NC State has been scrambling for a point guard and got its floor general Wednesday.
Former Cal-State Bakersfield and Ole Miss point guard Jarkel Joiner arrived at NC State on Monday for his official visit, and left town giving his verbal commitment.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder had the difficult choice of leaving his hometown college — he attended Oxford (Miss.) High — but is now reunited with former Ole Miss assistant coach Levi Watkins, who NC State recently hired.
Joiner battled injuries this past season and was limited to 22 games, but he averaged 13.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest. He shot 41.0 percent from the field, 34.0 percent from three-point land and 82.5 percent at the free-throw line. The Rebels went 13-19 overall and 4-14 in the SEC.
Joiner made 53.2 percent of his field-goal attempts “at the rim” and he was 40.5 percent on two-point jumpers from the mid-range. Ole Miss had 23.9 percent of its field-goal attempts in transition.
Joiner returned from his injury Feb. 5 against Florida and played 40 of 45 minutes in an overtime loss. The Rebels had a tough year going 11-20, and the loss to the Gators was the start of a season-ending nine-game losing streak.
Joiner exploded for 33 points and went 6 of 10 on three-pointers in a 97-83 loss vs. Alabama on Feb. 9. He also had 20 points and eight rebounds in a 67-63 win vs. Memphis on Dec. 4.
Joiner played his first two years at CSUB, which is also the former college of ex-NC State point guard Alex Johnson. Joiner averaged 15.6 points and 1.4 assists per game in 2018-19, and shot 37.0 percent from beyond the arc. He redshirted the 2019-20 season at Ole Miss following his transfer.
Joiner and Ole Miss went 16-12 in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season when he became eligible. He had 26 points and went 5 of 11 from three-point land in a 76-73 loss to LSU in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
Joiner averaged 36.5 points per game his senior year at Oxford High and was name the 2017 Mississippi basketball player of the year by The Daily Journal.
NC State has at least two scholarships available, but both shooting guard Terquavion Smith and guard Dereon Seabron are testing the NBA Draft waters.
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