The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1190316
14 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK Quarterback Matthew McKay, Three Others Enter Transfer Portal Former NC State starting quarterback Matthew McKay and three other Wolfpack reserves announced they were transferring following the conclu- sion of the season. McKay opened the first five games of the season, but was benched early in the eventual loss at Florida State. The 6-4, 210-pound redshirt sophomore completed 86 of 150 passes for 910 yards with three touchdowns and one interception in 2019. He also rushed 25 times for 63 yards and four scores. McKay, who attended Raleigh Wakefield High, was a former Rivals.com three-star prospect that selected the Wolfpack early in the recruiting process. His younger brother, Timothy McKay, was a freshman offensive lineman that redshirted this past season. Redshirt sophomore defensive end Xavier Lyas, redshirt junior offensive lineman Justin Chase and redshirt sophomore punter Mackenzie Morgan also entered the transfer portal. Lyas played eight games in reserve action, and accumulated 10 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and two forced fumbles. He had 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the loss against Florida State Sept. 28. The 6-4, 235-pounder from Plant City (Fla.) Durant High also had 2.5 sacks against the Seminoles last year among his four tackles on the season. Lyas was suspended during his freshman year when he was redshirting, and didn't make his debut until the previously mentioned matchup with Florida State, which was eighth game of the season. The 6-5, 315-pound Chase appeared in two games this past season and played 14 snaps in his NCSU career. Morgan is originally from Trigg, Western Australia, and was a surprise signee by the Wolfpack. He redshirted last year and was expected to be the punter this season. However, he was beaten out for the job by former walk- on Trenton Gill, who has emerged as one of the top punters in the country and was named third-team All-ACC by the league. Anthony Grundy, a one-time first-team All-ACC guard that helped head coach Herb Sendek break NC State's 10-year NCAA Tournament drought, died on Nov. 14 in his hometown of Louisville, a few blocks from the housing project where he grew up. He was 40. Grundy, who played at State from 1998-2002, was involved in a family altercation and died in Louisville hospital. With long arms and an unconventional style, the versatile Grundy was hard to guard and a little unpredictable. An adept ball handler, he made it difficult for op - posing offenses to press. For his NCSU career, he averaged 13.6 points, 4.4. rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Grundy played at Louisville's Central High for one year, then played a season at Warren Central High School in Bowling Green, Ky. He played his final year at Hargrave Military Academy, where current Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts was an assistant. After two seasons as a reserve at NC State, Grundy started 25 of 29 games as a junior and all but one of the Pack's 34 games as a senior, when he led the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and three-pointers made. Playing in the backcourt with current Indiana head coach Archie Miller and serv- ing as a mentor for future ACC Player of the Year Julius Hodge, Grundy and his team went to the 2000-01 NCAA Tournament, breaking the program's longest absence since the tournament expanded in the late 1970s. In 121 games with the Pack, Grundy scored 1,641 points, grabbed 538 rebounds, dished out 356 assists and recorded 239 steals. After leaving NC State, Grundy played professionally for more than 12 years, in- cluding 12 games with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2005-06 season. He played professionally in Greece, Italy and Iran. After living in Ghana for three years, he returned to the United States, where he faced several legal issues. Grundy's contributions to the program were remembered by many, including Ke- atts. Miller called Grundy "an absolute warrior, one of the most fearless I have ever been around." — Tim Peeler McKay started the first five games of the season for the Wolf- pack before being benched. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN Former Basketball Player Anthony Grundy Passes Away Grundy averaged 13.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game during his NC State career. FILE PHOTO