NC State basketball opens the season in exactly two weeks. Following an up-and-down 2023-24 season that led to a miraculous run to an ACC Championship and Final Four, the Wolfpack is hitting reset this upcoming season.
Kevin Keatts has retooled the roster with eight new players — five transfers and three freshmen — to go along with a solid cast of returning players from last year’s run. The new-look team will tip off the 2024-25 season on Nov. 4 against USC Upstate immediately following two banners being raised in the rafters for last season’s accomplishments.
With so many new names and changing roles for several returning players, Pack Pride will take a look at each individual player prior to the season getting underway. We’ll start with the No. 0 jersey, which will be worn by Mike James this season.
BACKGROUND
As a member of the 2021 class, the 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard was ranked as the No. 81 player in the country and No. 14 small forward, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. While his true position was in fact at shooting guard, his body style and scoring touch from multiple levels made him a versatile player entering Louisville.
James originally committed to Louisville under former head coach Chris Mack. But due to a torn achilles tendon in his left leg in preseason practice in October leading up to his freshman season, he was forced to redshirt and never played for Mack. James opted to stick with the Cardinals through the start of the Kenny Payne era — even staying for his redshirt sophomore campaign — but decided to transfer after last season.
He has two years of eligibility remaining as he enters his first season with the Wolfpack, something none of the other four-star transfers can say. James committed to the Wolfpack on April 23 — less than one month after entering — and brings a knowledge of playing in the ACC for multiple seasons with him.
CAREER STATS
Over the last two seasons with the Cardinals, James has started all 32 games each year and averaged more than 10 points per game in each season. While he saw an uptick in scoring during his sophomore season with 2.5 more points per game, his efficiency saw a decline with a 39.6 percent shooting clip compared to 45.3 as a freshman.
James is also a career 80.4 percent free-throw shooter at the collegiate level and ranked Top 10 in free-throw percentage last season with 81.8. He also raised his rebounding average from 3.3 per game as a freshman to 5.0 per game as a sophomore. James knocked down five 3-pointers in two games last year, including his career-high night of 26 points against Pitt in January.
2024 OUTLOOK
For those that understand Keatts’ system and have been adding things up throughout this offseason or the first two portions of this story, James is a perfect fit as a “hybrid forward.” With a muscular 6-foot-5 frame, James has the shooting ability to fit at the two and rebounding ability to play some four, but will likely slide into the three to give the Pack a little bit of everything at that key position.
Over the years, the best teams for Keatts have typically had a clear hybrid forward at the three like Torin Dorn, CJ Bryce or Casey Morsell the last two year. They might not be the player that gets the most shine, but they do the dirty work and reap the the rewards with stat-stuffing nights.
Entering the transfer portal, both James and Louisville teammate Brandon Huntley-Hatfield were looking for team success over individual results at their next stop. James will play multiple roles, but if he can stretch the floor on offense and bring down defensive rebounds he’ll be an ideal fit for the Pack for the next two years.
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