NC State basketball sophomore guard Dennis Parker Jr. and junior guard Mike James, a high-scoring transfer addition from Louisville, were out of commission for the Wolfpack’s 79-75 home exhibition win over the Division II Lees-McRae Bobcats on Wednesday night. Both might have boosted the squad’s relatively stale production, as each figures to compete for considerable minutes this season.

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Now, though, according to Kevin Keatts’ injury updates following his Wolfpack’s preseason scare in the Lenovo Center, the staff has already ruled out Mike James (knee) for the season opener and likely most of November. Meanwhile, they’re assessing how to better manage Dennis Parker Jr.’s recent ankle woes:

“So, Dennis has had a string of bad luck. Before the scrimmage, he turned his ankle. He was practicing, he’s back, he’s playing well, and he turned his other ankle. So, I don’t know if we got to switch his shoes or whatever.

“Mike is going to be out for three or four games — maybe, hopefully. I don’t know. He had to get his knee scoped. Nothing major. But I would expect him to be out maybe the next 2-3 weeks. It could even creep up to four weeks. So, we’re probably going to be without him for a while.”

The 2024-25 NC State basketball regular season tips off at home against the USC Upstate Spartans at 7 p.m. ET Monday (ACC Network Extra).

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