The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/125393
Lewis notched 16 points and five assists Feb. 2 at home against eventual ACC champ Miami and its All-ACC point guard Shane Larkin. Five days later at Duke (which joined Miami as the only two ACC teams to reach the Sweet 16), Lewis had 13 points and six assists. Impressively, Lewis had just one turnover combined in the two conference showdowns. "I gained a lot of confidence in those two games, and I feel like I showed a lot of people I can play in this league," Lewis said. "I knew I could if I just got the opportunity. I feel like I got the opportunity and took advantage of it." Lewis said that he has bulked up to 169 pounds on his 5-11 frame, adding 12 pounds from when he arrived at NC State. "I know if I'll get bigger, I'll be able to play better than last season," Lewis noted. Joining Lewis at point guard will be highly touted Anthony "Cat" Barber, a quick 6-2, 165-pound McDonald's AllAmerican from Hampton (Va.) High. Rivals.com ranks Barber as the No. 27 recruit nationally and the fifth-best point guard in the 2013 class. The Pack has a couple of nontraditional newcomers that are candidates to replace Purvis and Wood on the wings. Ralston Turner (6-5, 209 pounds) had to sit out last season after transferring in from LSU, where he started 57 games in two seasons. He was a noted shooter for the Tigers, making 95 treys and averaging 10.5 points a game overall while in Baton Rouge, La. "I would say I am a team guy," Turner said. "Obviously the thing about me is I can shoot threes, but I can do other things well. I can rebound, make layups. I do a little bit of everything." While Turner may ease the loss of Wood, junior college transfer Desmond Lee may help shoulder the burden left by the departure of Purvis. Lee, a 6-4, 194-pound native of Norfolk, Va., averaged 20.4 points per game for New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs, N.M., and was named a secondteam All-American. Lee signed with NC State in the spring, turning down Baylor and Creighton in the process. State also has the versatility of rising sophomore T.J. Warren to help out on the perimeter. The 6-8, 233-pounder started 14 games last season, primarily at small forward. He was named to the ACC AllRookie team after averaging 12.1 points and 4.2 rebounds a game. Warren may be asked to play some power forward next fall, but wherever he lines up, he'll score. "I can see him scoring anywhere from Senior center Richard Howell was named first-team All-ACC after averaging a double-double of 12.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per contest. photo by ken martin Season Superlatives When NC State gathered for its annual end-of-the-year team banquet, head coach Mark Gottfried admitted there was a different vibe surrounding the season than the year before when they assembled after a memorable and surprising Sweet 16 run. "Your banquet at the end of the year is kind of your close, gives your team closure," Gottfried noted. "I think our team accomplished some nice things this year. "Last year was such an unexpected thing for us to do what we did. It's a completely different feel this year." But during the evening's program, fans were reminded of all the accomplishments of the past year on a list that filled up the back page of the banquet handout.There was also an extended video highlights package that refreshed them on some of the positive memories from the season. Here is a look back at some of those brightest times. Play Of The Year: The season really could have gone in a different direction had senior wing Scott Wood's three from the corner with 1.0 second left at Clemson Feb. 10 missed. Wood ran around a brick wall of a screen by senior center Richard Howell on the baseline and then caught a perfect kick out pass from junior guard Lorenzo Brown. Wood's trey gave State a 58-57 road win and snapped a three-game losing streak. Team MVP: Howell was named first-team All-ACC after averaging a double-double of 12.7 points and 10.9 rebounds a game. His 380 rebounds for the year were the fifth-most ever in a season in NCSU history. He became the first NC State player to average a double-double since Kenny Carr in 1975-76, which was also the last year State had a player average double digits in rebounding. Best Individual Performance: Wood finished his career as NCSU's all-time leader in three-pointers made, and he showcased his shooting prowess against Virginia in the second round of the ACC Tournament in Greensboro March 15.Wood made 7 of 12 threes en route to 23 points. His three-point barrage at the start of the second half buried the Cavs and helped NCSU cruise to a 75-56 win. Best Non-Conference Win: NC State outlasted a gritty Connecticut squad 69-65 in New York Dec. 4.The win was sweet for multiple reasons. First, Connecticut was a good team. Secondly, the game was part of the Jimmy V Classic, and as part of the 30th anniversary season of the 1983 title, the victory had extra sentimental value. Best ACC Win: It's a tie between home wins over Duke Jan. 12 and UNC Jan. 26.The 84-76 triumph over No. 1 and unbeaten Duke was probably more impressive, but the manner in which State dominated archrival UNC for much of the game en route to a 91-83 win was awfully sweet. — Matt Carter 40 ■ the wolfpacker 38-40,42.Men's BKB Wrapup.indd 40 4/30/13 2:37 PM