Which former NC State Basketball player dropped the hottest mixtape this year? Ok maybe it was Cat Barber, but Staats Battle was not far behind with his mixtape from Ireland. I highly encourage you watch it. At a minimum it will give you an appreciation for how talented Division 1 players are.

Staats' led his team in scoring and had a true shooting percentage of 63%, which would have ranked 4th in the NBA. Before you state the obvious, lets not forget that majority of you couldn't achieve that type of efficiency in an empty gym. I've seen PNC halftime layup, free throw and 3-Point competitions and I give the Red Panda a slight edge against most of you in a basketball competition. That said, here's a glimpse of Staats staats courtesy of EuroBasket.



G Min PPG FT% 3P% TS% Ast Reb Staats Battle 18 18.2 19.5 85% 41% 63.1% 1.4 5.9

With Staats' highly successful season in the books, we caught up with him to talk Ireland and ask some meaningless hypothetical questions about NC State basketball. Enjoy!

Can you explain how the Irish Premier Basketball League works in conjunction with the Victory Scholar program?

The Victory Scholar Program is part of the Sport Changes Life Foundation (SCLF). SCLF is a non-profit organization and through their Victory Scholar Program, they give former college athletes the chance to continue playing basketball while at the same time earn a Masters degree and coach basketball in the community and mentor at risk young people. SCLF has partnerships with teams in the Premier League in the men’s and women’s leagues through club and university partners. This year my team was the only team in the Men’s Premier League that had a partnership with SCLF but SCLF is looking to expand to more teams. So I was the only Scholar in my league and the other Americans in the league were paid professionals.

I played in the Irish Premier League for the UL Eagles and I was also allowed to play for the college team, UL Wolves, since I was a student in the graduate school. I am in the Master’s course for Financial Services and I also coach 4 teams for the Limerick Lakers Junior Basketball Club. I help coach the 9u, 12u, 14u, and 18u basketball teams for that club. It has been an amazing experience.

Do you plan to pursue basketball as a career or you do you expect to begin your post-basketball career once you are finished in Ireland?

This year I absolutely loved getting to compete in games again and it really sparked my passion for basketball to a new level. I have talked with my Irish coach and to some agents and they think I have a good chance of moving up in Europe next season. I would love to play one or two more seasons before I get settled in with a real job. I am going to work hard on my basketball game this summer and see if I can get a contract again overseas next season but I will also be looking for financial jobs in case basketball does not plan out.

Ireland created a single basketball team filled with Premier League players called Hibernian Basketball (no relation to Hibernian Pub). Hibernian plays in the FIBA Eurocup, how many import players do they take and would you have a chance at making the team?

The team this year had two imports and both were Americans. One was a guy that played college basketball at Jacksonville and has played in Ireland for multiple seasons. The other was a guy that played 20 minutes a game on Butler’s two Final Four teams. If I came back to Ireland next year then I would love to play on that team but I haven’t talked to anyone about it.

What are some of the biggest differences playing in Ireland vs the U.S.?

The height and athleticism of the players was definitely a big difference. The players over here were not as tall and not as athletic but they were smart with the ball and had a similar skill level. Also, the 3-point line was further back than at NC State. Before coming over here, I did not think the distance would matter but it actually took me some time to get used to the new line.

Who have you kept up from the team and have you gotten a chance to see any of the NC State basketball players play in Europe?

I keep up with all the guys that I played with at NC State but I talk to Ralston Turner and Scott Wood almost every day. It is fun hearing about the different experiences everyone is having in their countries and comparing it to my experience in Ireland. Coach Gottfried, Coach Lutz, and Coach Moxley will also text me from time to time to check in and that really means a lot to me. I spent 5 days with Scott at his place in Spain this year and was able to see one of his games. I also had a trip planned to Belgium to watch Thomas De Thaey (my freshman year roommate) but the ISIS attack in Brussels happened 24 hours before I was supposed to leave so my trip got canceled. I tried to see CJ Williams play in France and Trevor Lacey in Italy but they had away games whenever I had the time to travel.

Who wins a dunk contest between yourself, Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner?

That would probably be the most unentertaining dunk contest ever haha but I would have to say Ralston. But I would have a different answer if we had a 3-point contest.

NC State is in full recruiting mode with multiple empty scholarships, how much if any do the players get involved with or follow recruiting?

The coaches are great and work really hard in recruiting. The players will follow it but especially once a recruit comes on an official visit and we get to know them personally. I hosted Malik Abu and Beejay Anya on their official visits and I could tell immediately that they were great guys and guys that I would still be in touch with today even if they didn’t choose NC State.

What does a typical day look like for a NC State basketball player?

A typical day will look different depending on whether it is Fall preseason, Winter in season, Spring off season and summer off season. Coach Alejo is the strength coach and he is great at what he does. He develops customized strength and conditioning plans for each player so some may lift more than others and some may run more than others. During the summer offseason, a typical day would look like 6am weightlifting, then summer school classes, then 2pm running outside (during the heat of the summer) on the soccer field or track and then depending on the day a 4 player group skill workout with a coach. During the season, a typical day would look something like weights in morning before class, then class 9am-12pm, then team practice 2pm-5pm, then study hall 7pm-9pm.

Of all the NC State players you’ve played with, who makes the final four in a 1v1 tournament?

That is really tough to answer because I played with so many great players. We would do a 1v1 drill in practice where the offense is only allowed 2 dribbles and that was a drill I always dreaded. I would say the person I hated going up against the most in that drill was Lorenzo Brown.

Who's your favorite NC Sate player that you watched prior to you joining the team?

My favorite NC State player was Will Roach. I went to the same high school as him so I grew up watching him even before he played at NC State. Once he got to NC State then it became my dream to be part of the Wolfpack basketball team. I was a ballboy for the team as a little kid and one time after a game Will gave me a tour of the team locker room and introduced me to all the players. That is something I always remember when I see kids wearing an NC State shirt. Just speaking to them can have a major impact on their life.

What are your thoughts regarding the rise of college transfers?

I think college basketball transfers is on the rise across the country and I think its on the rise for multiple reasons. Every situation is different and the reasons for transferring are different too. During my time at NC State, I had teammates transfer out but also transfers that came in. It is seen all over the country. In my opinion, I think it starts before players get to college. I think the rise of social media and how easy it is to change high school/aau teams are two factors. Social media comments on Twitter and Instagram allows fans to directly tell the player how great they think the player is and that can get into the players head. The player was "the man" in high school and feels entitled from comments but he has to come into college and prove himself all over again against players that are just as good as him. Also if a player in high school isn't playing a lot he can easily switch schools or if a coach yells at him giving constructive criticism the player will leave to another coach. I think that can translate to college where the coaches are pushing the players to work hard and the player is playing for the first time against players that are just as good or better than them and they aren't immediately seeing the success they saw in high school.