Dontrez Styles averaged less than six minutes in each of his UNC basketball campaigns before transferring to Georgetown, where his playing time jumped to 33.5 minutes per game. Now, it sure sounds like the senior guard/forward is well on his way to earning a significant role once the NC State basketball regular season begins with a home bout against USC Upstate on Nov. 4.

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During the Wolfpack’s time slot at the ACC Tipoff media days in Charlotte on Wednesday afternoon, eighth-year NC State basketball head coach and returning graduate guard Michael O’Connell heaped praise on the 22-year-old Styles for his versatility and work ethic in the team’s practices thus far.

“He’s been really good, can play multiple positions,” Keatts said about Styles, a 6-foot-6, 210-pounder and one of a handful of NC State offseason additions via the transfer portal. “He can guard multiple positions. He’s gotten better shooting the ball behind the 3-point line, if you look at his stats from last year from Georgetown.”

After knocking down only six of his 27 attempts beyond the arc across his freshman and sophomore seasons in a UNC basketball jersey, Styles shot 36.8 from deep on 4.2 attempts per outing as a Georgetown junior and full-time starter. The Kinston, N.C. native averaged 12.8 points and 5.8 rebounds.

As O’Connell noted during his five minutes on the main stage in front of the media, Styles’ consistent intensity as a rebounder and all-around force on both ends of the practice floor has been especially encouraging.

“I would say Dontrez Styles has really been performing every day,” O’Connell, one of the heroes from the 2023-24 Wolfpack’s improbable ACC Tournament title and underdog journey to the Final Four, said when pressed to name a particularly impressive Wolfpack newcomer in offseason workouts. “I would say at a high level, offensively and defensively, rebounding.

“So, just all aspects of the game, he’s been playing super well.”

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