Connect with us

NC State Basketball

Wolfpack Outlasts Long Beach St. 76-66

Published

10 years ago

on

NC State 76 – Long Beach State 66 – Boxscore

Mark Gottfried Press Conference Audio:

 

Cat Barber (19 pts) and TJ Warren (23pts) led the scoring and Lennard Freeman (13 boards) and Vandenberg (5 boards, 3 blocks) held down the middle as the Pack pulled away in the second half, beating Long Beach State 76-66.

Another game, another nice showing by this young Pack team. Although they struggled to get things going early in the first half, they made adjustments and took control later on. Here are a few takeaways that stood out to us:

– State still struggles some against the zone. In the first half State really didn’t move the ball that well. They were seemed slow and unsure of themselves. This shouldn’t be the case. Teams have and will be zoning State all season. This is an athletic group, but one that has struggled from beyond the arc. They shot 20% from downtown in this one and they still came out with the win. That’s not going to be the case when they go up against big time teams like Duke and Carolina. With that said, they did do a nice job of the second half of getting inside Lone Beach St.’s zone and making things happen. Vandenberg and Warren has some really nice interior passing that led to some really easy buckets.

– Cat Barber is turning into a star. This kid is really answering the bell early in this season. He was definitely the Pack’s player of the game against the 49ers and just keeps getting better week by week. He finished with 19 points and 4 assists on 7-15 shooting. He had some unbelievable moves off the dribble and really got State going against the zone in the 2nd half. Those, however, are not the reasons that Cat Barber logged 35 minutes in this one. His defense on Mike Caffey was the key. In the half court, Barber was able to really shut down the star guard. While he did get his average, most of his points were uncontested on the break. Barber’s defense is a huge plus for the Pack and something that is winning him minutes over Tyler Lewis right now.

– Lennard Freeman had 13 boards and is becoming a true force for NC State. The 17 year old freshman isn’t scared of anyone. He’s built like a man and plays like a man down on the blocks. I can’t help but think of Richard Howell when I watch him play. He fights for every loose ball and attacks every ball off the glass. He’s a hungry one and his offense is starting too come around as well. If and when that happens, this kid will become a superstar. As a freshman Richard Howell was lazy, overweight and didn’t care much about rebounding. Things drastically changed and he became one of the hardest working, beloved Pack players in recent memory, but what if he would have had 4 years with that outlook instead of just 2. Freeman does have those 4 years and if he keeps doing what he’s doing he could become the best rebounder State has had in a long, long time.

– TJ Warren did it again. 23 points, 10-18 shooting, 5 boards, just another game for the sophomore leader. I’m going to say that again…sophomore leader. It’s hard to believe TJ is only a sophomore. His game is so advanced, his scoring and game play is so fluid. He’s now averaging 22.6 ppg, leading the ACC. I’m not sure what else you can say about him, he’s a legit pro and probably the best scorer State has seen since Hodge.

– Vandenberg policed the middle against LBS and really caused problems. I wish ‘altered shots’ or ‘change of decision’ was a counted stat because Vandy would be a league leader. He only scored 2 points, had 5 boards and added 3 blocks, but his presence alone did so much more. Long Beach State didn’t really know what to do inside. They were forcing quick shots, changing their release and passing out in situations that they would usually shoot…and it was all because of Big V. He had big blocks early on that sent a message to the 49ers. They received that message and looked uncomfortable all night when they were in the paint.

——-

Next up for the Pack (6-2) is the Detroit Titans, this Saturday at 2pm at the PNC Arena.

Related Topics:
Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

NC State Basketball

Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar Commits to NC State

Published

7 hours ago

on

April 26, 2024

By

Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar (6’4″) has verbally committed to NC State for her final year.

Weimar took an Official Visit to NC State a little over a week ago.

She is the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year, and has been named Defensive Player of the Year the past two years. She has earned 1st Team Patriot League Honors the past two seasons.

This year, Weimar averaged 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. As a Junior, she averaged 15.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. She shot 55.5% this year, and 59.7% last year.

With the exodus of River Baldwin, picking up a commitment from Weimar is massive.

With the addition of Weimar, NC State now has 2 scholarships available heading into the 2024-25 season.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

Published

1 day ago

on

April 25, 2024

By

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) has committed to NC State!

Hill took an Official Visit to NC State this past weekend.

This past season, Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons. He earned 1st Team All-MAC honors. Even though he was only at Bowling Green one season, he had one of the best seasons in school history, scoring 698 points, which ranks 5th all-time in program history for a single season.

For his first two years of collegiate ball, Hill played for Southern Union State College (JUCO) in Alabama. In 2022-23, Hill earned 3rd Team NJCAA All-American honors, and ranked as the #32 overall Junior College prospect.

247Sports ranks Hill as a 4-Star Transfer Prospect, and the #81 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruiting him as a Point Guard.

Hill is the 4th player to transfer to NC State this offseason, joining Louisville’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield & Mike James, and Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles.

With the addition of Hill, NC State now has 1 scholarship remaining for next season.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Will Not Return to NC State for Final Season

Published

2 days ago

on

April 24, 2024

By

NC State Forward Mohamed Diarra will not be returning to NC State for his final season of eligibility. Rather, he will give 100% of his focus to pursuing his professional career.

Image

Diarra is declaring for the NBA Draft, and will explore that possibility as far as it goes, but the likelihood of him playing professionally in his home country of France are high.

Diarra was a significant player for NC State all season long, averaging 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (team high), but his impact in March was tremendous, recording 10+ rebounds in 7 of the Wolfpack’s 10 postseason games, and five of those performances were double-doubles.

Wolfpack fans will always remember the grit and mental toughness that Diarra put on display in the NCAA Tournament, playing game-after-game while fasting for Ramadan.

The Wolfpack’s frontcourt just got a little bit thinner. In the past two weeks, NC State has lost Diarra and Ernest Ross.  Ben Middlebrooks is returning, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield transferred in from Louisville. Dontrez Styles transferred in from Georgetown, and while he is more of a Small Forward, in certain lineups, he could play the Small 4 position. With all that being said, I fully expect NC State to try to find another post player in the Transfer Portal with Diarra’s exodus now official.

With Diarra not returning in 2024, NC State now has 2 scholarships available for next season.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

Published

3 days ago

on

April 23, 2024

By

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) has announced his commitment to NC State!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tipton Edits (@tiptonedits)

This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.

James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.

News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining. With James’ commitment, NC State currently has 1 scholarship available for next season.

Continue Reading