a young man who when he came to the United States, he was playing at a high level because his confidence was there,” Keatts said. “He made the national team and has done a tremendous job. I think that will helps us more than being with us right now.
“He won’t be playing with us in Italy, but there is a chance he could be in Italy at the same time if he is on the senior national team.”
Keatts also said sophomore point guard Markell Johnson will be playing in Italy after working hard on his academics this summer.
“I can’t talk specifics about any kids academically, but all of our guys have done a great job in summer school,” Keatts said. “I’m very happy with our grades thus far. They did a tremendous job in summer I, and I look forward to [results] in summer II.”
NC State will get 10 practices for Italy. Keatts has concentrated on offense during Monday’s practices and defense on Tuesday’s. The Wednesday routine involved getting ready for Italy. Keatts and the staff then hit the road to recruit from 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday evenings the next two weekends in July.
“They are going to love our system,” said Keatts about the Wolfpack players. “We are going to play three or four games, but it will be great for us to come together and bond.”
Part of that bonding could be taking away cell phones and other electronic items. He might also give each player an assignment to help them learn about their teammates, which is something he did when he coached at North Carolina Wilmington during a trip to the Bahamas.
“They may not text or tweet or anything else,” Keatts said. “I want these guys to learn about each other.
“One of the things I made the group do [at UNCW] was do a report at night time on one of their teammates. You had to tell five or six things that nobody knew about their teammate. It went well.”
NC State will be incorporating three newcomers — fifth-year senior shooting guard transfers Allerik Freeman (Baylor) and Sam Hunt (North Carolina A&T) and freshman point guard Lavar Batts Jr. — plus the return of fifth-year senior center Lennard Freeman, who redshirted last year after a pair of shin surgeries.
Keatts could see the difference Freeman could have made on the team last year by how well he has performed in summer workouts and practices. On top of that, Keatts said Freeman is in much better shape.
“Lennard has completely changed his body,” Keatts said. “He is working extremely hard. When I look back at a lot of the games from last year, one of the things that team missed was that they didn’t have a guy that is physical and could rebound the basketball. He can rebound the basketball and he’ll give us the ability to score inside.”
UNC Wilmington junior shooting guard C.J. Bryce and Utah sophomore small forward Devon Daniels will also get to play in Italy but have to sit out next season.
The process of putting together a roster was challenging, Keatts noted.
“It was tough because we had to hit the ground running,” Keatts said. “The uncertainty on who was in the draft and who was going to come back, and then we were hopeful and excited about the possibility of Terry Henderson coming back [for a sixth year], and that didn’t happen for us.”
Having so many players who are coming from different backgrounds creates a unique challenge on trying to get everyone on the same page.
“We haven’t done everything great, but you are playing hard,” Keatts said. “That is what I am trying to get out of this group, to compete every day. They need to challenge each other.”
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