The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1087622
22 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK "Bradbury's ability to move laterally at the snap to quickly reach and seal a nose tackle or defensive tackle to the play side in the run game makes him a perfect fit for the out- side-zone-running Rams. He could start out at guard early in his career, but has all the tools to be a longtime pivot for L.A." ■ Danny Kelly on projecting former NC State center Garrett Bradbury to go with the No. 31 pick to the Los Angeles Rams (The Ringer) "He's a monster of a kid. Is really quick and has great aggression. I like his un- derstanding of how to play the position from a technical standpoint. He combines his foot and hand movements. His ceiling is very high as long as he stays in good physical shape." — Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst Adam Friedman on Roxboro (N.C.) Person High senior defensive tackle Joshua Harris, who signed with NC State (The Wolfpacker) "I've told him, 'As a hitter, would you rather a guy be on first base or would you rather a guy be on second base where you can get a base hit and you have a chance to drive in a run?' For me, I'd rather a guy be on second base. But sometimes we do want to give a hitter a chance to hit, and he understands that. But when he gets on base he makes things happen, he really does." — Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez on challenging former NCSU baseball star Trea Turner to have 75-80 stolen base attempts this season (The Washington Post) "He's an absolute wall. You can throw anything; whether one gets away from you or it's not even close to the zone, he's going to knock it down. He definitely contributes to confidence level you have; he calls a good game back there. Coaches sometimes just let him call like a major leaguer, because they have confidence in him and they know he's going to do the job." — NC State junior closer Kent Klyman on sophomore catcher Patrick Bailey (The Technician) "Lecque has to become a more consistent offensive player in most facets, and his three-point shooting, in particular, is questionable at this stage. There's upside here, but his best option might be going to college." — Jeremy Woo on NC State senior point guard signee Jalen Lecque of Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy (SI.com) "Oh, it's got to stay. Maybe change it up a little bit but, definitely, if you're winning it's got to stay." — NC State redshirt junior center Wyatt Walker on his "Havoc Hair," which helps the HEADstrong Foundation raise money and awareness for families to overcome cancer (The Raleigh News & Observer) "It definitely made me tough. It definitely made me go after it a lot more, knowing that nothing is going to be handed to you. Going against someone that aggressive, I felt I could come out and play against anyone. He used to knock me over. I used to have scrapes and scars on my legs. But he built my confidence." — NCSU senior wing Kiara Leslie on growing up playing against older brother C.J. Leslie, who also played for the Wolfpack (The Raleigh News & Observer) QUOTING THE PACK Patrick Bailey, Baseball The standout sophomore catcher from Greensboro, N.C., was named a preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Baseball America, D1Baseball and Perfect Game and, along with his teammate junior short - stop Will Wilson, was placed on the watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, the Heisman Trophy of college baseball. Bailey's second season in Raleigh is off to a strong start, with his walk-off single in extra innings against Kent State Feb. 22 giving NCSU a 5-0 record. Cravont Charleston, Track And Field The junior from Charlotte continues to blister the track for NC State. He broke his own school record when he won the 60-meter indoor dash at the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational Feb. 8 in Clemson, S.C., with a time of 6.54 sec - onds. He had earlier clocked a 6.56-sec- ond time for the school record. Charles- ton is the only NC State sprinter to have broken 6.6 seconds in the event. Next, Charleston will take aim at the 100-meter record on the outdoor track. He goes into the season third all time at 10.21 seconds. Alvis Whitted has the mark at 10.02 seconds, set in 1996. Drew Grantham, Gymnastics During a 195.850-193.700 win over archrival UNC in Reyn- olds Coliseum Feb. 16, the junior from Durham, N.C., wowed the crowd with her performance on the floor and won the event title with a career-best score of 9.925. That was the sixth time in Grantham's career that she has scored a 9.9 or better on the floor, which has become her signature apparatus. She has eight career 9.9 marks. As of Feb. 22, Grantham had the third- best average on the floor (9.836) and fourth-best all-around average (38.668) in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League. Taylor Rowland, Volleyball Head coach Linda Hampton-Keith added a significant addition to its roster when Rowland announced she was transferring to NC State. Rowland, a 6-3 outside hitter who will be immediately eligible as a sophomore, was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of North Carolina while playing for Cox Mill High in Concord, N.C., before sign - ing with Auburn. She was third on the Tigers during her freshman campaign in kills despite only playing 21 matches due to injury. Benjamin Shipp, Men's Golf At the Puerto Rico Classic Feb. 17-19 in Rio Grande, P.R., the junior from Duluth, Ga., was part of a three-way tie for first place with a 6-under-par scorecard over three rounds. That was the third career win for Shipp, who also won the Wolfpack Intercollegiate last October. Shipp has an additional top-five finish among the six tournaments he had played thus far this year. His other career tournament win came when he was a sophomore and claimed medalist honors at the Golf - week Conference Challenge. ■ PACK PERFORMERS PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN