The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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tracking the PACK ■ Red And White Notebook NC State Women's Hoops Picks Up Two Verbal Commitments In August, NC State women's basketball head coach Wes Moore landed his first two verbal commitments for the class of 2014. Upper Marlboro (Md.) Riverdale Baptist 5-9 senior shooting guard Chloe Jackson and Thomasville (N.C.) New Hope Christian High 6-5 senior center Akela Maize could be the start of what is poised to be a large class for the Wolfpack. Jackson unofficially visited NC State in late June and then again in August before picking the Wolfpack over Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, St. John's, Virginia Tech, Boston College and South Carolina, among others, on her birthday Aug. 21. She hopes to study broadcast communications at NCSU. Jackson averaged 15.4 points per game her junior year and sank a team-best 54 three-pointers. Riverdale Baptist went 29-6 and reached the semifinals of the prestigious ESPN National High School Invitational tournament. In Jackson's sophomore season, the team went 38-2 and won the event. "Her nickname is Silky, and NC State is getting a basketball player that is silky smooth in regards to what she has been able to do offensively on the floor," said Riverdale Baptist head coach Sam Caldwell."Chloe has been almost unguardable on the wing with her speed and quickness. Her ability to move laterally and get to the basket with her right or left hand is really awesome." Caldwell said Jackson's quickness helps her create havoc on the ball defensively and she has a knack for getting steals. She played with the Boo Williams traveling team organization this offseason and was pursued by nearly all the colleges in the ACC. "She had a long check list that we provided for our athletes," Caldwell said. "I said at some point, everything is going to sound good.Then you have to decide from the look and feel if it is a place where you can be successful. She got that at NC State." Riverdale Baptist will be a deep team once again, led by Jackson and Florida State-bound point guard Chania Ray in the backcourt. Jackson is expected to be the leader of the team, which will play games in Germany, Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York City and Tennessee this season. Winning the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix is the biggest goal of the season. "We play pretty much a college schedule with about 37 games," Caldwell said. "I really believe that Chloe should be given serious consideration to be an All-American this year. She plays both ends of the court and will be hard to deal with." Maize gave her verbal commitment to the Wolfpack Aug. 1 after also considering Missouri, Providence,Virginia Tech and numerous mid-majors, who all offered her. "She's long and an athletic player," said her New Hope Christian High and Lady Phoenix AAU coach, Delaney Rudd, who played in the NBA and at Wake Forest. "She runs the court well, and that is her real strength. She is 6-4 and can get up and down the floor pretty fast." Rudd said Maize blossomed during the summer of 2012, and will need to continue working hard in the weight room during her senior year. "She started to show signs of developing, but she still needs to get stronger," Rudd said. "She started shot-blocking last summer on the AAU circuit. Her jump shot has gotten better, but she is still developing and working." Former NC State basketball players Scott Wood (left) and Richard Howell (right) have both signed contracts to play in European professional leagues. photo by ken martin NC State's TV And Radio Shows Are Under Way The "Dave Doeren Radio Show" will take place at 7 p.m.-to-8 p.m. at Backyard Bistro in Raleigh each Wednesday during the football season. First-year head football coach Dave Doeren will answer questions from co-hosts Tony Haynes and former Wolfpack tight end Mark Thomas, and listeners will also have a chance to send questions through email at Doerenradio@gmail.com or via Twitter @packradio. The "Dave Doeren TV Show," which started Aug. 25, will air at 11:35 p.m. Sunday nights, including on WRAL TV-5 in Raleigh.The 30-minute program will also be available each Monday on Gopack.com, along with replays on regional sports networks Fox Sports Net South (6 p.m.Tuesdays) and MASN (11 p.m.Thursdays). "Inside Wolfpack Sports," a weekly magazine show about NC State athletics, will premiere at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 31 on MASN and Fox Sports Net South. Radio coverage of NC State football games will begin two hours before kickoff with the "Matthews Motors Countdown to Kickoff," which will originate from the Fan Zone in front of PNC Arena for home games. For road games, fans can catch the show live from Jimmy V's Osteria and Bar at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel on Fayetteville Street. Fans will also have the opportunity to get up-to-theminute NC State athletics news on Wolfpack Sports Today, a daily radio show hosted by Haynes and Thomas that airs on many Wolfpack Sports Network stations weekday afternoons.Wolfpack Sports Today can be heard in the Raleigh area at 4:55 p.m. on 99.9 The Fan. Former NC State Basketball Players Land Overseas NC State men's basketball's most prolific three-point shooter and one of its top rebounders are heading overseas to play professionally next year. Sharpshooter Scott Wood signed a contract with UCAM Murcia in Spain, after playing with the Los Angeles Clippers' summer league team. UCAM Murcia plays in Spain's Liga Endesa, which is the top-tier league in the country. Power forward Richard Howell has agreed to play in France with BCM Gravelines Dunkerque, after getting a shot with the Denver Nuggets' summer league team. The 6-6 Wood finished his career in Raleigh as NC State's all-time leader with 334 made three-pointers. He also holds the school record for games started in a career (136) and is 18th in school history for career points (1,467). Wood posted career highs in points per game (12.6), field goal percentage (.436) and three-point percentage (.441) his senior year. He also shot 91.4 percent at the foul line and finished his career as an 88.6 percent free throw shooter. The 6-7 Howell became the fifth player in program history to record 1,000 career points and rebounds, and the first since Tommy Burleson (1972-74) to accomplish the feat. Howell finished with 1,214 career points and 1,055 rebounds, which are 37th and fifth all-time, respectively, in school history. Howell averaged 12.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game last year, with the latter leading the ACC. Rachel Stockdale Comes Back Home New NC State head women's basketball coach Wes Moore brought back former Wolfpack player Rachel Stockdale as director of high school relations. Stockdale, from High Point, N.C., was a four-year guard for Hall of Fame head coach Kay Yow from 2002-07. She helped guide the Wolfpack to three NCAA Tournament appearances and was an All-ACC freshman team selection for the Pack. "I'm truly thankful and blessed to have the opportunity to come back home to NC State," Stockdale said. "I love everything about this place! I have a great deal of respect for Coach Moore, a proven winner, and I'm excited about the future of the Wolfpack women." Stockdale will coordinate all recruiting activities for prospective student-athletes, includes organizing all official and unofficial visits to campus. Stockdale will also be tasked with supervising graduate assistants and student assistants, as well as organizing both coaching clinics and high school camps. Stockdale previously was an assistant coach at East Carolina,Wake Forest and Elon. 20 ■ the wolfpacker 16-18,20,22,24.Tracking The Pack.indd 20 8/23/13 3:36 PM