The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/743343
44 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2016-17 BY MATT CARTER N o one at NC State would fault junior forward Abdul-Malik Abu for pursuing his aspirations of becoming a professional basket- ball player. Last spring, Abu entered his name into the NBA Draft, and for a moment caused a brief scare in Wolfpack nation by suggesting that perhaps he would not be returning to Raleigh. Then, one by one, the pieces fell together for head coach Mark Gottfried's program. Quality young post players like Omer Yurtseven, Darius Hicks and Ted Kapita signed with NC State. Three talented play- ers who were in street clothes at the end of NCSU's bench for almost all of last season — freshman point guard Dennis Smith, fifth- year senior wing Terry Henderson and red- shirt sophomore guard Torin Dorn — were also set to be in a Wolfpack uniform this year. Abu saw all of this unfolding while work- ing out for perspective NBA teams, and the decision became clear in his mind. "Everybody wants to chase their dreams and be a professional," Abu said. "It wasn't difficult because I wanted to come back and play for a national championship, and I feel like with the team we have assembled we have a chance." Abu will play a central role on the team. He averaged 12.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore, finishing fifth in the ACC for rebounding. He had 14 double-dou- bles and significantly bettered his averages from his rookie season, when he contributed 6.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. He did enough to stamp himself as one of the emerging forwards in the conference. Now Gottfried wants that next step: not only a reliable scorer in the post that becomes one of the top-level players in the ACC, but also a valuable leader in the locker room. "He's tried to step forward and be a leader for this team," Gottfried noted. "I like that about his approach every day. I think day in and day out as far as basketball is concerned, he needs to become a more consistent scorer for us and be a guy whether it's 14 to 18 points a game. He is very capable of that every night. "We're excited about his year. I think he is going to have a great junior year. He's men- tally in the right place. He is beginning to be more of a leader. His game has developed and improved every year. I think he's ready for one more step up the ladder." Abu agreed, adding he learned a lot from last year's trials and tribulations that came with a 16-17 season. "My first year, I was kind of spoiled as a freshman when we went to the Sweet 16. I'm like, 'Oh wow,'" Abu noted. "You think that could be the outcome every year. My second year, we don't make the tournament. I have been on opposite ends of the spectrum. "This year, I know what it takes. I know how this road and this journey could be. It's my job that I inspire and influence some of our young guys." He also has a better understanding of what it takes to ultimately reach that dream he is chas- ing of playing professional basketball. Abu said that the feedback he received from NBA teams was fairly generic: just be better overall. So Abu took it upon himself to work hard on his 15-foot jump shot. Adding that skill to his game would help him, Sporting News NBA Draft writer Sam Vecenie noted. "With him, the athleticism is there and the length is there," Vecenie noted. "He just needs some sort of skill level. He needs to be a slashing player." However, Abu is not intending to let his ultimate aspirations get in the way of his singular mission this winter and spring: a turnaround of the program from last year to potentially reach its highest level in decades. "I'm definitely hungrier in a sense that I just want to win," Abu said. "That's my main focus. That's what gets me up in the morn- ing: to be a winner. I feel like when that's my main focus, I'm at my best. "I'm not really worried about the NBA or turning pro because they're going to pick the best players. I just got to be one of them. My main focus in college is to win every game." It's that type of wisdom that can make Abu a leader for the talented but unproven roster. He noted he felt like he was a leader last year just because he was one of the more talented players on the roster. Now he has the experi- ence to be a vocal presence. While he accepts that taking on such a role has a lot of responsibilities, he embraces the opportunity. "It's a great feeling," he said. NC State basketball fans can relate. They welcomed having Abu back in Raleigh for another year with similar enthusiasm, espe- cially if Gottfried is proven right with his thoughts about the athletic junior. "I think his shooting is improved," Gott- fried said. "I think Malik's ability to score around the basket has improved. He's a guy that has been really good there the last couple of years, but I think he feels like he can be even better using both hands, his right hand [and] left hand on the block, using his speed and athleticism. "You look from freshman to sophomore year, I thought he took one pretty good step from where he was. This year has to be one more step. He's got to be a reliable scorer ev- ery night for this team. He's in a much better place to do that this season." ■ RETURN OF THE LEADER After Flirting With The NBA Draft, Junior Forward Abdul-Malik Abu Is Back In Raleigh Abu averaged 12.9 points and 8.8 rebounds per game last year while registering 14 double- doubles. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN