The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1043000
30 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ACC Outlook The Names, Teams And Numbers To Know Heading Into The 2018-19 Campaign BY JACEY ZEMBAL TOP FIVE PLAYERS 1. R.J. Barrett, wing, Duke The son of former St. John's forward Rowan Barrett, he was well known before he reached high school. The 6-7, 202-pounder from Mississauga, Ontario, played at Montverde (Fla.) Academy, where he ascended to No. 1 in Rivals.com's rankings. He moved into the 2018 class from 2019 and became a McDonald's All-American. 2. Luke Maye, post, North Carolina The 6-8, 240-pounder made a huge jump last year, going from 5.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game to 16.9 and 10.1. He finished with 17 double-doubles and scored at least 30 points in three contests, including twice against NC State. 3. Tyus Battle, wing, Syracuse The former touted Rivals.com four-star prospect turned down NBA overtures to return for his junior year. He averaged 19.2 points per game as a sophomore, but will need to improve upon his 39.9-percent shooting. He had a season-high 37 points in a double-overtime road loss at Florida State last year. 4. Ky Bowman, point guard, Boston College The athletic 6-1, 188-pounder is a terrific one-on-one player, and averaged 17.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 36.2 percent from three-point range last season. He finished with six double-doubles for points and rebounds. 5. Justin Robinson, point guard, Virginia Tech The 6-2, 195-pounder broke free last year to average 14.0 points and 5.6 assists per game, and shoot 39.8 percent on three-pointers. He scored a season-high 32 points against NC State, and only had one ACC game in single digits in scoring. The Best In The ACC Virginia junior shooting guard Kyle Guy fell off from 49.5 percent on three-pointers as a freshman to 39.2 percent in 2017- 18, but he made 32 more from beyond the arc (83 of 212) last year. He nailed at least four three-pointers in seven contests. North Carolina senior post player Luke Maye can always be counted upon to clean the glass and is a good outlet passer on top of it. He averaged 10.1 rebounds per game last year and had a season-high 18 against Boston College Jan. 9. He topped 14 boards in six contests. NC State junior point guard Markell Johnson led the ACC with 7.3 assists per game last season. He topped dou- ble digits in assists during five consecutive ACC games, and achieved that feat in eight contests. There are two main reasons Virginia starts fifth-year senior center Jack Salt — playing physical defense and being able to hedge on ball screens away from the basket. The 6-10, 250-pounder also pulled down 4.1 rebounds per contest in 19.8 minutes of action per game and blocked 22 shots last season. Duke freshman forward R.J. Barrett (right) is rated as the best player in college basketball by Athlon Sports, while North Carolina's Luke Maye received that honor from Lindy's Sports. PHOTO BY REAGAN LUNN/@DUKEMBB BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2018-19 SHOOTER REBOUNDER PASSER DEFENDER