The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/743343
NOVEMBER 2016 ■ 39 BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2016-17 the same boat. Our goal is to get back to where we are a much more balanced team." To that end, NC State has emphasized ball movement and unselfish play. "I thought last year the ball stuck in our hands way too long," Gottfried said. "It was way too often with too many guys. That has been a point of emphasis already with our guys this year." Some coaches will also point out that they don't want to stifle a player's ability to make a shot or go get a bucket, but there is a fine line offensively. "We will be a lot harder to defend and have a lot more options with guys that can score," Gottfried said. "I also think we are more capable this year than when [Rowan] was as a freshman. Malik is now a junior. Hopefully, Terry stays healthy and he be- comes a reliable guy that can score." Smith is a gifted one-on-one player and will have the pressure to live up to his con- siderable hype, but Gottfried harkened that Smith needs to get the ball to players with a hot hand. "I think Dennis is a pass-first point guard that is trying to get everybody involved," Gottfried said. "I think our players know that from playing with him. Those kind of things will take care of themselves." Having a blend of young players with a few older ones even led to an adjustment in NC State's preseason basketball schedule. NCSU has usually played a "secret scrim- mage" against another Division I program. Gottfried elected instead to play exhibition games against Lynn University Nov. 3 and Barton College Nov. 7, both at PNC Arena. "We have so many young players and new players," Gottfried said. "I felt they needed to play under the lights and in front of a crowd, with time and score. I thought that would benefit them more than a private scrimmage." The influx of new players and uncertainty of whether Yurtseven and Kapita would be cleared by the NCAA at the start of the season has made the Wolfpack hard to prog- nosticate. Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook has NC State ranked No. 23 in the country. Yet Sporting News projects the Wolfpack to finish 10th in the ACC. Gottfried has noticed the various national pundits are all over the map on his squad, but he is confident in what they can achieve. He predicts the ACC will be the best league in the country. "In some publications, we can be picked 11th or 12th [in the ACC], yet still be picked in the top 25 in others," Gottfried said. "That says a lot about the respect level of the league this year. "This is my sixth year in the league, and this will be the deepest year. The league, as a whole, is recruiting better. More kids around the country want to play in this league." If everyone is eligible, the Wolfpack is confident they can create some noise this season. Gottfried believes ACC foe Duke will be the No. 1 team to start the season, but projects parity, both in the league and nationally. "There are a lot of good teams, but I don't know if there are a ton of elite teams on paper that separates themselves," Gott- fried said. "Obviously, Duke has a lot back, maybe more than anybody, and have some talented freshmen. "I think it's wide open on the national scene. Anybody can get hot, and anybody can get good by the end of the year and have a chance to make a run." The good news for the Pack is with their broad array of talent, if past history under Gottfried is an indication, NC State could be one of those teams peaking at the right time. ■ Sophomore Maverick Rowan is tied with junior forward Abdul-Malik Abu as NC State's top returning scorer after debuting with an average of 12.9 points per game last year. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN "We will be a lot harder to defend and have a lot more options with guys that can score." ■ Head coach Mark Gottfried