NC State is hitting the transfer portal in search of a forward

The injury to Manny Bates exposed a glaring weakness up front that was pretty painful to watch for most of the season. NC State needs help there whether or not Bates opts to return to college next year and already has reached out to a couple of prominent transfer big men in the portal.

One of them is Lafayette seven-footer Neal Quinn, who has played three seasons in college but I assume can play two more on account of the free COVID-19 year. Quinn averaged 14.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for the Leopards in 2022 and not surprisingly has drawn plenty of high-major interest.

Quinn is a career 54.8% two-point shooter and has been a good rebounder at both ends. He also ranked 57th in assist rate this past season after ranking 10th the year prior—that’s awfully impressive for a center.

Another emerging target is Northwestern State second-year freshman forward Kendal Coleman, who is listed at 6’8 220. He averaged a double-double and was a monster on the defensive glass, which is exactly the sort of help that NC State could use. That a lot of teams could use, clearly.