The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1059287
ing his freshman campaign. He averaged 7.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in those two seasons. Brackman was also an ace for Avent's baseball squad for the better part of three seasons. Having a chance to play both sports drew him to NC State in the first place. Avent and Sendek, despite the different personalities, were close friends and agreed to the idea of taking on a dual-sport athlete. They even made a joint in-home visit to make the sales pitch to Brackman and his family. "Herb had a notepad and everything was all organized. He gave a big 30-, 35-minute speech on everything about recruiting. When he was finished Elliott said, 'Let's get in the car and go to Skyline,'" Brackman recalled, referring to Cincinnati's famous chili restaurant. Brackman's athletic story begins with a fateful decision by his parents to enroll him at Moeller High School in Cincinnati. Brackman was initially reluctant, but Moeller boasts one of the nation's most high- profile high school athletic programs. Two of its most famous baseball alums were two of Brackman's heroes on his favorite team, the home- town Reds — Hall of Famers Barry Larkin and Ken Griffey Jr. Growing up, Brackman played pretty much all the sports, but when he was a high school freshman, he was just 6-1 and a self-reported 120 pounds. Football was out of the question, so he chose baseball and bas- ketball. Four years later, he was 6-9, 190 pounds and a prized prospect. People told Brackman that playing both sports in college was going to be too challenging, but Brackman loved both too much to give it up. Once at NC State, he quickly learned that time management was key to pulling off the double duty. "From the time I woke up at eight it was classes, study hall, prac- tices," Brackman remembered. "I always wanted to go out and hang out with whatever team was in the offseason because they were always the one having the most fun." One advantage baseball might have had over basketball was the annual mile run incorporated under Sendek. At 6 a.m. on the first day of practice, players had to complete the mile in less than six minutes. "I'm not a very good long distance runner," Brackman confessed. He made it the first year with a lot of encouragement from a walk-on on the team named Chris McCoy, who even ran an extra lap after com- pleting his mile to help Brackman finish. When Brackman did make it to the line, the visible evidence of his pain soon became apparent to all. "Empty stomach running is not a good thing, either," Brackman added. Although Brackman had potential in basketball, his fastball that touched 99 miles per hour made him more attractive in baseball. After The Adopted North Carolinian Andrew Brackman Was A Two-Sport Star At NC State And Became A Lover Of The Outdoors Thanks To The State Of North Carolina WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Andrew Brackman Basketball (2005-06), Baseball (2005-07) Age: 32 Living: Knightdale, N.C. Occupation: Outdoorsman Did You Know? Unofficially, the 6-10 Brackman is the second-tallest player in MLB history, behind 6-11 pitcher Jon Rauch. Brackman averaged 7.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while helping the Wolfpack basketball team to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in his two seasons with the program, including a run to the Sweet 16 in 2005. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN JANUARY 2019 ■ 55