NC State Basketball
State Lays Egg Against BC: 79-63
What did an ACC Title & Final Four mean to NC State Legend TJ Warren? I caught up with the man who won the ACC Player of the Year Award in 2014 to get his take.
What was it like for you watching NC State go from the #10 seed in the ACC Tournament, to winning the Championship, to going to the Final Four?
I’m a second generation Wolfpack basketball player. Wolf blood runs through my veins, so to be able to witness a ride like that was truly amazing.
What did this run say about Kevin Keatts and these players? In what ways did you see them adapt, change or persevere?
I think that is speaks to the heart that the players have. As a 10th seed in the ACC tournament, it’s easy to pack it in and look towards the offseason, but they did the opposite. They bonded together over adversity and that’s what made them so endearing. Hard work in the face of adversity, that’s something that Wolfpack fans can relate to.
As one of the best players to ever wear the Red & White, what did this run mean to you personally?
As I mentioned earlier, NCSU hoops has been in my family for a long time, so it meant a whole lot personally. This run definitely took me back to some of the fond memories I have of putting on the Red & White and playing in front of a packed house at the PNC.
What was the most memorable moment for you?
I think Mike’s shot to tie the game at the end of regulation. It just felt like destiny at that point. Anytime you get to beat UNC and Duke days apart is special too.
How do you think this run can change things for the NC State Basketball program going forward?
I think that it puts us back on the national radar where we belong. After a magical run like that, I think it makes players want to be a part of that. A run like that reinvigorates a program definitely.
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Warren is 1 of only 6 NC State players to ever be named the ACC Player of the Year. In his Sophomore season, Warren was named a 2nd Team All-American by Sporting News and the AP. He averaged 24.9 points per game, which is the 5th best mark in a single season in NC State history. Warren scored 871 points that year, which is the most points ever scored in a single season by a Wolfpack player.
TJ was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 14th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
NC State Forward Ernest Ross announced today that he is entering the Transfer Portal.
View this post on Instagram
Ross played in 14 games this year, averaging 3.4 minutes per contest. After playing in 34 games last season, averaging 11.4 minutes per contest, Ross saw his participation dip to a career low this season, but that didn’t for a second break his infectious personality. On the sideline, you could count on Ross every single game to be the heart and soul of the Wolfpack on the bench. To watch a player who played as little as he did, care as much as he did, makes me super proud that this young man represented NC State so well.
Ross was a consensus 4-star player in the 2021 recruiting class, with 247Sports ranking him as the #60 overall player nationally. ESPN ranked him as the #5 overall player in the state of Florida.
Ross has one more year of eligibility remaining.
NC State has 3 scholarships available now.
Best of luck Ernest!
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When they have big wins it seems like they change everything the next game that got them the win. Especially in the rotations!
wolfpack74 Wolfer96 ryanmcollier I’ve been hearing if we finish 2-2 we’re in. According to a lot of bracketology prediction sites our magic number is 20 wins.
Feeling like it’s unfortunate that we’ll have to play a Syracuse team in what will be their last game of the season. Could be a tougher win than it would normally be. Syracuse should tank for the good of the conference.
wolfpack74 Wolfer96 ryanmcollier I mean let’s be honest here. If we want to get off of bubble status we need to win every remaining game and win at least one in ACC tourney. Then you could sleep at night without worry.
Hooray for Wolfpack SWIM! Is that the first ACC banner in any sport since the 80’s or 90s? Unfreaking believable that it’s been so long.
ryanmcollier Wolfer96 PackJunky Cat is exactly that. An Iverson-like score first PG. The problem with ranking H.S. kids is that too often scoring ability is the main focus. If you are athletic in H.S. you can dominate games because most teams you play against don’t have matching talent. So when our staff went to watch Cat play they saw him dominate his opponent. What they didn’t look for were those other skills necessary to be a good PG at the next level… court vision, interior passing, ability to penetrate and kick to open man. If Cat shot better from the 3 he… Read more »
Wolfer96 wolfpack74 ryanmcollier Thank god for the swim team. IMO, if we beat Clemson, it will be as valuable as the Duke, Louisville, and UNC upsets.
wolfpack74 Wolfer96 ryanmcollier Well it has been too long since State has hung any banners that’s for sure.
Wolfer96 wolfpack74 ryanmcollier I should be, I am the oldest. I had to endure mediocre as over achieving since the early 90’s when the fabulous Les Robinson took over and ruined the Pack.
wolfpack74 Wolfer96 ryanmcollier Well you are the angriest person on this blog 🙂
ryanmcollier Wolfer96 Of that list I would say only SF has less of a chance than the Wolfpack of winning another one. Both MSU and UF have won in recent memory. Cincy and OSU have both had a resurgence recently and we have lost to both teams under Gott if I recall correctly. OSU whipped us pretty good in that PR tourney. Expectations are funny. After making the tourney the last 5 seasons with Sendek the expectations were to compete for ACC title and make run at elite 8/final 4. After all, Sendek took us to a sweet 16 so no… Read more »
wolfpack74 Wolfer96 ryanmcollier ha
Wolfer96 ryanmcollier You better be careful about saying Gott has peaked. When I said it last week, I was blamed for whinning and not being a true Pack fan.
Wolfer96 Have won 2*
Wolfer96 ryanmcollier My expectations right now for this program are consistent NCAA berths, top 5 ACC standing, top 25-30 team. Right NOW emphasized. Typing that out kind of seems like that’s settling. Maybe it’s the obsession with the big dance – just wanting to compete, make it in.
6 teams have won at least 2 Nat’l titles. I’d say we compare fairly well to the other teams listed.
