The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/197085
Ba ketball Preview 2013-14 Sophomore forward T.J. Warren started the last 10 games of the 2012-13 campaign and averaged 13.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest during that stretch. photo by Ken Martin ■ 2013-14 NC State Frontcourt No.Name 10 Lennard Freeman 14 Jordan Vandenberg 15 Chris Brickhouse 21 BeeJay Anya 24 T.J. Warren 32 Kyle Washington 34 Jevoni Robinson Pos. F C F F F F F Ht. 6-8 7-1 6-5 6-9 6-8 6-9 6-8 Wt. Cl. Hometown (Previous School) 245 Fr. Washington, D.C. (Oak Hill Academy [Va.]) 245 5th-Sr. Melbourne, Australia (Australia Institute of Sport) 205 Fr. Raleigh, N.C. (Broughton) 325 Fr. Gaithersburg, Md. (DeMatha Catholic) 215 So. Durham, N.C. (Brewster Academy [N.H.]) 225 Fr. Champlin, Minn. (Brewster Academy [N.H.]) 225 Jr. Charlotte, N.C. (Independence) Howell and Vandenberg — and a full-time nutritionist, Anya went the wrong way on the scales once in Raleigh and reached nearly 350 pounds. After he worked his way back down into the mid-320s in September, his weight drifted north of 340 pounds again by midOctober, leading Gottfried to simply say that his listed weight of 325 in the media guide was, "generous." "He has put himself behind the eightball, and he's starting off in the hole," the coach stated. "He's got to find his way and climb out of the hole. I think he's becoming more diligent about it, but when you're talking about trying to lose 60 or 70 pounds, that's not something that happens in a month or two. That's a process that will take some time. "He's such a talented young person, and that's the thing about him — he's really a good player, but it's going to take him a while to get there." Anya was the highest ranked of the three new big men, but Gottfried admits that he is behind classmates Kyle Washington and Lennard Freeman. Washington, a Minnesota native who played a postgraduate year at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., is a 6-9, 225-pound forward who was awarded four stars and ranked as the No. 93 senior prospect and the No. 14 center in the class of 2013 by Rivals.com (Anya was the No. 5 center). "The sky is the limit with Kyle Washington," Gottfried said. "He's long, eager, willing and excited every day when he walks in. He's got a phenomenal attitude and he's got great energy." Freeman — who won't turn 18 years old until Dec. 10, prompting Gottfried to note that he is actually younger than his son who is now a high school senior — has been the surprise of early season workouts and practices. The unranked three-star recruit spent his final prep year at basketball power Oak Hill Academy, and Gottfried noted the 6-8, 245-pounder is already the best screener on the team, filling a void left by Howell. "He's done very well," the coach said. "He's proven to us already that he's going to be a very good rebounder, a very good defender. The question is can that translate over (to games)? In our drills and workouts, he's as good a rebounder as we have on our team. "Lennard was on a team where he didn't get to shoot the ball very much at Oak Hill, but he was a terrific role player for them. Kyle can probably score better, but they're both learning. For us, we've got nine scholarship guys, and all nine have to be ready every night; we can't eliminate anybody from that equation." ■ 40 ■ the wolfpacker 38-40.Men's BKB Frontcourt.indd 40 10/22/13 1:20 PM