The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/916614
16 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK "Well, we're 1-0 in it, so there's a good chance you can see it again. I just felt special about Reynolds, coming into this atmo- sphere. It's a great venue to play in. For some reason, something told me to pull out the red jacket today." ■ NCSU men's basketball head coach Kevin Keatts on breaking out the red jacket for his first time in an 88-69 win over Missouri-Kansas City Dec. 9 at Reynolds Coliseum (TheWolfpacker.com) "[Former NC State head coach Dick] Sheridan wrote the book on how to play the game. And in the first opportunity he had to play it himself, Doeren executed if per- fectly. He'll return to State, not a hero, not even a particularly popular coach. He'll return to lead an 8-4 team into the bowl season, with more money for himself and his staff. And years from now, we might look back on this as a seminal moment for the Wolfpack." — Columnist Ed Hardin on NC State football coach Dave Doeren turn- ing down Tennessee to remain with the Wolfpack (The Greensboro News-Record) "I prayed so hard for him to stay at State because of the changes and great impacts he's done to the program. Also he's a great person to be around. I love everything about him. He treats everyone like family and with respect." — Raleigh Sanderson High senior running back commit Trent Pennix on having Doeren turn down Ten- nessee (TheWolfpacker.com) "Just growing up here, it's really important for me to play in this game and I knew I would not miss it. I would have to break an arm or a leg not to play. Our training staff did a great job all week getting me ready to play." — NC State junior running back Nyheim Hines on passing the concussion protocol and rushing for 196 yards and two touchdowns in the 33-21 win over North Carolina Nov. 25 (The Raleigh News & Observer) "I just saw the lane and I told myself no matter who is there, I was going to jump and try to dunk it. I knew who he was, I saw him. I still went up and poster." — NC State sophomore point guard Markell Johnson on his posterizing dunk against Missouri-Kansas City's 7-foot-2 center Mo Ahmed Dec. 9 (TheWolfpacker.com) "Talk about arm talent! Dev can rip it with the best of them. Put him in 1 on 1s in an NFL training camp and you would think he belonged there. Massive juice! Can't wait to see him develop at the [next] level." — Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, who worked with NCSU commit Devin Leary at the Elite 11 QB Camp, on Twitter after Leary was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in New Jersey for a second straight year. "Headed to NC State, four-star forward Jericole Hellems played the way he did during July when his stock totally took off. In Raleigh, I think he plays as a combo forward who can stretch the floor some and I was impressed by the work he's done adding strength without costing himself any flexibility or athleticism. He was very steady in scoring 22 points and grabbing seven rebounds in [St. Louis] Chaminade's loss to [Chicago] Simeon in the nightcap." — Recruiting analyst Eric Bossi on Wolf- pack senior signee Jericole Hellems (Rivals.com) PHOTO BY KEN MARTIIN QUOTING THE PACK Joshua Davis, Indoor Track & Field The fifth-year senior from Pelham, N.C., was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Divi- sion I National Athlete of the Week Dec. 5, after he won the JDL College Kickoff Classic weight throw with a toss of 76-3 Dec. 2 in Winston-Salem, N.C. It repre- sented a new school record by almost four feet and also the new standard at the JDL Fast Track facility. His toss would have also won the national title last year at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Davis won the same event a week later at the Hoosier Open in Bloomington, Ind. Melissa Evans, Volleyball It was a breakout season for the vol- leyball squad, which finished with a school-record 15 ACC wins and won its first-ever NCAA Tournament match. Ev- ans, a rookie opposite hitter from Lone Tree, Colo., ensures a bright future for the program. She was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team despite missing more than a month due to an injury. Prior to hurting her ankle, she was second on the team with 161 kills through 13 matches and was named ACC Freshman of the Week once. Elly Henes, Cross County/Track & Field The sophomore from Cary, N.C., kicked off the indoor track season at the Boston University Season Opener by finish- ing seventh in the 5,000 meters with a time of 15:49.29. It is the second-fastest mark in school history, which bumped her mother and women's cross country head coach Laurie Henes down a notch in the record book. During the cross country season, Henes was an All-American while helping the Wolfpack finish in eighth place at the NCAA Championships. She was second-team All-ACC in the 3,000 meters during last year's indoor season. Tziarra King, Soccer King made an assault on the record books during her second season at NCSU. The sophomore forward from Sick - lerville, N.J., tallied 17 goals — the sixth most in a single season at NCSU and fourth highest in the country this year. Her 40 total points ranked fifth nation- ally and stood as the seventh most in school history. Unsurprisingly, King was well lauded for her season, earning first- team All-ACC and first-team All-East Re- gion honors. Top Drawer Soccer rated King No. 26 on its list of the top 100 players in the country. Manny Perez, Soccer The newcomer from Garner, N.C., became NC State's first ACC Freshman of the Year since Blas Cardozo in 1992. The forward was also named second-team All-ACC and joined on the All-Freshman team by teammate and midfielder David Loera. Perez led NC State in goals scored (five) and total points (14). He was tied for second on the squad with four as- sists, trailing only Loera's five. The two rookies played an integral role in helping the Wolfpack end an NCAA Tournament drought that went back to 2009. ■ PACK PERFORMERS