The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/554771
50 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER F or young NC State hoops fans, this is not their parents' ACC. Gone, likely for good, are the days where loyal ACC fans could recite their league rivals' respective rosters and future outlook off the top of their heads. The conference has more than doubled in size, going from seven teams in 1979 to 15 now, and the roster turnover on a yearly basis has become extensive. Twenty-two players transferred out from their respec- tive ACC programs, while 13 newcomers transferred into the league during this off- season alone. That is only part of the story, though. Players in great numbers are also leaving school early to pursue professional careers. Eleven ACC hoop stars left early this year. The result is what NC State head coach Mark Gottfried called "the new normal." "We all used to be able to look at our roster and say I have three seniors, two juniors and four sophomores, and I'm go- ing to have four scholarships available," Gottfried noted. "That's out the window now; it's gone." The offseason in college basketball in- deed has, in recent years, earned the moni- ker of "the silly season." Take for instance when Gottfried met with a large assembly of media for his sum- mer press conference July 7, his roster for the upcoming season that was scheduled to begin a tad more than four months from that date was still in flux. Safe to say that when the Wolfpack's Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament ended in March, Gottfried was not an- ticipating that he would have to replace second-team All-ACC guard Trevor Lacey or be recruiting suddenly reclassified wing Maverick Rowan. However, Lacey unexpectedly turned pro, and Rowan made himself available for the 2015 class after originally anticipating graduating from high school a year later. "Roster turnover and roster changing from year to year is not uncommon," Gott- fried said. "I would love to have a lot of four-year guys that go through the program, but I just don't know if that happens a whole lot anymore," he continued. "That's part of our business … It's everywhere. The New Normal Head Coach Mark Gottfried Has Spent The Offseason Dealing With The Realities Of Today's College Basketball This past offseason, Gottfried had to put in overtime on the recruiting trail after redshirt junior combo guard Trevor Lacey unexpectedly turned pro and sophomore forward Kyle Washington transferred to Cincinnati. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN