The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/406183
NOVEMBER 2014 ■ 47 WOLFPACK BASKETBALL PREVIEW BY JACEY ZEMBAL I f there is drama and suspense surround- ing the NC State men's basketball team, the two post positions are front and cen- ter. Who will start and, most importantly, who will finish? Will any of the three sophomores or the incoming freshman be able to emerge as a double-digit scorer? What will sopho- more center BeeJay Anya be like after losing 55 pounds? Those are just some of the ques- tions that NCSU head coach Mark Gottfried is eager to find out this season. The Wolfpack returns sophomore power for- wards Kyle Washington and Lennard Freeman, and Anya in the middle. Freshman power forward Abdul-Malik Abu arrives in Raleigh as the No. 45 overall player in the class of 2014 according to Ri- vals.com. Collectively, the group should finish around the rim, take care of the boards and play solid post defense, but for the Wolfpack to reach a different level of success than last year's 22-14 overall mark, develop- ing at least two double-digit scorers would be preferred. Washington or Freeman (or both) will likely log key minutes at center if they are paired with Abu inside. The 6-9, 225-pound Washington averaged 4.8 points and 3.9 re- bounds per game last season, and shot 43.5 percent from the field. He started 25 of 36 games and flashed a nice mid-range jump shot out to about 18 feet. Freeman's go-to move on offense was a surprisingly effective jump hook, and he proved to be an effective rebounder. The 6-8, 245-pounder started 11 contests, and aver- aged 4.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. The slimmed down 6-9 and 295-pound Anya is easily the best shot blocker in the group, swatting away 46 shots in just 388 minutes, which translates to a blocked shot every 8.4 minutes on the court. Anya mostly made dunks or layups among his 27 field goals, but does have a half hook in the lane he likes to use. Anya averaged 2.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per contest. All three players will need to show im- provement at the free throw line, especially in close games down the stretch. Washington shot 56.3 percent, Anya 48.4 percent and Freeman 44.9 percent. Freeman, however, did improve to 59.0 percent (23 of 39) during his final 22 games played. Gottfried is counting on his sophomores to have improved during the offseason. "They were good enough to make plays here and there, and have a good game one night, but then have a hard time following it up the next night," Gottfried said. "That group has to be more consistent. They have to be better." Washington and Freeman often tag-teamed the power forward position last year, with departed 7-1 center Jordan Vandenberg in the middle. Washington reached double figures in points in four games and in rebounds in three. He arguably had his best performance with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double in a 56- 55 loss at then-No. 1 Syracuse Feb. 15. Freeman logged the majority of the min- utes down the stretch for the Wolfpack. He had 13 points and nine rebounds in the 75-67 loss to Duke March 15 in the ACC Tourna- ment, and was a spark with 10 points and eight rebounds in the 74-67 road win at Pitts- burgh March 3. "I think we will be real good," Freeman said of the post positions. "We have more Combination OF SKILLS A Talented Group Of Bigs Provides Many Options In The Post Sophomore Kyle Washington flashed his po- tential in a 56-55 loss at then-No. 1 Syra- cuse Feb. 15, posting a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN "They were good enough to make plays here and there, and have a good game one night, but then have a hard time follow- ing it up the next night. That group has to be more consistent. They have to be better." ■ Head coach Mark Gottfried on his post players