The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/896287
76 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ■ Omer Yurtseven 14 • C So. • Istanbul, Turkey • 7-0 • 245 Analysis: Last year was a challenging season for Yurtseven, who was suspended for the first nine games and then thrown into the lion's den of the ACC. He was never allowed to get comfortable and it showed, but a year later he could be primed to showcase why he was considered a one-and-done prospect when he arrived at NC State. Career Highlights: Started 14 of 22 games played as a freshman … Had a double-double with 12 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in a victory over Pitt … Scored a career-high 16 points in a win over Rider … Contributed 10 points and a personal-best five blocks versus Miami … Rated as the No. 3 center in the class of 2016 by Scout.com … Was considered a five-star caliber prospect by Rivals.com … Averaged 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game to help Turkey grab a bronze medal at the 2016 FIBA U-20 European Champion - ship and was named to the All-Star Five … A year earlier, averaged 9.8 points and 9.7 boards for the U-18 team that won the silver at the U-18 European Championships … In the spring of 2016, made 36 of 60 field goal attempts to score 91 points in one game for the U-18 squad … Made five threes in that game and grabbed 28 rebounds. Coach's Corner: "I think he'll be tremendous in this system. He's a guy that can shoot shots from beyond the arc a little bit and 15- to 18-foot jump shots. With his size, he can score over both shoulders." — Kevin Keatts Personal: Engineering major … Son of Erdogan and Keziban Yurtseven … Birthday is June 19. STATISTICS Year G-GS MPG PPG RPG APG FG% 3FG% FT% 2016-17 29-26 18.9 5.9 4.4 1.2 45.7 33.3 71.9 Ten Questions With Omer Yurtseven What's your biggest pet peeve? Not taking care of your business like leaving your trash or leaving your laundry on the laundry machine and not taking it off. If you could pick your NBA team, which one would you play for? San Antonio Spurs. Who is your favorite non-basketball athlete? No one really. When did you first dunk a basketball? When I was 14. If you do not see me on the basketball court, where would you most likely find me? In my bed resting. Who is the funniest player on the team? Sam Hunt. In a few words, what was your first impression of coach Kevin Keatts? Smart and aggressive. Would you be willing to go skydiving? Definitely. If you knew you could have only one last meal, what would it be? Anything my mom cooks. Is there was a race on the team to see who was the fastest player, who'd win? Torin Dorn. It would be a battle between Torin and Markell Johnson. If it were longer [like 400 meters], it would be Torin. If it was a dash, then Markell. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2017-18