The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1177236
12 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK 16 Pancake blocks by NCSU freshman tackle IKEM EKWONU through five games, which leads the team by five over junior right guard Joshua Fedd-Jackson. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN ■ BY THE NUMBERS 19 Consecutive field goals by sophomore kicker Christopher Dunn, dating back to the 2018 season until he missed a 51-yarder at West Virginia Sept. 14. The streak was second longest in NC State history. 145 National ranking by Rivals.com for NC State junior wing commit TERQUAVION SMITH of Farmville (N.C.) Central High in the class of 2021. PHOTO BY JACEY ZEMBAL 91 Miles per hour reportedly thrown by Waxhaw (N.C.) Cuthbertson junior right- hander Brandon Hudson, who is verbally committed to NC State. Perfect Game ranks him No. 1 in the state of North Carolina in the class of 2021. QUOTING THE PACK "We take pride in being in great shape toward the end of the game. I think the one thing we want to emphasize — and we've been talking about in the prac- tices — we want to be a really low turnover team. What I mean by that, for us, on the defensive end, we try to turn the ball over as much as we can and try and cre- ate tempo. We want to play fast, but not turn the ball over ourselves." — NC State men's basketball coach Kevin Keatts on team goals this season (TheWolfpacker.com) "We don't try and compare ourselves to any other program in the ACC, including Duke and Carolina, who have tremendous programs. They've done a lot of great things over there and have won championships. I don't try and do that. I try and be the best version of NC State. We recruit as NC State. I like the in-state kids. I think it's important if you can take care of home, we certainly have enough players in our state that can eventually win a championship. I like that part of it." — Keatts on recruiting players from the state of North Carolina (TheWolfpacker.com) "He'll have some crazy moves, where he'll jump like three times in the air and spin up with his left hand and finish somehow. He's a very good finisher. I haven't seen that in the Patriot League, the stuff he does. He throws a lot of passes where I don't know how it ends up on my hand, but it does. Stuff like that. He obviously fun to watch and great to play with." — NC State senior forward and Lehigh gradu- ate transfer Pat Andree on getting used to playing with senior point guard Markell Johnson (TheWolfpacker.com) "[NCSU baseball] Coach [Elliott] Avent and I are kind of in the same generation, and he has always liked the way our teams have played. They've liked the way they've done things on and off the field. Obviously their athleticism and their play in that regard means a lot to him." — South Charlotte Panthers manager Don Hutchins on his traveling program having seven NC State baseball verbal commits (The Technician) "There is no question about that, it's me. No disrespect to [UNC coach] Roy [Williams], who is a great guy and great coach, Hall of Fame coach, who does a tremendous job. There is no comparison when it comes to that." ■ Keatts on which ACC coach has the most fashion swag (TheWolfpacker.com) PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN I know it sounds cheesy, but it's gotta be my mom. Just the way that she raised me and the way that she handles herself with the team, and I've seen it since I was a kid. I would hear recruiting calls when I was a child, and I just love the way that she carries herself inside and outside of the running world, and that's just something that I really look up to and inspires me." — NCSU senior distance runner Elly Henes on her mother and role model, Wolfpack cross country coach Laurie Henes (The Technician) PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS