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Meet the SWAT Team

Published

9 years ago

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Never mentioned, rarely seen, and their importance is only known by a few. What am I talking about? I am talking about the members of the Swat Team. Composed mostly of walk-ons and graced with a few scholarship players at times. Their job is simple yet more difficult than most. The basic job of the Swat Team is to mimic and prepare the rotation players for upcoming opponents that the Pack will play.

Commonly known by most as the scout team, our group likes to be known as the Swat Team. I am really not sure who was the originator of the title; it was first mentioned in my junior year. I think it was a combination of Coach Lutz and Staats Battle.

Those who are members of Coach Lutz’s special group include all walk-ons and transfers who are sitting out because of NCAA regulated rules. It is a growth period for these guys who are sitting out. I saw Ralston Turner really progress as player due to constantly being called upon to play an important role on the Swat Team my senior year. Most of his assignments put him against the best players on our starting 5. He was also tasked with having to be the guy on offense for Coach Lutz. Ralston would play the role of the opposing team’s most dangerous scorer. He became comfortable in this role and it showed in his confidence to play through the ups and downs within a season.

Last season I know Trevor Lacey was in a similar situation. It will pay big dividends for him this season. I am sure he was forced to guard TJ Warren countless times last season, this will only help him once the season starts. As for this season I am sure that Terry Henderson will get a lot of run on the Swat Team.

Coach Lutz and other assistants help spearhead all the preparation of the Swat Team. Each opponent is carefully studied and charted. Then the walk-ons must do their best to learn many different systems and wrinkles to best simulate certain situations that will be seen come game time.

Certain qualities are a must for those who are trusted to run with Coach Lutz’s team. Everyone must have thick skin, listening abilities, toughness, and amnesia. Without a doubt at some point all members of the team will be yelled at, or put at a disadvantage simply from the facts that they are going up against players that are better than them. They must play extremely hard in order to make up for their lack of athleticism compared to many of the top players that have been recruited by Coach Gottfried and his Assistants.

Continuity is not on their side either; these players must be capable of adapting to ever changing schemes and wrinkles. They must know more plays and tendencies than the average player. Time is not on their side; many times there is only a couple of days at best to prepare for your next opponent. However I must say that all of the members of the Swat Team deserve credit! They approach their jobs each day with a blue-collar work ethic. They know there is little fanfare or accolades that will come from their countless hours of sacrifice. Yet they come back each and every practice and give it their all!

Have you ever wondered why there is so much happiness and cheering from all members from the team and staff when a walk-on scores a basket in a game that’s outcome has been decided? The reason is because everyone within a team realizes the sacrifice they put in everyday. Their jobs are inherently difficult, however, I would suggest that it is all worth it in the moment that they make a shot in front of a home crowd at the PNC. I am sure that is a feeling like none other.

Early in the season I am sure there will be a game where the Pack is up big, instead of heading for the parking lot early…stay and help make that moment a member of the Swat Team gets into the game even more special. It is very entertaining to see just how many contested three pointers will be taken, however, more times than not someone will score and all out hysteria will take place on the bench! You will want to be a part of it.

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NC State Basketball

Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar Commits to NC State

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6 hours ago

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April 26, 2024

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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.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

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1 day ago

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April 25, 2024

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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.

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NC State Basketball

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

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2 days ago

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April 24, 2024

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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.

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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.

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

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3 days ago

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April 23, 2024

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

 

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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.

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