NC State lands impact Louisville transfer amid Final Four run

05/04/2024 03:15

The NC State Wolfpack are on the verge of a miraculous season. As a No. 11 seed, they've made an improbable run to the Final Four. In the process, head coach Kevin Keatts not only secured a contract extension, but a bonus for each time the Wolfpack advance. NC State's remarkable turnaround from the end of the season to now has apparently caught the attention of impact players in the transfer portal, including one Brandon Huntley-Hatfield.

Huntley-Hatfield, a junior guard, had the best season of his career this year at Louisville despite the team being at the bottom of the ACC standings. With a new coaching staff in place at Louisville, Huntley-Hatfield decided to enter the transfer portal and has now landed at NC State as per Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield will make a difference at NC State

Huntley-Hatfield was a four-star recruit coming out of high school at Scotland Campus Prep. He was originally committed to Tennessee, but he opted to transfer after his freshman season. He committed to Louisville ahead of the 2022-23 season and spent two years playing for the Cardinals.

Huntley-Hatfield is coming off the best season of his college career so far. He started all 32 games he played in last season at a little over 30 minutes per game. He averaged a career-high 12.9 points per game, 8.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists with splits of 56.7 percent shooting from the field, 42.9 percent shooting from the three point line and 67.2 percent shooting from the free throw line.

It's not surprising that Huntley-Hatfield entered the transfer portal as that often happens when a new coaching staff is brought in. The program made the decision to part ways with Kenny Payne following two straight disappointing seasons during which the Cardinals amassed only 12 wins.

Huntley Hatfield now will get an opportunity to be an impact player on a team that now has strong NCAA Tournament aspirations. He chose the Wolfpack over Power 5 schools in UConn, Indiana and Pittsburgh.

NC State's Final Four run

At the end of the regular season, NC State in the Final Four was something no college basketball expert predicted. The Wolfpack finished only 9-11 in ACC play and headed into the ACC Tournament having lost five of their last six games.

There was chatter surrounding the job security of Kevin Keatts, but then the Wolfpack caught fire in the ACC Tournament. As a result of winning the ACC Tournament, it automatically triggered a two-year contract extension for Keatts.

He also receives a bonus for each time the Wolfpack advance in the NCAA Tournament. That momentum from the ACC Tournament has carried over into March Madness as they've reached the Final Four.

The Wolfpack have been led by DJ Burns Jr. who is seeing his potential NBA Draft stock rise with each game. He's even drawn praise from Denver Nuggets MVP center Nikola Jokic. But up next for Burns and NC State might be their biggest challenge yet in the form of Purdue and Naismith Player of the Year candidate Zach Edey.

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