The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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C BY JACEY ZEMBAL .J. Leslie has always been viewed as a long-term project. Blessed with great athleticism, he needed to improve his basketball skill and judgment, and learn to play with consis- tently high effort. The 6-8, 209-pound power forward made promising strides in that di- rection in his first five games this season. Leslie showed improvement in sev- eral statistical categories — most notably points, blocks, steals, minutes, field goal percentage and free throw percentage — under first-year head coach Mark Gottfried. Leslie averaged 14.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. The biggest sign of progress, though, was that he was shoot- ing a sparkling 58.7 percent from the field. power forward has helped Leslie improve his shooting from 43.3 percent last year. Leslie has focused his offense on mostly 15 feet and in, shooting just two three-point attempts. He shot 7 of 28 (25.0 percent) from three-point range last year. "You just have to realize what your game is and then go out there and do it," Leslie said. "I can start the break and finish the break. I can shoot shots. Coach Gottfried tells me all the time, 'Don't think about it, just do it.'" Leslie's freakish athleticism makes him difficult to cover for the majority of college forwards. His improved shot selection puts more pressure on defenders because Leslie won't make it easy by just shooting jump shots. rity during his freshman season came to a head when he got suspended for the game at Duke Feb. 5, 2011. He put together a good statistical season, but something intangible seemed to be missing. Leslie earned his second suspension while at NC State prior to this year's season opener against UNC Asheville Nov. 11. He was forced to miss the first three games of the season after NC State reported viola- tions to the NCAA that he and his half- brother received impermissible benefits totaling $410 last spring. "It was a temporary setback, but it is part of life, part of growing up, part of maturing in life," Gottfried said. Gottfried also pushed certain buttons to try and bring out the best in Leslie. He Sophomore C.J. Leslie Is Starting To Maximize His Considerable Potential REBIRTH "If you ranked guys right now to date on who is playing the hardest, he's near the top of the list," Gottfried said. "He's also playing within what he can do. I don't think he's taking crazy shots, I don't think he's being lazy. There's not a lot of criticism from me right now with his effort level and energy level." Leslie was probably on his way to one of his best games, at Stanford Dec. 4, when he was felled by cramps for the second time this season. He finished with 14 points in 24 minutes, with the Cardinal having no answer for his drives toward the basket. He also had 18 points in the first half against Vanderbilt Nov. 19. He's on a collision course to put together a complete game. "Coach always tells us to get a little bit better each day," Leslie said. "Every day at practice, just get a little bit better. After a while, the team can be great. "Coach is allowing me to play freely, and I'm not afraid to make mistakes. I know he feels comfortable with me just going out and doing things I know I can do, which some players might not be able to do. He believes in me." Leslie played both power forward and small forward last year, but has stayed at the former position exclusively this season. The focus on taking advantage of mismatches at After sitting out NC State's first three games this season, Leslie averaged 14.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in the Wolfpack's next five contests. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN Others have noticed the improvement. DraftExpress.com is already projecting Leslie to go No. 25 in the 2012 NBA Draft next June, but he could have a sizeable jump up the draft board if his game continues to come together. "We've tried to put him in positions only called him by his given name Calvin Leslie Jr. "One of the reasons he calls me Calvin is because last year wasn't the best year," Les- lie said. "He knows this year is a new year, new person. It's kind of like that whole thing. "Coach [Gottfried] said I'm going to be a totally different player from last year and that I am going to be great in every aspect." ■ Leslie where he can really utilize his quickness around the basket more than anything," Gottfried said. The next part of Leslie's basketball evo- lution is to improve his free throw shooting and cut down on his turnovers. Leslie shot 54.2 percent from the line last year, and has slightly increased it to 57.6 this season. He also has 15 turnovers with a season-high five against Indiana Nov. 30. One poignant learning moment came when Leslie tried to a put a little extra mus- tard on a dunk and ended up losing con- trol of the basketball against Elon Nov. 25. Gottfried immediately took him out of the game for a teaching moment. "We want to make sure we play the game right and always take advantage of opportu- nities to get the ball in the basket," Gottfried said. Leslie's adjustment to college last year was filled with inconsistency. His immatu- "When he first started calling me Calvin, it was like, 'Whoa, why is he calling me Calvin?' My first thought was there are two C.J.'s [C.J. Williams the other]. Then I realized I am going to be a totally different player than last year." Gottfried also had Leslie come off the bench for four games, once his suspension ended, before rewarding him with a start against Stanford. "He's like anybody, he'd like to start," Gottfried said. "Everybody likes to hear their name called in the lineup, but he's been very unselfish with that." The rebirth this season involved break- ing Leslie down and then rebuilding him back up. "Coach said I'm going to be a totally dif- ferent player from last year, and that I am going to be great in every aspect," Leslie said. "I'll be doing all the little things that make you great." ■ JANUARY 2012 ■ 45