The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/743343
36 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2016-17 Smith is the catalyst for much of the ex- citement that surrounds the Wolfpack pro- gram. The athletic 6-3, 195-pounder en- rolled at NC State for the second semester last season and sat out while rehabbing the torn ACL in his knee suffered Aug. 2, 2015. Smith, fifth-year senior shooting guard Terry Henderson and redshirt sophomore Torin Dorn all were on the sidelines last year. Henderson injured his ankle seven minutes into the first game of the season, which ended up being a loss to William & Mary. Dorn sat out the year per NCAA rules after transferring from Charlotte. NC State missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in head coach Mark Gott- fried's five years. All he could do is glance down the bench and know what he was missing and that brighter days were ahead. "I looked over there a lot," Gottfried said. "I tried not to look over there. "Last year was a tough year. With who we have brought in and the players that are back, there is a whole new feel around this team. There is a lot of excitement about this team. I think the players feel that every day." The potential fireworks for this season were certainly put to the test last offseason. Point guard Anthony Barber, junior power forward Abdul-Malik Abu and senior center BeeJay Anya tested the NBA Draft waters, but only Barber remained in the draft — though he wasn't selected following his stel- lar junior campaign. Gottfried hired two new assistant coaches — Butch Pierre and Heath Schroyer — and added four freshmen in the class of 2016 in the spring. NCSU signed center Omer Yurtseven, power forwards Ted Kapita and Darius Hicks, and point guard Markell Johnson, though NC State is still awaiting NCAA clearance on Yurtseven and Kapita as of Oct. 25. Wings Caleb Martin and Cody Martin left after their sophomore year to transfer to Nevada. The other roster change involves senior center/power forward Lennard Free- man, who is expected to redshirt after un- dergoing a second operation to insert a big- ger rod in his right leg to correct past shin issues. The public unveiling takes place against Georgia Southern Nov. 11 at PNC Arena. Henderson is eager to show what the new- look Wolfpack can achieve. "We can be as good as we want to be," said Henderson, who essentially hasn't played in two years. "We have to come to practice every day understanding what it takes to win. We have a great group of guys and a nice core of freshmen coming in." Gottfried is optimistic, but also practi- cal about meshing so many new players. Having a non-conference slate with poten- tially only one ranked opponent — NCSU could play Creighton at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands — wasn't by design, but could help build up the players' confidence. "I understand there isn't a lot of experi- ence there with guys who have done it at DIFFERENT APPROACH Balanced Scoring Is The Key To Getting Back To The NCAA Tournament Fifth-year senior wing Terry Henderson missed all but seven minutes of last season with an ankle injury, but he is fully healthy now. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN BY JACEY ZEMBAL N C State went through a makeover of sorts during the offseason and essentially has seven new players in the program. Three of the projected top six players watched last year's 16-17 season and 5-13 in the ACC unfold in street clothes. The "rescue squad" could be the key to turning things around, especially with star freshman point guard Dennis Smith Jr. set to make his long- awaited debut.