The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/896287
NOVEMBER 2017 ■ 43 The promise entering the season was long forgotten, and Yurtseven finished with av- erages of 5.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 18.9 minutes per game for the 15- 17 Wolfpack. "Those first nine games got me down, and I feel like I suffered a lot from that," Yurtseven said. Yurtseven didn't wait for NC State hire its next head coach, declaring for the NBA Draft March 14, seven days after the season ended. New NCSU head coach Kevin Keatts was hired March 17 and spent the spring trying to get to know his potential center. Yurtseven worked out for the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics, plus met with the Philadelphia 76ers. He also regained some of his confidence by playing well at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. The second round was a potential landing spot for Yurtseven, in what the NBA calls a "draft and stash" scenario, meaning Yurtseven would play overseas until he showed he's was ready to play in the league. The draft process proved to Yurtseven what he could to do to secure his long-term future, whatever year it might start. "Lateral quickness and defense," Yurtseven said when asked what he needs to improve upon the most. "I need more rebounding. They want to see me be more aggressive on the boards." Yurtseven might have been apart from the NC State program, but that doesn't mean his basketball development suffered during the summer. He spent two weeks of training with the Turkey under-20 squad and another two weeks with the Senior National Team. "I'm just trying to have a great season," Yurtseven said. "I practiced at least four hours a day the whole summer with the Turkey Senior National Team. We lifted, we ran in the mountains — it was like a boot camp for a month. "It has been a productive summer. It has been long, and it has been intense." Yurtseven averaged 17.0 points, 11.4 re- bounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game, and shot a nifty 61.3 percent from the field in the seven contests in under-20 action. The ability to clear his mind and work on his confidence could prove beneficial for NC State this season. "I saw where I came from and it basically made me understand how good of a player that I am," Yurtseven said. Freeman could see the difference in Yurtseven's confidence this fall. After sitting out the first nine contests of the 2016-17 campaign, Yurtseven posted 5.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 18.9 minutes per game. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2017-18