Connect with us

For the past week or so the Dail Center has been closed because they are redoing the floor just in time for the new season to start.  However, this has left many players looking for a basket during this time.  If anyone was out at the Carmichael student recreation facility this past week, you could have seen first hand some former Pack players, as well as Terry Henderson.  This past week Scott Wood and I were looking to workout.  He is preparing to head back to Spain, and we had to turn to Carmichael in order to get some work in.  As we were working out and getting shots up, TJ Warren and Terry Henderson arrived to workout as well.

After getting some skill work and shots up some students wanted us to run some pick up games.  The boys couldn’t turn down a little up-and-down action.  I myself was lucky enough to run with them and can say that it was easy racking up assists as I had Scott Wood (all-time leader in made three’s in NC State history), TJ Warren (arguable one of the best pure scorers in State history) and Terry Henderson on my team.  Spoiler alert: Terry will make a huge impact this season. It was a blast playing with these guys and seeing them interact with students.

I expect that TJ Warren will have a big-time coming out party for the Suns, as they seem to be trading guys in order to give him more floor time.  Scott is gearing up to play his third season for Murcia this upcoming season.  He re-signed his contract and is excited about the hiring of Fotsis Katsikaris who hails from Greece and was on the bench for the Greek national team.  As for Terry, I was extremely impressed with his skill set and athleticism. Henderson has a great grasp of the game and uses that to put himself into positions where he can capitalize on his athletic ability.  A lot of players have elite athleticism, but do not have the required skills to take full advantage.  Terry should not have this problem.

There is a reason why these players are so good, and that is because they love the game.  I was impressed in my senior year at how much TJ (then a freshman) practiced.  He literally lived in the gym.  Even now that he has made it to the NBA he is not satisfied and wants to get better. This is why he will have a long NBA career.  Scott is the same way, he doesn’t care about accolades, he is only concerned with winning. He is the ultimate team guy.  Even though I only played with Terry a couple of times I got the same vibe from him.  He wants to win and compete!  Everything else is secondary.  Basketball never stops for guys like this and that is the secret to their success.

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

NC State Basketball

ON3’s Jamie Shaw Puts in a Prediction Georgetown SF Transfer Dontrez Styles will Land at NC State

Published

2 hours ago

on

April 15, 2024

By

ON3’s Jamie Shaw put in an RPM earlier today for Georgetown Small Forward Transfer Dontrez Styles to land at NC State. All-time, Shaw’s prediction accuracy is 87%.

I spoke with a source, and it seems like this prediction has some merit.

ON3 ranks Styles as the #66 overall prospect in the Portal.

Styles was the 2nd leading scorer for Georgetown this season, averaging 12.8 points per game, while grabbing 5.8 boards. He shot 36.8% from three.

Originally, Sytles was a consensus 4-Star prospect in UNC’s 2021 recruiting class. 247Sports ranked him as the #62 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina, playing for Kinston High School.

After two seasons with the Tar Heels, Styles entered the Portal, and took an Official Visit to NC State and Georgetown, and ultimately chose the Hoyas.

With his final year of eligibility, maybe he’ll make the right choice this time.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

Tennessee Guard Freddie Dilione V is Visiting NC State Tomorrow

Published

14 hours ago

on

April 15, 2024

By

Tennessee Transfer Guard Freddie Dilone V (6’5″/195) is visiting NC State tomorrow.

Dilone V just wrapped up his Redshirt Freshman season with the Volunteers, averaging 1.7 points in 5.2 minutes of play per game (18 games).

In 2022, Dilone V was a consensus 4-Star prospect, and the #33 overall prospect nationally according to Rivals. ON3 and 247Sports both ranked Dilone V as the #1 player in the state of North Carolina, playing right down the road at Word of God Academy in Raleigh.

Currently, 247Sports ranks Dilone V as the #71 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #10 Combo Guard. He played his first three seasons of high school ball down in Fayetteville at Trinity Christian.

Dilone V has 3 more years of eligibility.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ELITE MIXTAPES (@elitemixtapestv)

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

PI EXCLUSIVE: 2024 4-Star Signee Paul McNeil Breaks Down His Thoughts On NC State’s Miraculous Run

Published

17 hours ago

on

April 15, 2024

By

The run the NC State Men’s Basketball team went on in March had the whole country watching, but what was it like to watch through the eyes of an incoming Freshman who will be joining the team next year? 4-Star 2024 Shooting Guard Paul McNeil shared his thoughts with me on the Wolfpack’s unforgettable run.

What was it like for you to watch NC State as the #10 seed in the ACC Tournament win 5 games in 5 days to win the Title?

What we did this year shows seeding doesn’t matter. What our guys did was just another level, and when you get between those lines, it’s a different type of static. I believe it took a lot of discipline and focus to win five games in five days. I also feel like the fan base played a huge part to the team by bringing extra energy and not making them feel alone.

What do you think happened to turn this team around?

You have to give God all the glory because without Him guiding us, we wouldn’t have made it how we made it. Also, it’s about the jersey you put on and the pride of it all. It’s like there’s no way we go out this way and they clicked at the right time. The team was just rolling and I also think the mentality of all the players changed.

As a player signed with NC State, how proud were you to see NC State go on this run, from the ACC Championship, to the Final Four?

I’m very proud of the guys. They deserved to win it all, but it just didn’t happen that way. I’ve been saying they were the best team in the ACC and I always knew we had the right pieces to be the best.

What does it mean for you to see Coach Keatts get the recognition he’s getting?

Oh man, he deserves it, especially coming from where he comes from and all the things he dealt with. With all the media attention, he still stayed focused and locked in towards the team. Coach Keatts is very blessed and very humble.

How do you think this run will help the future of NC State basketball?

It will put more eyes on us and teams know now to not overlook us and underestimate us ever again. It was never a Cinderella story — it was never ‘oh they just got lucky.’ This run will definitely help us a lot and I’m forever grateful for what the boys did.

_______

McNeil (6’7″/185) led Richmond to the semifinals of the NCHSAA 4A State Playoffs this season, before losing to #1 Hanover 55-53.

As a Senior at Richmond (Rockingham, NC), McNeil averaged 31.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.6 assists per game.

ON3 ranks McNeil as the #49 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, the #15 Small Forward, and the #6 player on the state of NC.

McNeil is a part of a 2-man 2024 Freshman Class that includes 4-Star Guard Trey Parker.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

NC State Has Shown Interest in Oregon Transfer Forward Grace VanSlooten

Published

1 day ago

on

April 14, 2024

By

NC State has shown interest in Oregon Transfer Forward Grace VanSlooten (6’3″).

VanSlooten is one of the top players in the Transfer Portal, averaging 15.0 points and 7.1 rebounds as a Sophomore this past season for the Ducks, earning All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention. In her first year, she was a member of the Pac 12 All-Freshman Team, averaging 13.2 points and 5.6 rebounds.

NC State is returning all three starters in their backcourt, but are losing both starters in their frontcourt in River Baldwin and Mimi Collins.

Continue Reading