The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/743343
NOVEMBER 2016 ■ 47 sons, the Michael Jordans, the Tim Dun- cans; all those guys." Being in the ACC has only confirmed and enhanced his long-held viewpoint. "I have been in the profession for a long time as a player and coach. In my personal opinion, I have more pride to be a part of the ACC than I do any other league," Gottfried said. With the honor of coaching in the ACC comes the responsibility of establishing a talented roster to compete with promi- nent national powers like Duke, Louisville, North Carolina and Syracuse, among oth- ers, in the league's deep pool of programs. Thus it begins with recruiting. Gottfried noted the biggest difference he has seen from his previous stops was that the play- ers brought into the ACC are more skilled when they arrive. Finding the talent that is willing to compete with the blue bloods of the conference rather than play for them is a challenge. Yet Gottfried has found success. His first full recruiting class featured three McDonald's All-Americans, including T.J. Warren, who chose the Pack despite taking an official visit to archrival UNC. A year later, he inked point guard Anthony "Cat" Barber, a prolific scoring point guard who had just completed an official visit to Lou- isville. Most recently, point guard Dennis Smith Jr. picked NC State despite having his choice of powerhouse programs. "There are not nearly as many hidden gems in college basketball as there still can be in college football, so if you want to be a regular NCAA Tournament participant as a member of the ACC, at some point you'd better start getting at least some of the prep All-Americans and other highly regarded prospects everyone else is chasing," Glenn noted. "When you sign T.J. Warren and later send him on to the NBA, then sign Cat Barber and later send him on to the pros, then sign Dennis Smith Jr. on his way to the NBA, you're building the NC State basketball brand in a very positive way. "Most top-level prospects, and their par- ents and coaches, notice these things and care about these things." Winning at a high level also helps. Smith verbally committed to NC State when the BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2016-17 "Since he's been here, it's a winning program. If I say so myself, it's been something to see." ■ Freshman point guard Dennis Smith Jr. on Gottfried