The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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44 ■ THE WOLFPACKER "You can tell he isn't a puppy anymore," Freeman said. "He's acting like a sopho- more and is talking more and saying stuff he wouldn't say as a freshman. "He is confident on the court and not shy taking shots. He could be even more vocal." Senior power forward Abdul-Malik Abu tested the NBA Draft waters after his soph- omore season and also understands the weight of expectations. "He's older, he's more mature and he's stronger," Abu said. "His special talent is going to come in right away and just shock you and just be good. "Sometimes things have to marinate a little bit. I feel like Omer is really where he wants to be right now." Yurtseven's time with the Turkey na- tional program delayed his ability to work with new Wolfpack strength and condition- ing coach Pat Murphy, but the start of the school year has allowed him to get to know Keatts and his staff better. "I feel like as a team, we keep adding on every single day [under Keatts]," said Yurtseven, who has gained about five pounds of muscle. "I hope that keeps go- ing. I watched all his games at UNC Wilm- ington and I feel like I have a good sense of the system. It will benefit me." Keatts said Yurtseven and Lennard Free- man were two of the most improved play- ers on the team. "I think his [Yurtseven's] confidence is back up where it should be," Keatts said. "I think the difference with him is that he is playing with a lot of confidence, pride and passion." Yurtseven and the rest of the Wolfpack players have already noticed a difference when it comes to attention to detail and competitiveness being stressed under the new staff. "He is just intense," Yurtseven said of Keatts. "He is focused 100 percent all of the time. If you do a mistake or if you lose a game, you run suicides. "It doesn't stop. You can do at least 10 suicidea (sprints on the court] a practice." Yurtseven still has the scars from last year, literally. Former freshman teammate Ted Kapita, who entered the NBA Draft but didn't get selected, left a pair of scars on Yurtseven's arm. The humbling experience from last year should pay off in a big way this season, even if Yurtseven is adjusting to a new staff and teammates. "Basically, it was the mental toughness," Yurtseven said of what he carried over from last year besides Kapita's scars. "I was struggling with a lot — the adaptation, the NCAA, the life and college, everything. "Now, I have settled in and I have one thing to focus on." Yurtseven earned a spot on the ACC All- Academic team last year and enjoys that side of the college experience. However, he knows what will take precedence when he gets some free time this winter. "Whenever I have time, I want to get in the gym," he said. ■ Yurtseven regained his confidence while playing for Turkey's under-20 team during the summer, averaging 17.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots over seven games. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2017-18