The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/592698
54 ■ THE WOLFPACKER 2015-16 WOLFPACK BASKETBALL PREVIEW tual ACC champion Notre Dame Jan. 25. Martin had seven games with at least six boards, including a season-best 10 in the win at Louisville. The key for Martin is improving upon shooting 35.6 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from beyond the arc. "If Caleb can become a better, more con- sistent three-point shooter [he'll help]," Gottfried said. "Caleb was a guy last year who could make some but his percentages weren't great. He has got to be better." Cody Martin is more of a slasher offen- sively and doesn't shoot as many deep out- side jumpers as his brother. He also could be a defensive stopper and has enough ver- satility to play every position but center, and he might this season. Martin's energy and hustle helped him get three starts, but he also fell out of the rotation and didn't play in 17 games. He averaged 3.4 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, and shot 47.5 percent from the field. However, he went 0 of 7 on three-pointers. "Cody is a guy, he does not have a posi- tion," Gottfried said. "I don't think you can define him with a position. He can play just about anywhere and he is going to make some things happen, and sometimes not so good things. He is just so active." If the Martin twins don't seize the small forward position, then Gottfried's two-man recruiting class could take over. Rowan in particular is an accomplished all-around offensive player and a Rivals.com four-star recruit. The Wolfpack landed Rowan in early August but had been recruiting him for over a year. Rowan made the decision last April he wanted to pursue going from the class of 2016 to 2015. He finally found out he could make that move and, shortly after, picked NC State over St. John's, Louisville, North Carolina, UCLA and Wisconsin, among others. "Maverick, he's going to be an exciting player," Gottfried said. "We're really happy that he's here. "You just never know how freshmen re- ally adapt and how quickly they kind of come into their own. Sometimes it takes a little bit longer for some players." Kirk had a quirky recruitment with a wild ending. He quickly verbally accepted a scholarship tender from NC State, but on the car ride back home, he learned that Kentucky had offered. That gave him pause for a few days, but the pull of playing close to home made signing with NC State an easy choice. The addition of Rowan took the pressure off of Kirk needing to play key minutes this season, but his eye-opening athleticism could get him some auditions during the non-conference slate. "With Shaun, honestly I don't have a crystal ball, but I can look up to see where he's a sophomore or junior and we kind of say, 'Wow, that guy is getting pretty good.' It may not be this year, but I don't know, it might be," the coach noted. Kirk is a streaky outside shooter, and needs to improve his ball handling, defense and rebounding. "I like a lot of things about him, but he is kind of a guy coming from a small-school environment," Gottfried said. "It's a much bigger stage, much better competition and all those type things. His skill set is going to get there, but maybe it's not there right now. There are a lot of things to like about him." Gottfried knows he has plenty of options on the wings, but he is curious to see how it will play out. "I've always felt like November and December is the time for me and our staff to learn who really can do what at the level we need them to do it at," Gottfried said. ■ ■ 2015-16 NC State Backcourt No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown (Previous School) 2 Torin Dorn* SG 6-6 205 So. Charlotte (Charlotte) 3 Terry Henderson SG 6-5 195 R-Jr. Raleigh (West Virginia) 4 Chris Brickhouse SF 6-5 205 Jr. Raleigh (Broughton) 12 Anthony Barber PG 6-2 190 Jr. Newport News, Va. (Hampton) 13 Chris Corchiani Jr. PG 6-0 180 So. Raleigh (Ravenscroft) 14 Caleb Martin SG 6-7 215 So. Mocksville, N.C. (Oak Hill Academy [Va.]) 15 Cody Martin SF 6-7 210 So. Mocksville, N.C. (Oak Hill Academy [Va.]) 22 Shaun Kirk SF 6-8 195 Fr. Whiteville, N.C. (Whiteville) 24 Maverick Rowan SF 6-7 215 Fr. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Cardinal Gibbons) 25 Chase Cannon SF 6-5 200 Sr. Morehead City, N.C. (The Miller School [Va.]) * Will redshirt this season due to NCAA transfer rules Junior point guard Anthony Barber averaged 12.1 points and a team-best 3.7 assists per game while shooting 38.0 percent from three-point range last season. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN