The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/592698
42 ■ THE WOLFPACKER 2015-16 WOLFPACK BASKETBALL PREVIEW McDonald's All-Americans At NC State NC State junior point guard Anthony "Cat" Barber is one of 17 McDonald's All-Americans to have played for the Wolfpack. Here is a look back at the previous all-stars at NCSU. Sidney Lowe (played in 1979 game) Lowe ended his Pack career as the starting point guard on the 1983 NCAA cham- pionship squad and remains second all time in school history in assists (762). His No. 35 is honored in the PNC Arena rafters. Dereck Whittenburg (1979) Whittenburg was Lowe's backcourt mate at both DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Md., and at NC State. The two are also joined together in having their numbers' honored (Whittenburg wore No. 25). Ernie Myers (1982) Myers still holds the record for most points in a game by a freshman at NC State (35). He finished his career with 1,249 career points, currently 33rd all time in school history. Chris Washburn (1984) After averaging 17.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore at NCSU, Washburn turned pro and was selected with the third overall pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 1986 NBA Draft. Off-the-court issues derailed his professional career after two seasons. Walker Lambiotte (1985) Lambiotte was MVP of the 1985 McDonald's All-American Game, but his career at NC State was brief. He transferred to Northwestern after two seasons in Raleigh. Chris Corchiani (1987) Corchiani became the first point guard in NCAA history to break 1,000 career assists and was a two-time All-American. His No. 13 is honored by NC State. Rodney Monroe (1987) Most of Corchiani's assists were to Monroe, whose 2,551 career points remain the most all time at NC State. He had his No. 21 honored by the school, too. Damien Wilkins (1999) The son of NBA-veteran Gerald Wilkins and nephew of former NBA All-Star Dominique Wilkins, Damien lasted two years at NC State. He tested the professional waters, and then decided to return to college and transferred to Georgia. He signed a contract to play for the Charlotte Hornets this fall. Scooter Sherrill (2000) Sherrill struggled to find consistent minutes until his junior season when he emerged as a solid shooting guard and averaged 10.5 points per game over his final two years. He made second-team All-ACC Tournament as a junior. Julius Hodge (2001) Hodge was named ACC Player of the Year and first-team All-America in 2004, and he was a three-time all-conference selection. He concluded his career third all time in points and one of three Wolfpackers to finish with 2,000 or more points (2,040). Brandon Costner (2005) Costner redshirted his freshman season due to a stress fracture in his leg. He led the Pack in scoring two of the next three years and was selected third-team All-ACC in 2007 when he set new school records for scoring average (16.8) and total points (605) in a season by a State freshman. He left after the 2009 season to pursue a professional career that has been spent mostly overseas. J.J. Hickson (2007) Hickson had an impressive freshman season, averaging 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game to lead the team and earn honorable mention All-ACC recognition. Hickson turned pro after the season concluded and was picked 19th in the first round by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Entering his ninth season in the NBA, Hickson plays for the Denver Nuggets and has a 9.8 points-per-game career scoring average. C.J. Leslie (2010) Leslie averaged double digits in scoring for three straight years, leading the Pack in scoring as a sophomore and junior. He was a two-time all-conference selection and left for the NBA after his junior season. After going undrafted he has played overseas. Tyler Lewis (2011) Lewis played two seasons at NC State and was a part-time starter as a sophomore point guard. He led the Pack in assists at 3.8 per game that year, before transferring to Butler, where he redshirted last season. Rodney Purvis (2011) Purvis started 23 games as a freshman and averaged 8.3 points per game, but when the year was over he transferred to Connecticut. Last year, his first for the Huskies, he averaged 11.6 points per contest. T.J. Warren (2011) After leading the league in scoring at 24.9 points per game as a sophomore, Warren was named the ACC Player of the Year. He set a school record for points in a season (871), and his career scoring average of 18.5 points per game ranks seventh all time at NCSU. He turned pro after two years and was picked 14th in the first round by the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 6.1 points per game as a rookie last season. — Matt Carter Julius Hodge was a McDonald's All-American coming out of high school and went on to earn ACC Player of the Year and first-team All- America honors at NC State in 2004. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN