The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/89497
WOLFPACK BASKETBALL year, while Brown averaged 12.4 points, 6.3 assists, 2.3 rebounds and an ACC-best 1.8 steals per contest. Rivals.com ranked Purvis No. 12 overall in the class of 2013, and he played in the McDonald's All- American Game and Jordan Brand Classic. NC State second-year head coach Mark Gottfried is proud of the achievements for his players and especially pleased with the improvements Leslie has made during his career. He also knows that the hype can be fleeting, and is more concerned with how NC State finishes rather than where it starts. "My initial reaction is that it says some- thing about the improvement of our pro- gram," Gottfried said. "I don't think it says anything about how we are going to play this year. We know that. It's a statement that we've gotten better and want to keep improving. It's important that we continue to do that." Gottfried didn't say which team he voted for first in the inaugural ACC coaches' poll. "I'm confident in my team, but that's something that should stay private," he said. NC State, defending champion Florida State, North Carolina and Duke appear to be the teams to beat in the ACC this season. The Wolfpack seniors have gone 2-3 versus FSU, 0-4 against Duke and 0-7 against the Tar Heels, with the two wins over the Seminoles happening when they were freshman. "I haven't had much success against Juniors C.J. Leslie (left) and Lorenzo Brown (right) were both selected for the preseason first- team All-ACC squad by the media. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN T NC State Picked To Win The ACC he NC State men's basketball team was picked to finish first in the ACC in the preseason media poll for the first time since the 1974-75 season. NC State was named the preseason ACC favorite by both the coaches and media, with the latter giving the Wolfpack 26 first-place votes and 601 points at ACC Op- eration Basketball Oct. 17 in Charlotte, N.C. Both groups also selected NC State junior power forward C.J. Leslie as the league's Preseason Player of the Year and freshman shooting guard Rodney Pur- vis as the Preseason Rookie of the Year. Leslie and junior point guard Lorenzo Brown also earned preseason first-team all-conference acco- lades in the media voting. 42 ■ THE WOLFPACKER NC State last won the ACC regular- NC State's ACC Predictions 2009-10: 9th (three-way tie) 2008-09: 10th 2007-08: 11th Last 10 Years 2012-13: 1st 2011-12: 8th 2010-11: 10th 2004-05: 6th (three-way tie) 2003-04: 2nd 2006-07: 10th (tied) 2005-06: 4th season crown in 1989 and the league tournament in 1987. Julius Hodge is the last NCSU postseason ACC Player of the Year and first- team All-ACC performer, earning both honors in 2004, and Hawkeye Whitney shared postseason Rookie of the Year honors with Duke's Mike Gminski in 1977. NC State went 24-13 over- all and 9-7 in the ACC last year, reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, and features four returning starters supplemented by Rivals.com's No. 4-ranked recruiting class. Leslie averaged 14.7 points, 7.3 re- bounds and 1.6 blocks per game en route to second-team All-ACC recognition last UNC and Duke," NC State senior wing Scott Wood said. "I've gotten Florida State a couple of times, but lately I haven't had much success against them. I've always Rk. School (first-place votes) 1. NC State (26) 2. Duke (21) 3. North Carolina 4. Florida State (6) 5. Miami 6. Maryland 7. Virginia 9. Georgia Tech 10. Virginia Tech 11. Wake Forest 8. Clemson 12. Boston College ACC Preseason Media Voting NC State (50 points); Michael Snaer, Florida State (50); James Michael McAdoo, North Carolina (41); Lorenzo Brown, NC State (40); and Mason Plumlee, Duke (39). ACC Player of the Year: C.J. Leslie, NC State. ACC Rookie of the Year: Rodney Purvis, NC Preseason first-team All-ACC: C.J. Leslie, 53 ballots were placed State. Points 601 589 520 484 436 341 287 277 189 169 151 90