VIDEO + QUOTES: Kevin Keatts Discusses His Team, The Upcoming Season at Media Day

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts discussed his team and the upcoming season at the Wolfpack's annual Media Day. 

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the press conference.

​Opening Statement:
When you look back to last year, we've talked about missing the NCAA Tournament, and for us that was tough. My players, my staff, we all wanted to be in the tournament, but making the NIT and having the opportunity to play three games in Reynolds was a tremendous opportunity for us. When you look at the experience we got, I'm very excited about that.

My team is very good in the sense that I have seven of my eight returning guys who played for me last year. That's a big change for us. The previous year we had three.

When you look at our team, we have a little bit of everything. I'm excited about our guard play. Braxton Beverly and Markell Johnson are playing at an elite level. I'm excited about where those guys are.

Our wings, C.J. Bryce and Devon Daniels have both had good practices and good workouts. Jericole Hellems, who I think will be a really good basketball player after obviously his freshman year.

We've added a couple of fifth-year transfers who were unique to me. I brought them in for a couple of reasons. We've had a lot of success with fifth-year transfers... Pat Andree is as good a shooter as I've seen in a long time. What makes him special is he is 6'8 and he has his ability to get his shot off against anybody.

Danny will remind you a lot of Wyatt Walker except he won't have the man bun. I think Danny will do a tremendous job for us, and the young man you didn't get to watch play, Manny Bates, we think he has a chance to be really good. He's young, athletic, and runs the floor and can be tremendous on the defensive end.

I think we have a chance to be a really good basketball team because we have a little of everything, we have experienced guys and we have guys who can make shots.

We're excited about our schedule... having the chance to go to Auburn... we get to rematch Wisconsin the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

I hope every team that we play in our nonconference schedule that we win the game and then they go on to win their conference. That would be good for us.

I think it's great. We have the opportunity to play against some of the best teams on our home floor and away. We're opening up against an ACC team on November 5th and that will be an exciting time.

I want to invite everyone out to Primetime With The Pack. That will be October 18th on a Friday and there should be some excitement about that.

With Markell Johnson, did you show him the last nine or ten games where he took over games for you?
I didn't really go back to the last eight or ten games, but I went back to the entire season. He's a guy where if we're going to be good, he has to be a very good basketball player.

I think he is one of the top five players in the ACC this year, but we have to figure out how to get him to play two halves. In some games he was tremendous in the first half and you didn't hear much out of him... you look at the ACC Tournament game against Clemson, he was tremendous... I have to get consistent play from my point guard.

What do you expect from Manny Bates?
We haven't had a rim protector since I've been here, and obviously we are a pressing and running team, and I think Manny provides that for us.

I understand he's a redshirt freshman, and we’ll have to with some of his mistakes, but on the defensive end I need a guy who can do a great job of when we make mistakes and gamble, can clean up those mistakes.

DJ Funderburk's situation...
I won't get into much of it because that's an internal deal placed on him from the basketball program. I have a certain expectation of what a NC State player should be and right now he he hasn’t met that.

There isn't a timetable for his return. He has some benchmarks I want him to meet to be able to join the team, and when that happens he'll be a part of it. If that doesn't, he won't.

More on Danny Dixon/Manny Bates with Funderburk out...
Make no bones about it, DJ was our best returning post guy, but I like what Danny Dixon brings to the table because he's an old guy and has experience, and Manny Bates... both of those guys will be huge for us.

Of that next group, do you feel one needs to step up as an established guy?
Yes, I would love to see Braxton Beverly talk a lot. He doesn't say much, and he's a guy who has been in the program three years now and has a chance to be a leader.

Then CJ Bryce, he's been with me longer than anybody in the program and we want leadership from him. It's tough [as a transfer] to come in and try to be a leader ,but he's been here now and we need him to step up.

I'd say those two guys.

What specifically is D.J. allowed to do?
Right now he is not allowed to do anything basketball-related. He is to maintain academics, and he is allowed to come in this building and work out but anything team-related he's not involved.

More on the newcomers...
When you look at Dereon Seabron and Atticus Taylor, they both bring a lot of athletic ability to our program, something we haven't had the last couple of years with young guys. That being said, they are coming into a program that's different now because we have veterans. I expect both of them to come in and play, but I wouldn't expect a starting role.

I think they could help us a lot on the defensive end and with how hard they play, and both of those guys have embraced that.

With Markell going through the draft process did he come back with a chip on his shoulder?
He has played elite basketball. There have been times, and I'm usually not impressed with my guys in practice, he had a day about two weeks ago where he was really special, but I do think he has motivation after working out with a few teams.

That kid can be a really good basketball player. As a veteran I expect a lot from him and for him to be a leader on and off the court, and if we're going to be a successful team, and I'm praying we are, Markell has to be a huge part of that.