The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/672211
48 ■ THE WOLFPACKER A fter one of the great seasons in NC State basketball his- tory, junior point guard Anthony "Cat" Barber is leaving to pur- sue an NBA career. Sophomore power forward Abdul-Malik Abu and junior center BeeJay Anya have also declared for the NBA Draft but can return to NCSU. The 6-2, 180-pound Barber, who is from Newport News, Va., signed with an agent April 12, but Abu and Anya have elected to keep the option of returning open by not signing with an agent. The deadline for making a decision about entering the NBA Draft is May 25. Barber led the ACC in scoring, averaging 23.5 points per game, and added 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game en route to being named first-team All-ACC. He had long been expected to enter the NBA Draft. "I appreciate Cat for his sig- nificant contributions over the last three years at NC State," head coach Mark Gottfried said. "I wish him the best, and we will help him any way we can as he pursues his dreams to play in the NBA and provide support to his family. "Not only was his play terrific for our team, but he showed great development as a player and young man during his time in our program, and he can leave here in solid position to come back and earn his degree." Barber is projected to be selected No. 58 overall (out of 60 in the two-round event) by DraftExpress.com. He joins T.J. Warren, Trevor Lacey, Lorenzo Brown and C.J. Les- lie in turning pro early under Gottfried at NC State. Warren was selected No. 14 over- all by the Phoenix Suns and Brown went No. 52, while both Lacey and Leslie went undrafted and didn't make an NBA roster. "I enjoyed my time at NC State and want to thank my coaches for giving me the op- portunity," Barber said. "Most importantly, I want to thank my teammates and the fans. I want everyone to know I gave it 100 per- cent every night and will forever be a part of WPN." The new NBA Draft rules allow Abu and Anya to find out where they stand with pro- fessional teams and learn what they need to work on. Last season, Abu averaged 12.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 63.0 percent from the free throw line. The 6-8, 240-pounder from Boston col- lected 14 double-doubles for points and rebounds. DraftExpress.com ranks Abu as the No. 26 overall player in the sophomore class, but he is not in the top 100 regardless of class. The 6-9, 285-pound Anya is NC State's all-time leading shot-blocker with 210, and he averaged 4.7 points and 5.3 rebounds a game last year. The Washington, D.C., na- tive has indicated he expects to return. The Martin Twins Are Transferring Sophomore wings Caleb and Cody Martin have decided to transfer from the NC State men's basketball program. The Mocksville, N.C., natives were both Rivals.com four-star recruits coming out of Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy. The twin brothers are considering Cali- fornia, Rutgers, Providence, DePaul, East Carolina, Old Dominion, UNC Wilming- ton and Santa Clara, among others. They were scheduled to officially visit California April 29-May 1. The 6-7 Martin twins are also the eighth and ninth players to transfer from NC State since head coach Mark Gottfried took over. Five other players, includ- ing star point guard Anthony Barber, have departed with eligi- bility remaining. "Through a series of honest, thoughtful and somewhat surpris- ing conversations we have had in the days since our season ended, Caleb and Cody have informed me of their desire to explore op- tions that they believe are in both of their best interest," Gottfried said. "While I don't share all of their views, I have certainly come to understand and respect the unique dynamic and special bond that exists between identical twins, especially when they play the same sport for the same team. "I enjoyed coaching them over the past two years." The two combined to start 35 games for the Wolfpack. Caleb finished fourth on NC State in scoring this past season, averaging 11.5 points per game. "We wanted to say thank you to WPN and all of the great memories that will be with us forever, but we think it is best for us to move on" Caleb said. "We couldn't be more grate- ful for the opportunity to play at such a great school, and we will forever be thankful." Cody finished fifth on the team with 6.0 points per game and started for the Wolf- pack down the stretch. "I just want to say thank you to my coaches first off, for even giving me an op- portunity to play here," Cody said. "I want to thank my teammates, and I wish nothing but the best for them, the coaching staff, and this program. "We also want to thank the fans of WPN for all the support they have given both of us. It definitely was not an easy decision for us, but we feel that is best that we move on." NC State Finalizes Revamped Coaching Staff After a few twists and turns, NC State head coach Mark Gottfried landed the final piece of his revamped coaching staff. On April 21, the school announced that WOLFPACK BASKETBALL Three Wolfpackers Declare For NBA Draft Junior point guard Anthony "Cat" Barber was named first-team All-ACC after leading the league in scoring at 23.5 points per game, while also producing 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per contest. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN