The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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46 ■ THE WOLFPACKER three-pointers en route to 17 points. He also drained three three-pointers and had 15 points against Jacksonville Nov. 20. Cody Martin is more of a small forward out of the two, and could chip in at power forward and possibly even point guard if needed next year. He averaged 3.4 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per con- test, and played in 19 out of 36 games. He earned three starts last season. "The guys coming back for our team, this should be something that motivates them to work extremely hard in springtime and summer," Gottfried said. "We tasted what it's like to be in this situation, and now it's got to be one of those where they should want it more. That should make them work extremely hard this spring and summer. A lot of good things are on the horizon for us." ■ Terry Henderson Is Excited About Returning To The Court College players transfer to other schools with a goal of finding a better fit for their talents, and Terry Henderson seemingly has done that at NC State. Henderson transferred from West Virginia to NC State on June 24, 2014, and used the year off per NCAA rules to his advantage. He got tested while playing on the scout team and is poised to grab one of the two open wing spots with Ralston Turner graduating and redshirt junior Trevor Lacey electing to turn professional. NCSU also lost senior reserve wing Desmond Lee. Lacey and Turner combined to average 28.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game for the 22-14 Wolfpack, which reached the Sweet 16. They also were both transfers, with Turner first coming from LSU and Lacey from Alabama in consecutive years. The 6-4, 200-pound Henderson, who will be a redshirt junior for the Wolfpack, is expected to make an immediate impact like they did. "I think I have gotten more mature as a player," Henderson said. "Our weight coaches have done a great job in making my body more sustainable and more athletic. I'm able to play longer. "Competing against the starters and scholarship players every day has helped me out even more." Turner and Lacey met with Henderson during his official visit and gave him a blue - print of what sitting out a year would be like. "They did a great job of helping me through and getting me accustomed to every- thing and the system," Henderson said. Henderson won't play against many players next year that were as difficult to guard as Lacey was with his knack for creating space and ability to knock down jumpers in a defender's face. "He is a really good player, and I got the chance to see him blossom this past year," Henderson said. "It's really remarkable, but he put in the time and the work. I hope to carry the load next year and help us win." Henderson likes to lead by example and has the potential to help fill the leadership void next year. "I can bring energy, some heart and some toughness," he ex- plained. "I have that will to win, whatever it takes. I'm a team player, and I like to have fun on the court." Henderson already has joked that he wants dibs on head coach Mark Gottfried's "corner player" role, recently filled by Turner and Scott Wood and requiring a player to run on the baseline and use screens for good looks from three-point land. Henderson and sophomore wings Caleb Martin and Cody Martin will rotate at the spot, though a late recruiting addition could be added to the fray. "I got a few looks there when I ran it," Henderson said. "Coach is a player's coach and he'll do whatever he can for the players to help them out. He is a great coach to talk to on and off the court. He has a good way of motivating us." Henderson grew up in Raleigh and attended nearby Neuse Baptist Christian. The Rivals.com three-star prospect was overshadowed play - ing with good friend and former NC State superstar T.J. Warren on the Garner Road traveling team. Henderson started to carve out his own niche in complementing War- ren, and a good list of colleges started to offer him. Henderson originally picked West Virginia over Richmond, Maryland, Georgia, Vir- ginia Tech, George Mason, Miami and Boston College. He then chose NC State over Maryland when he decided to transfer. The sharpshooter averaged 11.7 points per game and shot 37.6 percent from three- point land and 84.8 percent at the free throw line at West Virginia. The latter category is always a great asset to have in close games down the stretch. Henderson reached double figures in 18 of the 28 games he played in for the 17-16 Mountaineers. Henderson torched Texas Tech for 28 points and went 5 of 6 from three-point land in an 87-81 win Jan. 22, 2014, and had 21 points and was 5 of 7 from beyond the arc in a 73-72 loss against then No. 11-ranked Oklahoma State Jan. 11, 2014. Henderson was able to observe the differences from playing in the Big 12 to ACC on the Wolfpack team bench this past year. "Both conferences are really successful," Henderson said. "I felt the Big 12 is smaller than the ACC. The ACC has way more teams than the Big 12, and the ACC has more versatile players. There is nothing like ACC basketball." Henderson also was able to get acquainted with PNC Arena, which will be his new home for the next two years. "It was really cool. I had told a few people that I haven't been to PNC since I was little," Henderson said. "I didn't know how big it was when I was little. Now, I'm like, 'Wow, it's an NBA arena.' It's a nice arena to play in." Henderson will be in Raleigh this summer for both summer school sessions and hopes to earn his degree by August 2016. "This whole offseason, I'm just trying to help my game get better," he said. Henderson knows expectations have been tempered a bit since the exciting run in the NCAA Tournament, highlighted by knocking off No. 1-seed Vil - lanova, but he's OK with that. "I feel like we have a great group of guys this year," Henderson said. "I'm sure we'll be adding a couple of more pieces, too. I feel like we'll be pretty good even though people are counting us out already." — Jacey Zembal Henderson transferred from West Virginia to NC State last summer, and he used the year off per NCAA rules to his advantage. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN Head coach Mark Gottfried said of making the Sweet 16, "We tasted what it's like to be in this situation, and now it's got to be one of those where they should want it more." PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN