The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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tracking the PACK Women's Basketball Program Inks Two ■ Red And White Notebook NC State head women's basketball coach Kellie Harper has signed a pair of promising players to bolster her backcourt and frontcourt. Harper received signed National Letters of Intent from Decatur (Ga.) Columbia High guard Miah Spencer and small forward Jennifer Mathurin of Montreal, who attends Champlain College Saint-Lambert in SaintLambert, Que. "Our program is excited to welcome two new members to the Wolfpack family," Harper said. "Miah Spencer is a combo guard who can score and distribute the ball. She is savvy on both ends of the court and she is a terrific teammate. Miah is a winner and a competitor who has proven herself in big games. "Jennifer Mathurin is a small forward who has the strength and ability to score around the basket as well as range to the three-point line. Her versatility is a big part of her game. Jenn is a mature young woman who should adapt quickly to our physical style of play." The 5-8 Spencer was a second-team all-state 3A selection her junior year after leading Columbia High to a state championship. She scored 15 points in the 57-33 title game victory over Washington County to cap a 24-5 season. Mathurin, a 6-1 forward, is one of the top players in Canada in recent years. She has twice led her Quebec Provincial team to bronze medal finishes at the Canadian National Championships. She was named the bronze medal game MVP after an 18-point, 12-rebound performance in 2010. Mathurin also guided her AAU team (DJSports Club) to the Provincial Championship title in 2009, and was named a first-team performer. Mathurin averaged 12.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last year for Champlain College Saint-Lambert. Safety Earl Wolff Earns First-Team All-ACC Fifth-year senior strong safety Earl Wolff was named first-team All-ACC Nov. 26 by the conference, while fifth-year senior offensive guard R.J. Mattes and junior cornerback David Amerson were named second-team performers. Wolff leads the 7-5 Pack with 136 tackles on the season and has 391 career tackles, which ranks fifth on NC State's all-time list. Wolff had a career-best 19 tackles at Clemson and has four games of at least 17 tackles this season. Wolff has also recorded a pair of interceptions this season and has five for his career. Mattes has seen action at both guard and tackle this fall on the offensive line, and he leads the Pack with 868 snaps played. Amerson finished the regular season with five interceptions, and his career total of 18 ranks third in ACC history. Amerson returned an interception against Boston College Nov. 24 for his third career score, and the Wolfpack is 5-0 this season when he has picked off a pass. NC State also had four players earn honorable mention honors: senior free safety Brandan Bishop, redshirt junior defensive end Darryl Cato-Bishop, fifth-year senior quarterback Mike Glennon and senior center Camden Wentz. Glennon has completed 295 of 511 passes for 3,648 yards with 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, and he also has rushed for a pair of scores. Bishop ranks second on the team with 99 tackles, and he has added three tackles for loss, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and nine passes defended. Cato-Bishop leads the squad with 6.5 sacks and is second with 10 tackles for loss, to go along with 34 tackles. C.J. Leslie Honored By The ACC NC State junior forward C.J. Leslie parlayed a pair of strong performances in wins over Connecticut in New York Dec. 4 and Cleveland State at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh four days later into the ACC Player of the Week honor announced Dec. 10. Leslie had 16 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks De Thaey will return to Belgium to be with his father, who is ill, and to pursue professional basketball opportunities in his homeland. De Thaey was expected to take on a bigger role this season after center/power forward DeShawn Painter (Old Dominion) and forward Tyler Harris (Providence) transferred last spring. Instead, freshman forward T.J. Warren has usurped the extra playing time available at power forward. Matt Hill To Play Web.com Tour Former NC State NCAA golf champion Matt Hill has conditional status to play on the Web.Com Tour in 2013 after tying for 118th at PGA Tour qualifying school. Golfer Matt Hill (shown at the 2009 NCAA Championships) earned Canadian Tour Rookie of the Year honors this past summer. photo by eric bronson in the 69-65 triumph over Connecticut at the Jimmy V Classic. He then had a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds against the Vikings. Leslie shot 12 of 15 in the two games combined. Thomas De Thaey Departs Men's Basketball Program NC State sophomore power forward Thomas De Thaey left the Wolfpack men's basketball team after five games. The 6-8, 244-pound De Thaey was head coach Mark Gottfried's first recruit up arriving at NC State in 2011, after he picked the Wolfpack over Washington. He informed his teammates Nov. 25 and his departure was confirmed by Gottfried. "Thomas let our staff know … that he felt it was important to return home to be with his family at this time," Gottfried said. "I wish him the best." The Dendermonde, Belgium, native — who attended the Canarias Basketball Academy in the Canary Islands — averaged 1.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 5.6 minutes per outing while playing in 19 games for NC State's Sweet 16 squad last year. He struggled with his shooting during sporadic minutes, connecting on 27.3 percent of his field goal tries and 15.4 from three-point range. Hill missed out on his attempt to make the PGA Tour in 2013 through the six-round qualifying tournament in California. Hill earned Canadian Tour Rookie of the Year honors this past summer, as well as the top spot on the Order of Merit, and earned just less than $50,000 in Canada, earning an exemption into the second stage of PGA Tour qualifying school. Hill won once and lost in a four-hole playoff in consecutive weeks on the Canadian Tour. He also had four top-10 finishes on the eGolf Pro Tour in 2012, before heading home to play in his native Canada. Hill won the 2009 NCAA championship for NC State at The Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. Ryan Hill To Compete In 106th Millrose Games NC State fifth-year senior Ryan Hill received an invitation to compete in the two-mile race at the 106th Millrose Games Feb. 16. Hill is a five-time All-America selection in three seasons at NC State and the American collegiate record holder in the 3,000-meter race. The Hickory, N.C., native will join eight-time Wanamaker Mile champion Bernard Lagat in racing at the two-mile distance. 16 ■ the wolfpacker 10-12,14,16,18.Wolfpack News.indd 16 12/11/12 2:40 PM