The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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NOVEMBER 2015 ■ 45 WOLFPACK BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2015-16 The Wolfpack also signed one of the premier prep shooters in the country in 6-7, 215-pound Maverick Rowan of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons. The Rivals.com four-star recruit wanted to se- lect a college where he could play right away, and he'll get that opportunity at NC State. "We are very unproven behind the three- point line," said Gottfried. "We are go- ing to have to figure out how to generate some offense with the loss of Trevor and Ralston." Deciding which player runs "corner" will be an early indication of whom NC State believes its best shooter off the catch is. Both Scott Wood and Turner excelled at running corner, when the offensive player works the baseline off a series of screens by the post players, and then catches the ball in the right or left corner and fires up a three. At Clemson on Feb. 10, 2013, Gottfried dialed up a baseline corner jumper play for Wood with 7.5 seconds left in the game. Wood got a great screen from center Rich- ard Howell and drained a three-pointer with one second left from the right corner for a crucial 58-57 win. "We are going to run the play, I promise you that, if we have somebody that can make it," Gottfried said. Henderson completely understands what it means to inherit the corner role, and his politicking for the play began months ago. "I've lobbied for it a little bit, but we've got a lot of guys who can run it, too," Hen- derson said. "Whatever it takes to win, that's what we are going to do." Henderson actually played a variety of positions on the scout team last year while sitting out. Some weeks he was a stretch four, and others a shoot-first and shoot- second gunner. "I like shooting off the catch," Hender- son said. "In certain situations, I'm really shooting the ball well off the catch, but I can shoot off the dribble." NC State's top shooter could be the one making the key passes on corner. Barber made 43.1 percent of his three- pointers over the last 14 games of the season last year. Barber knows the point guard's job is to find the shooters in rhythm. "When I penetrate a n d t h e y [ d e f e n d - ers] collapse, I'll find Terry, find Maverick, or find Caleb," Barber said. "Those guys can shoot well. Maverick is all business. He'll laugh Head coach Mark Gottfried believes that freshman Maverick Rowan was one of the top high school perim- eter shooters in the nation last year. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN