What does NC State’s men’s basketball roster look like for the 2023-24 season?

There was a time, and not that many years ago, when college basketball coaches could take time off just after the season to unwind, be with family and lower their blood pressure.

No longer.

As N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts likes to say, it’s “365-day thing” in managing the roster. It’s all about transfer portal talk and NIL possibilities and wondering if and when the next text will come saying, “I’ve decided to leave.”

“It’s here and you have to embrace it,” Keatts said.

A year ago, the Pack was coming off a dismal 11-21 season. A year later, the Pack’s coming off a 23-11 season that ended in the NCAA tournament. That’s all a part of the new normal in college athletics, when, as Keatts also likes to say, the new season will often be made in the offseason and college have-nots can have at it.

“The game has completely changed,” Keatts said. “It’s a balancing act. I want us to evolve as a program where we’re consistent every year, but the challenges of that (are) tougher. We have to find our niche in the era of transfers to be consistent, and that’s one of the hardest things all coaches will have to do now.”

Balancing act? When Keatts recently made those comments, Trey Parker was set to be an incoming freshman for the Pack and shooting guard Kam Woods, who played at North Carolina A&T last season, was still in the NCAA portal.

But Parker made the decision to reclassify to the class of 2024. Woods then committed to N.C. State. The shuffle continued.

Keatts said the chemistry of last year’s team was “off the charts.” It showed on the court, especially between guards Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner. Each team must forge its own, with a new cast, new leaders.

Here’s a look at the Wolfpack for 2023-24 — subject to change, of course.

Best player

It could be the biggest. D.J Burns Jr., apparently had so much fun last season he decided he’d come back for another. It will be more “Beast Boy” for the Wolfpack.

Burns is generously listed at 6-foot-9 and 275 pounds and the former Winthrop transfer could be lighter this season if Keatts has his way. Burns averaged 16 points and 5.6 rebounds in ACC games last season and without taking a 3-point shot. The big man knows his range. But what’s his ceiling? We’ll find out next season.

“When you say what’s a great fit for N.C. State, it’s DJ Burns,” Keatts said.

Best addition

It could be the hometown product, DJ Horne. The 6-1 guard, a Raleigh native, could give the Pack more of what it got from Joiner, albeit in a slightly different fashion.

Horne has played 120 college games at Illinois State and then Arizona State. He has been a 38% 3-point shooter and made more than 83% of his free throws in averaging 12.1 points for his career.

Said Keatts: “He’s an older guy who has been around. He reminds of a Jarkel Joiner/Terquavion Smith kind of guy who can really score the basketball.”

Who shall lead them?

Much will be expected of Casey Morsell this season, his third with the Pack. The 6-3 guard entered his name for the NBA draft, thought better of it and returned for another college season.

With so many new faces, one of the older ones will be the guy many look to when things turn hectic in games, as they often do. Morsell has a quiet confidence about him, a knack for making a big shot at the right time, and figures to be more outspoken this season.

Trade value

Keatts joked that he brought in 6-10 Ben Middlebrooks because he “kicked our butt” for Clemson last season. He also said Middlebrooks is “probably a lot more talented than you know.”

The Pack announced Middlebrooks would transfer to NCSU an hour before Clemson announced the Pack’s Jack Clark was leaving N.C. State to join the Tigers. Keatts said he and Clemson coach Brad Brownell have joked about the “trade” and both have been chirped by fellow ACC coaches.

Middlebrooks sat and watched a lot of P.J. Hall last season with the Tigers but did make seven starts and had a career-high 10 points -- against the Pack at Clemson. He’s a high-energy banger, which the Pack can use.

The X factor

So much appears possible for MJ Rice. He’s a former 5-star recruit and McDonald’s All-America. Kansas wanted him and got him, but he played little for the Jayhawks with so much talent on that roster. Now, he’s at N.C. State.

Keatts called the 6-5 guard, who has three years of eligibility, an “incredible talent” and praised his explosiveness. He said Rice can play multiple positions, adding, “He’s strong, he’s physical.”

One final Keatts thought: “I think he’s one of the most underrated transfers in the portal.”

The roster breakdown

Staying: DJ Burns, Casey Morsell, LJ Thomas, Breon Pass, Ernest Ross.

Incoming: Mohamed Diarra (Missouri), MJ Rice (Kansas), Ben Middlebrooks (Clemson), DJ Horne (Arizona State), Jayden Taylor (Butler), Michael O’Connell (Stanford); Kam Woods (committed from NC A&T), Dennis Parker III (incoming freshman)

Leaving: Jarkel Joiner, Terquavion Smith; Transfers, Jack Clark, Greg Gantt, Ebenezer Dowuona, Dusan Mahorcic, Isaiah Miranda.