NC State Coach Dave Doeren urges fans to be like DJ Burns' dad while cheering for the Wolfpack this season

DJ Burns may have graduated from North Carolina State University, but the center continues to be a legend there. He led the Wolfpack on a historic Final Four run last season that fell just short of the school's first national title since 1983.

However, it is not DJ, but his father, Dwight Sr., who is being used as an example of school pride. During his press conference on Friday, NC State football coach Dave Doeren urged fans to support his team at Carter-Finley Stadium. He also said:

"We're riding a wave right now. One of the coolest things I was able to be a part of was at the men's basketball Elite Eight game in Dallas. I'm in the section there where the parents of the men's basketball team were around me. I could just hear them cheering for each other's kids throughout the game.

"Man, it was so cool to hear DJ Burns' dad screaming at other players in a positive way throughout the game and encouraging them. That's what '1Pack1Goal' is in my mind. It's a united mission to win a championship. And that's everybody — everybody that works here, everybody that cheers for us. And all of us are part of winning a championship."

Doeren then encouraged fans to refrain from criticizing Wolfpack players. He asked NC State supporters to aim their negativity at the team's opponents while supporting their school's players and staff.

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Where is DJ Burns now after college?

In his two years with NC State, DJ Burns averaged 12.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 54.4% from the floor. Before this, the forward spent three years at Winthrop.

He declared for the 2024 NBA draft, and in preparation for it, Burns shed 45 pounds, getting in better shape for his role as a forward.

"It's been the most interesting experience of my entire life," Burns said of his journey to being fitter. "I don't think I've ever had to work this hard and be this disciplined. And I think that everything that I've learned is something that I can take with me to the league or wherever I end up playing basketball, specifically preparing for the draft.

"I'm just ready. I don't think that I've ever had the understanding of what I need to do more so than I do now."

However, despite this, DJ Burns went undrafted in June and has since signed a deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers Summer League team.