Which of these do you think will be the first to win again? (I’ve ranked them in the order I think):
Michigan State
Florida
N.C. State
Cincinnati
Ok State
San Fransisco
Wolfer96 ryanmcollier PackJunky Kevin Pangos of Gonzaga has that ability. It truly is a difference maker. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for that next game. I wonder if Cat hasn’t honed that skill yet as he’s more of a slashing/attacking PG. I only saw him play once in high school, but seems like he’s openly talked about his ability to get to the bucket Allen Iverson-esque. I’d take 12ppg 5apg 3rpg 42% PG for my program.
ryanmcollier Wolfer96 PackJunky Cat is averaging 3.8 Assist to 1.9 Turnovers a game. Not great numbers for a PG. Remember that Lo Brown had much more assists a game and back then they truly ran the high post. This season we barely run the high post. It’s been mostly high screen offense with an occasional high post (most likely due to lack of good passing front court player).
ryanmcollier Wolfer96 PackJunky If you watch the games carefully, there are so many instances where Cat is driving the lane and a man is wide open on the other side and a skillful bounce pass would lead to a much easier layup. But almost every time Cat will force the layup himself. Luckily he’s been more successful at it lately but the game could be so much easier if he’d learn to make that interior pass and work on his court vision.
ryanmcollier Wolfer96 Yes I am a 96 grad. Sorry not A&T but NC Central (last season). My solutions (just some humble opinions from a long time fan): 1. Need a coach that is a leader and motivator not just a good recruiter. Needs to teach discipline. I was really sad that Gregg Marshall was not interested during last search. 2. Need a coach that has more than one go to play (running Scott Wood/Turner around screens for contested 3). 3. Need coaching staff that is better at recruit evaluation. Prime examples: PG that can’t pass, Center that has no post moves… Read more »
Wolfer96 PackJunky So true! Abu isn’t a great passer, but he’s the best we’ve got. Kyle showed some evidence of passing abilities in the Duke game, but he is trigger happy, which is why he’s lost playing time, I think. You think Cat isn’t well-rounded? I don’t think it’s that he doesn’t know how to make an interior pass. I think it’s because the high-low offense doesn’t call for it. Bringing up another point — I don’t really like that offense for our personnel. We have had much more success with ball screen, pick & roll than wing-flares, and the base… Read more »
Wolfer96 ryanmcollier I’ll agree with your statement about youth. I think it is a viable excuse for inconsistency for any team with youth, but I think Duke’s freshmen are way more talented and better coached making up for some of their inconsistencies. Where as we have lower level talent, lower level coaching meaning that inexperience shows up more often; thus more losses, more often. Duke beats VT in overtime, has a tough go against GT, but pulls it out, but, you know, we beat them. We lose games late, can’t make the little things happen. College basketball – it happens. It’s… Read more »
ryanmcollier Wolfer96 Please not another young team reference. If this team is young then everyone in college basketball has a young team. Duke is led by a freshman center and PG. We start maybe one Freshman most games. We have a 5th year senior and a 4th year junior on the starting lineup. Please enough with the young team spiel. We didn’t hire a new coach to see more of the same. If that was the case we could have stuck with Sendek. The fans wanted more than just barely making the NCAAs every year. The fans wanted a return to… Read more »
Wolfer96 I would argue that Gottfried is consistent. We were projected 10th in the ACC and one of the very first released bracket projections had us as “last 4 in”. He’s a 20 win guy, winning post-season record, beating in-state competition. I mean, this is a young team – all teams have warts. It’s not just Gott’s M.O. it’s N.C. State’s M.O. Last ten wins against UNC have been met with a loss to follow. Some of it might be a culture change, maybe some maturity (very young team this year), and maybe some of it is college basketball. If… Read more »
wtaylor082671 I have wondered several times why we don’t start a game with some pressure. I think that would at least prevent a flat start, maybe get a turnover or two and some easy buckets. We need something to make sure we don’t do what has happened so many times this season. Especially in a jacked-up Little John.
PackJunky Problem is we only have 1 front court guy that can pass from the post (Abu). And his problem is staying in the game because he’s always in foul trouble. Anya and Freeman are not good passers out of the post and Kyle never saw a shot he didn’t like. Just get used to this one on one offense until Gott can actually recruit or develop a skilled big man and a well rounded PG. If you look at this team, it has a PG that doesn’t know how to make interior passes, a center that has no post… Read more »
We played poor D. Some of that was b/c they had guys hitting lights out who have been mediocre all season on offense… but that seems to be a pattern against us. I don’t know what to make of it… Maybe we have a reputation of being inconsistent and so always potentially beatable, so teams come into a game against us with a chip on their shoulder, like they know we are not mentally focused all the time, so they feel they can exploit our lapses and get on a run, then once we are down double digits, we can’t… Read more »
12 o’clock game, on the road, cold outside, after a big win… the writing was on the wall to come out flat. As a staff, they need to recognize this… perhaps come out in a full court press. Get the juices and intensity up out of the gate. Force the issue.
Classic Mark Gottfried coached result. Win vs unc then lose to lesser team. Kind of the opposite of Sendek who used to beat all the cream puffs but lose every game to unc and duke. I do recall fans being vocal about getting a coach who can beat unc and duke so all things considered Gott is delivering there better than his last 3 predecessors. Consistency would be nice though. After having beaten louisville and unc on the road, I have less to complain about than before those wins. Just wish he could keep his kids motivated. A team takes… Read more »
This is why we can’t get any good recruits anymore.
That was not an egg they laid today. It was their NCAA tournament life. Now they will have to win at Clemson and beat Syracuse. Probably not going to happen. Good bye State.