GLENDALE, Ariz. — DJ Horn has come a long way to the Final Four.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound guard was a small, uncommitted recruit from North Carolina State University's home base in Raleigh. He was a dominant midfielder his two years at Illinois State, and then a reliable scorer at power conference program Arizona State.
And now he's a two-over homecoming star. He played his only season with the Wolfpack, completed the most improbable Final Four run, and returned to Arizona State less than an hour after his last college stay with the Sun. devils.
“Everyone has their own path,” Horn said yesterday.
The player who now has this opportunity is much different than the player who left North Carolina State as a three-star player to play for the Redbirds in the Missouri Valley Conference. He took a leap forward in his second year there, averaging 15.1 points and shooting 44.6% from the field and 42.4% from 3-point range in 2020-21, earning him a spot on the NCAA bill that opens the door for players. He became an attractive player who made it in time. You can transfer to a new school without missing any absences.
That ultimately led Horn to Arizona State University.
Horn started 62 games over two seasons with the Sun Devils, averaging 12.5 points. That includes his return to March Madness after missing the NCAA field for the second year in a row. Horn had a big performance in Arizona State's only tournament game, getting past defender Rondell Walker to create space and immediately sinking a 3-pointer to tie the game with 15.6 seconds left, finishing with a team-high 17 points in the loss. Ta. To TCU.
“DJ is a fighter. He believes in himself,” Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley said. “Like a lot of small guards, he's playing with a shoulder injury. Once he gets going and starts making some shots, you better watch out because he's a dangerous guy. I think his confidence will grow and his belief will grow.”
Meanwhile, across the country, Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts was looking for backcourt help as he retooled his roster after losing high-scoring duo Jahkel Joyner and Tel'Quvion Smith. Horne's development came at the perfect time. He was the top addition for the Wolfpack, which reached the NCAAs last season.
“Once I came in, (Keats) basically gave me the keys,” Horne said.
Joel Justus, the Wolfpack's assistant guard coach, said Horn developed his confidence and had a successful season in the mid-majors before reaching the power conference level and playing 159 college games. He said he had strengthened by the time he competed and arrived with confidence.
Horn rose to the challenge, averaging a team-high 16.8 points during NC State's nine-game breakthrough that led to an ACC Tournament title (its first since 1987) and an unlikely Final Four appearance. Highlights include scoring 29 points in the ACC title game, which ultimately defeated No. 1 seed North Carolina in the NCAA region, and then scoring 39 points and making six 3-pointers against Marquette and Duke. Thing. The Blue Devils knocked the 11th-seeded Wolfpack out of the South bracket.
This is a remarkable run that is reminiscent of the Wolf Pack's miraculous run 41 years ago, and the 2024 team will be included in Wolf Pack legends along with the 1983 and 1974 teams that won the national championship. This run includes a seven-game winning streak that included defeating UCLA in the Final Four and ending John Wooden's run.
Horn admitted that when he left Arizona State last year, he dreamed a little about the possibility of returning there to play in the Final Four. Yesterday, when the Wolfpack took the court for public practice, he was doing just that, smiling widely and shaking his head to the music of the Wolfpack band during the festive event.
Like anything else, horns can also taste their wrinkles.
“I was already planning to come back here and visit my guys and everything,” Horn said. “But an expense-paid trip and a Final Four, there's nothing better than that. Just seeing it come full circle and now having it in front of me, I'm ready to take advantage of it.” Masu.”
