Former NC State guard Jarkel Joiner discusses preparations before 2023 NBA Draft
Posted June 16, 2023 7:29 p.m. EDT
Updated June 16, 2023 7:52 p.m. EDT
Former N.C. State guard Jarkel Joiner hopes to hear his name called during next week’s 2023 NBA Draft.
Joiner joined 99.9 The Fan on Friday afternoon as a guest to discuss his draft preparations.
“I’m a high-energy guy,” Joiner said. “I’m competitive mostly on the defensive end, I can really get into the ball, be a point guard [to] get my teammates involved and just being a leader out there on the court.”
Joiner was one of the top performers during the Portsmouth Invitational on April 12-April 15. He averaged 13.7 points, four assists and three rebounds per game.
“I was just trying to be different and trying to set myself apart,” Joiner said.
Joiner spent the 2022-23 season at N.C. State in the final year of his eligibility. He played the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons at Cal State Bakersfield. Then, he redshirted for the 2019-20 season at Ole Miss before playing for the Rebels in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.
Joiner said N.C. State head coach Kevin Keatts was the first coach to call him when he entered the transfer portal after leaving Ole Miss. He said the transition to Raleigh was smoother because assistant Levi Watkins – an assistant coach at Ole Miss for four seasons – also accepted a job at N.C. State before the 2022-23 season. Watkins played for N.C. State from 2001-2005.
“Coach Keatts, he really sold me,” Joiner said. “One thing he never told me was a lie.
“Everything that I did, he told me I was going to do, so I was really grateful to have Coach Keatts in my life.”
Joiner said he enjoyed playing for a ranked team and playing in the NCAA Tournament.
On Friday, Joiner said he’s maintained a relationship with Wolfpack teammate Terquavion Smith, who is also vying to get selected on June 22.
“[We’ve] been talking a lot throughout this process, almost every day,” Joiner said of Smith. “It’s been good having him already having been through this process and him already knowing what to do.
“He’s been giving me pointers in the workouts and stuff like that.”
The NBA Draft is set for 8 p.m. Thursday, June 22.
