The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/811149
TRACKING THE PACK ONE AND DONE BY MATT CARTER D ennis Smith Jr. announced March 28 during a live interview on ESPN's SportsCenter that he would enter the NBA Draft after his freshman sea- son at NC State. In his one year, the point guard averaged 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. Smith led the ACC in assists and was second in steals. He was named second- team All-ACC, becoming the first Wolfpack freshman to be picked first or second team all-conference in school history. Smith also was tabbed as the ACC Freshman of the Year, making him the first NC State player to be the sole recipient of the award. Hawkeye Whitney shared the honor with Duke's Mike Gminski in 1977 and is the only other Pack player to win it. Here are some of the highlights of Smith's time in Raleigh: 20 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Likely Top-10 NBA Draft Pick If early NBA mock drafts are an accurate indication, odds are that Smith could end up in one of two very different locations: Philadelphia or Sacramento. As of April 9, however, that was not the consensus. What is agreed upon is that he is a likely top-10 pick. Mock Draft Projection, Team ESPN.com No. 5, Philadelphia 76ers CBSSports.com No. 5, Philadelphia 76ers SI.com No. 7, Sacramento Kings DraftExpress.com No. 7, Sacramento Kings NBADraft.net No. 8, Minnesota Timberwolves FanRag Sports Network No. 9, Dallas Mavericks If Smith does go in the top 10, he would join exclusive com- pany in NC State history, becoming the 12th Wolfpacker to get selected that high. Here are the others: Pick Player Year 1 David Thompson 1975 3 Tommy Burleson 1974 3 Chris Washburn 1986 4 Jackie Moreland 1960 4 Ronnie Shavlik 1956 6 John Richter 1959 6 Kenny Carr 1977 6 Tom Gugliotta 1992 7 Thurl Bailey 1983 8 Sam Ranzino 1951 10 Bob Speight 1953 " They [the NBA] love his natural ability. They compare him to a poor, poor man's Russell Westbrook with his build and explosiveness. But they do worry about the fact that NC State only won 15 games this past year." ■ ESPN's Jeff Goodman Triple-Double Man Smith joined Julius Hodge as the only Wolfpack players to record a triple-double, and he became the first to do so multiple times. Smith is also the first ACC player to have multiple triple-doubles in the same season in conference action and the fourth league player to do it in the same season when including non-conference games. • Jan. 4 vs. Virginia Tech: 27 points, 11 as - sists and 11 rebounds • Feb. 1 vs. Syracuse: 13 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds IN THE NC STATE RECORD BOOKS All-Time Single Season For Freshmen Category Numbers Rank Scoring Average 18.1 1 Steals 62 1 Field Goals Attempted 420 1 Minutes Played 1,114 2 Field Goals Made 191 2 Free Throws Made 143 2 Free Throws Attempted 200 2 Assists 197 2 Points In A Game 32 3 Three-Pointers Attempted 153 4