GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — DJ Horne has come a long way to the Final Four.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound guard was a small, uncommitted recruit from Raleigh, home of North Carolina State University. 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 Friday.
“Coming back after the whole trip and everything like that, coming back (to North Carolina State University), there was so much love and people respecting me for my struggles and my journey to get back to where I am. I can say that it showed me that.”
Horn is a perfect fit for the Wolfpack heading into Saturday's national semifinal game against Purdue, the first North Carolina State team to play since the 1983 “Cardiac Pack” under the late Jim Valvano. This is the first time since winning the title. He became an explosive perimeter scorer as part of a one-two punch with stalwart March Madness star DJ Barnes Jr. in the paint.
And because its connection to Raleigh gives NC State a spotlight it typically has to compete with neighboring Atlantic Coast Conference rivals Duke University and the University of North Carolina, it's hard to imagine this moment as important to anyone else. Now I can be more grateful.
“We thought it was very important to bring him back to Raleigh,” Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said.
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.
“When we brought him in from Illinois State, we saw how productive he was,” Sun Devils coach and former Duke player Bobby Hurley said. “I thought his game would take off and move up from the mid-majors to the next level, and he didn't disappoint. DJ is a guy who didn't promise anything when he joined our program. But I fought for it.”
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-point shot with 15.6 seconds left to tie the game, finishing with a team-high 17 points in the loss. Ta. To TCU.
“DJ is a fighter, he believes in himself,” Hurley said. “Like a lot of small guards, he plays with a shoulder injury. Once he gets going and starts making some shots, you're like, hey, he's a dangerous guy and you better watch out for him. I think it will increase their confidence and strengthen their beliefs.”
At the time, Keatts was searching the country for backcourt help as he retooled his roster after losing high-scoring duo Jarquel Joyner and Terquavion 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 got into the house, (Keats) basically gave me the key,” Horne said.
“The first thing he said to me was, 'I need you to do this, I want you to be the leader, I want you to be the main character.'” Know your game and what you want to do this year. Knowing this, I couldn't let this opportunity pass me by. ”
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.
“It's a completely different day in college basketball because you're coaching experienced players,” Justus said. “You're coaching players who are in situations. So it's a more collaborative experience for both players and coaches. … When we got him here , it was a little bit like, “Hey, this is your first year.'' In professional basketball, you have to treat it that way. ”
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 run is reminiscent of the Wolf Pack's miraculous run 41 years ago, and the 2024 team will be included in Wolf Pack lore alongside the 1983 and 1974 teams that won the national championship. . That run included defeating UCLA in the Final Four and ending John Wooden's record. Achieved 7 consecutive victories.
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. On Friday, when the Wolfpack took the court for open 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 a paid trip and a Final Four, there's nothing better. Just the fact that it's come full circle and it's in front of me now, I'm ready to take advantage of it.”
