(Photo: Alyssa Buruato/WCSN)
GLENDALE — The location wasn’t new. The stage, however, was vastly different. Playing in front of 74,720 fans at State Farm Stadium was a long way from the 14,000-seat Desert Financial Arena in Tempe. Playing a Thursday 9 p.m. tip-off broadcasted on Pac-12 Insider against a fellow conference program isn’t quite the same as leading underdog No. 11 NC State against No. 1 Purdue in the men’s Final Four on a CBS broadcast in front of millions across the country. Then again, former Arizona State and now NC State guard DJ Horne isn’t the same man he was last year either.
While the Wolfpack’s magical March run ended in a 63-50 loss to the Boilermakers, Horne shined with a team-high 20 points. It was somewhat of a crowning moment of a long collegiate journey the guard had been on to become a leading force. He has grown as an individual during his final and only collegiate season in his hometown of Raleigh.
“From a whole general standpoint,” Horne said. “Just the maturity level has gotten a lot better.”
The guard’s departure from the Sun Devils a year ago came with its fair share of controversy. He played only one minute in the second half of a late January matchup at Washington in 2023 before he was suspended the next game at Washington State for “behavior detrimental to the team.” But those close to him emphasized the importance of him playing his final season of college basketball in his hometown in front of his friends and family, a luxury that he never experienced in college.
The catalyst for Horne’s maturation process was him finding a new environment and a team that required him to step into a leadership role he had not previously been asked to fill.
“Leaving Tempe, I would say I was a little immature,” Horne said. “I wanted to have things my way a lot. Coming here and playing for (NC State head) coach (Kevin) Keatts and this group of guys has taught me how to be a better leader. At all my previous stops, I was just somebody on the roster. I had to work for everything. The difference in NC State, Keatts was looking at me to be that guy, and that’s something I’ve never had before. (I had to) take that responsibility.”
The former Sun Devil had to assimilate into a new team with a different culture than the one he just left. It took time and motivation from another leader in the group for him to loosen up and become the front-facing individual he was come March.
“When I met him it felt like he was like a little bit of a high-strung kind of guy,” senior forward DJ Burns Jr. said. “He was just always so uptight and tense. I was like ‘Bro, you’ve got to relax and enjoy it.’ He was so business. I think that one of the main things that allowed him to soften up and become the player that he became throughout this season is that he learned to enjoy it and not focus so much on being hard on [himself].”
Burns, a 6-foot-9 275-pound fun-loving big man who became a nationwide sensation during the Wolfpack’s improbably run to the Final Four, never doubted Horne’s standing within the team. It was his commanding qualities and new newfound maturity that were displayed in his on-court improvement, which Burns saw game-by-game.
Horne’s determination never wavered even as time ticked away in a Final Four losing effort. He continued to try and impact the game, but his play fell short without a single point in the game’s final eight minutes.
“Assuming you go back and look at a stat sheet you usually find [Horne] led us in something,” Burns said. “He’s a leader, that’s what he did. Even on the way out you see he’s still has no quit in him and he’s going to fight every time.”
Keatts said he knew Horne could find success in Raleigh, as he would take his talented guard to new heights offensively. He averaged a career-best 16.9 points per game on 40.4 percent from deep for NC State.
“[At ASU] he averaged about 12-13 points a game,” Keatts said. “ I knew our system would be able to add about four or five points to what he was averaging.”
As the season came to a close Horne’s impact and direction he provided to the Wolfpack was not lost on those involved. He was never allowed that type of role at his previous homes and he repaid the trust in his service to his team.
“So excited to have him,” Keatts said “We needed him and he’s done a great job for us.”
Horne exhausted his eligibility this season, finishing with 149 starts in 160 games played between his three stops with 13.3 points per game. He was also recognized as a 2024 second-team All-ACC selection and a Missouri Valley Conference all-freshman team member in 2020.
Horne arrived at Illinois State as a young adult before he transitioned to ASU, where he found success on the floor. But it was those experiences that allowed him to lead NC State to the Final Four while becoming more mature, leaving his career as a man.
“My whole career looking over it has been a long journey,” Horne said. “I’m grateful for everything that has been thrown my way.”
