Recruiting is something that every college team regardless of sport must do in order to field a competitive team year in and year out. This year, NC State missed out on Kinston, NC forward Brandon Ingram who committed to Duke a couple of hours ago but still in the hunt for Marietta, GA native Jaylen Brown (Small Forward). If the Wolfpack doesn't get anybody in recruiting this year, it won't be a big loss or damaging for what they have returning isn't bad and are capable of being competitive in the ACC next year. Filling the void for Trevor Lacey will not be easy but State managed to do well last year even with the loss of 2014 ACC Player of the Year TJ Warren. Another target for the Pack, shooting guard Malik Newman signed with Mississippi State so I cannot fault him for staying close to home and playing for MSU. Let's see how the recruiting season wraps up! Go Wolfpack!
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I hope Wolfpack Nation is doing well! I was informed last week that NC State's leading scorer, red-shirt junior Trevor Lacey has declared himself eligible for this year's NBA Draft. As a loyal, life-long fan of the Wolfpack, I was asking myself why would he do this and how stupid of a decision this was on his part all while asking myself, "Why does this always have to happen to State?" But honestly, every basketball player dreams of having a career in the NBA and they want to get there as soon as possible. Lacey, who will be 24 years old during the season next year is young but old by NBA standards; so making the decision that he has made isn't completely irrational or shunning. I am not going to lie, I would love to see him play one more year at State for I think they would be tough with who they have coming back and who they have coming in. Without Lacey, I still think they are an NCAA Tournament team that could make noise. Nonetheless, disappointed that Trevor has left but I cannot blame him for his decision and wish him the very best in his future endeavors!
With a group of 3 freshmen, 3 sophomores, and a red shirt junior from this year and expected to return a year older and a year better, NC State should be a contender for the ACC title this upcoming year. Trevor Lacey was a 3rd team All-ACC member and Beejay Anya earned a spot on the all-defensive team in the ACC this year which infers that they can improve on their accolades and make the team better. To compliment the All-ACC award winners will be sophomores Caleb Martin, Cody Martin, and Abdul-Malik Abu who look to develop more of their game and improve on a solid freshman campaign who contributed significant minutes this year. To back this up, the Wolfpack finished the 2014-2015 campaign ranked #24 in the final Associated Press Coaches' Poll which shows that they can be a good team. The Wolfpack's inconsistency for most of the year this year hurt their chances at getting a better seed in the NCAA Tournament and finishing in the top 5 in the ACC standings. If NC State can bring toughness and energy that they showed at times night in and night out, teams better watch out because the Wolfpack is full of athletes who are capable scorers, defenders, and rebounders. As a lifelong Wolfpack fan, I am excited for next year but expect for them to improve on their accomplishments this year.
With the season coming to a disappointing halt, the NC State men's basketball team made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament where they fell to Louisville. Again, I was at work whenever the game was taking place but I was able to get away to my apartment during my work break and catch the beginning of the action. What I observed in the first 10 minutes or so that I was able to watch was that State could beat Louisville for a 2nd time this year and make it to the Elite Eight. They were playing good defense and each team was going back and forth whenever they were scoring baskets. I was able to keep up with the game via my smartphone and recognized that it was close in scoring for most of the game. Within the last 5-10 minutes, Louisville was able to pull away and move on. From the words of friends and some family, Louisville was the better team that day and avenged the loss to NC State from earlier on in the year whenever NC State won at the KFC Yum! Center 74-65; almost a complete flip of the scores the last time around 75-65. State was led by guard Trevor Lacey who had 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Louisville was led by Montrezl Harrell, who was held to 7 points the first time these teams played with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. A bittersweet end to State's season but as a true and loyal Wolfpack fan, they exceeded my expectations for the year, made me proud, and made me excited for the future. Go Wolfpack!
While I was slaving away at work yesterday, I was informed via my cell phone and via Twitter that NC State got an invite to the NCAA for a 4th straight year. I don't know about you but as a life-long "Wolfpacker" and loyal fan of the red and white, this was exciting because of the years of struggle that NC State basketball gone through for almost my entire life thus far. State got an 8 seed in the East Region with Villanova being the 1 seed out of the region. Besides NC State and Villanova, teams in this bracket include Virginia, Louisville, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Northern Iowa, and NC State's first opponent LSU. With a lot of these teams proving all year they are worthy of being in the Tournament, this is indeed a tough draw for my beloved Wolfpack. That being said, NC State has a good chance to make a run in the tournament. With the speed and athleticism they possess, they need to put out consistent effort and utilize that speed, athleticism, and combine that with the tough defense they have (for the most part) played this year. Go Pack!!!
After a come from behind win in the 2nd round against LSU, the Wolfpack moved on to face the No.1 seed in the East bracket Villanova. 'Nova played in the Big East Conference and managed to win over 30 games this year. I was at work whenever this game started but managed to mingle on over to a bar nearby to catch some of the 2nd half action. What I observed from the 10 minutes that I was able to watch was that Villanova could not buy a shot and NC State was able to exploit the 4 guard lineup the Wildcats put on the floor. For NC State, Abdul-Malik Abu had a big game posting 13 points and 12 rebounds along with Lennard Freeman and Trevor Lacey posting 11 and 17 points respectively. I had a feeling my Wolfpack would come out ready to play and put up a good fight against a no. 1 seed because of the tough ACC regular season conference schedule they play. To simplify this post, the Wolfpack continues to dance on to the Sweet 16!
So yesterday NC State traveled to Boston College to take on the Eagles and left with a 79-63 defeat. Despite solid performances by forward Kyle Washington and shooting guard Ralston Turner (14 and 13 points respectively), shooting 33% as a team will not win you many games. Especially whenever the opponent (Boston College) shoots 57% for the game and separates themselves for practically the whole game. It is a bit of a surprise that NC State lost considering they were riding a 3-game winning streak coming into the game Saturday with a crucial road win at #9 Louisville, home versus Virginia Tech, and at #15 North Carolina. For many Wolfpack fans, this Wolfpack team is a headache to watch including myself. What I have noticed though is that this team has good, young talent, has good chemistry, but just simply does not know how to be consistent in the buckle-down Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). I still believe this team can make the NCAA Tournament for a 4th consecutive year but they must finish the regular season strong and be able to get at least 1 win in the ACC Tournament in order to get into the "Big Dance".
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Adron HollowellI am a senior Public History major at Appalachian State University and I love my North Carolina State Wolfpack! ArchivesCategories |