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.
This is a horrible idea. A team that cannot defend in the half court, mostly because of lack of effort, isn’t going to be a team that figures out how to run a press effectively.
Effort is an issue which is why a press could work. Pressing makes a team have effort. Also the turnovers forced by pressing fuels teams. If a team forces a turnover and it results in an easy dunk they are even more intense the next possession. Half court hasn’t worked so why not see if they would give effort in a different look?
Pressing take a concerted effort by 5 players or else it gives the other team consistently open 3’s and layups. Pressing takes much more effort than a zone or half court man to man. To think a way to improve a teams effort is to give them more work does not make more sense to me.
A common theme you hear among players is missing assignments, I just find it hard to believe that this would not be the case in a press and that we would not pay more dearly for these mistakes. I do however believe that in instances like the Pitt game, using a press against a team without great ball handlers in spots is a great idea.
Are you kidding? Do you want the other team to shooting 75% from the floor? No one on the team can cover man to man. Teach a good zone and stop the 3’s.
Dribble-drive is going to be the only way this team can be successful. Having TH3 or SWJr run the baseline every time down the floor just isn’t going to work. State has been doing that play for 5 years now and the other ACC teams know how to defend it. There is absolutely no movement on the offensive end, it’s pathetic.
That said, an effective full court press requires 5 athletes. You can’t have one big lug that has trouble getting up and down the court. So if we’re going to do that from time to time, I’d think Abu and Kapita would be the best two bigs to have in the game, along with whichever three guards are freshest.
I’d like to see Coach stretch the perimeter defense a bit, but that means our bigs need to be much more focused and ready to defend the basket and they just aren’t right now. Anya’s the only big playing with any passion right now, and he’s too heavy to be effective more than occassionally. Abu and Yurt have to be more active and play tougher on both ends of the court.
Yurtseven’s play has been a microcosm of NC State’s problems. He’s soft, hesitant and lacking confidence. He’s only a few games into college career, so you don’t want to dump blame on him, but if State is going to change course, Yurtseven is going to need to start to play with a little more nasty and a lot more confidence.
Agree, but I’d rate Abu the even bigger example. Upper classman, should be wrecking opponents, but instead playing soft and with uncertainty. He should be a 20-10 guy, and instead he’s 12-7 and passes it to the wrong jersey 3 or 4 times a game. Plenty of blame to go around though.