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Pack on the Run: Can they keep it up vs. Jacksonville?

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9 years ago

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NC State vs. Jacksonville
7pm | PNC Arena | ESPN3

2 games into the season and its pretty evident that the Wolfpack are much more suited in the open court than the half-court. Our fast break offense has been fluid and efficient, with Cat spearheading the attack. He has made it a point of emphasis to race the ball up the court in order to keep pressure on opposing defenses. A trademark of Coach Gottfried’s teams is in their ability to score quickly. A simple teaching point that Coach Gottfried likes to instill into his player’s mind is to push the ball, whether off of a make or a miss.

I have been pretty impressed with our ability to score in the open court off of turnovers as well as makes. Teams will not be able to celebrate a made shot, as the Pack have looked to push the ball up the court and establish a quick offense to get a good look early in the clock. It is imperative that the Pack score early in the shot clock, as all too often our offense has ended with a contested jump shot as the shot clock creeps inside 10 seconds.

An area of improvement that the Pack can make to be even more efficient in the break is to hit the big men as they cross screen. A key action occurs in Gottfried’s fast break offense, and that is as the ball rotates from one wing to the other, our big men cross screen for each other. Cross screens in the break can be a nightmare to defend against as it creates mismatches, and causes confusion. However timing is vital. All to often this season our big men have been a fraction of a second late, which has made entry-passes difficult and tested our guards patients. We must improve upon this. We will improve on this. Once the timing works out, we will be even more deadly in the break.

This will also help Kyle, BeeJay, Lennar, and Abu gain confidence early. One reason I think our big men have struggled to score this season is because we are not executing our offense adequately enough for them to catch the ball in the sweet spots. In my opinion we are catching the ball too far off the elbow, and the block. This causes the help side defense to have more time to recover, which is why we have seen our big men get in-trouble as they make their post moves.

How can we fix these problems? It takes time and I know the coaches are working diligently with our guys to clean up some timing issues as well as build chemistry. In order for our guys to get the ball in the correct spots they must work hard off the ball. Everything in basketball is predicated on movement and angles! A technique that Coach Gottfried teaches our players is to beat your opponent with your feet. You must get you feet ahead of your defender to beat him to your spot. Once BeeJay prefects this skill he will be an absolute terror underneath. Can you imagine trying to stop him if he catches the ball inside the paint with his defender pinned on his back? The only way is to foul him or give up the easy flush.

Thus far I have liked what I have seen from our team. All of our guys are giving maximum effort and are bringing the energy on the defensive end. Another trait that I like is in their ability to be coached. Players have been responsive to criticism from the coaches and have had positive body language. This fact tells me that the guys have bought in! As we clean up some of the little details this team will undoubtedly exceed expectations and look to push their consecutive trips to the NCAA to 4.

We’ll see tonight if the Pack can continue to run over Jacksonville.

 

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NC State Basketball

Georgetown Transfer Dontrez Styles Commits to NC State!

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9 hours ago

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April 18, 2024

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Georgetown Forward Transfer Dontrez Styles (6’6″/212) has committed to NC State!

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.

ON3 ranks Styles as the #104 overall player in the Portal.

With his final year of eligibility, Styles’ made the right choice this time.

NC State now has 2 scholarships remaining after Styles’ commitment.

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NC State Basketball

NC State Forward Katie Peneueta Enters the Transfer Portal

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1 day ago

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April 17, 2024

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NC State Forward Katie Peneueta is entering the Transfer Portal.

Peneueta transferred to NC State last offseason from Sacramento State, where she averaged 8.4 points, shooting 45.5% from three.

In her one year at NC State, Peneueta only played 8 games for the Wolfpack, battling injuries throughout the year. Peneueta has 1 year of eligibility.

With Peneueta entering the Portal, NC State now has 3 scholarships available heading into the 2024-25 season.

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NC State Basketball

Boston Center Caitlin Weimar is on an Official Visit to NC State

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2 days ago

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April 17, 2024

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Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar (6’4″) is currently on an Official Visit to NC State.

Weimar 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 NC State not having River Baldwin at Center next year, adding Weimar is an extremely exciting possibility.

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NC State Basketball

What did an ACC Title & Final Four Mean to NC State Legend TJ Warren?

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2 days ago

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April 17, 2024

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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.

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