NC State Basketball
NC State Basketball Thursday Web Run (12/12)
To be honest, there’s not too much news to report on State sports right now. It’s the notorious slow period around the holidays, but there are a few nuggets floating around out there. Here they are with a few little takeaways from us.
– N&O: Jordan Vandenberg Emerges
Barry Jacobs has a nice piece out on Jordan in the N&O. It’s pretty spot on talking about injuries, logjams at the position and a weight problem that was holding the 7’1 Aussie back. I really think a lot of it was confidence issues that aren’t discussed in the article. Fans were pretty critical of Vandenberg every since he raised expectations with a between the legs dung in his dunk contest appearance as a freshman. He played well in his early chances to spell Tracy Smith, but nothing ever came of it. Jacobs does hit on the fact that Gottfried grew tired of him being content as a backup, which is warranted because he did get way out of shape there for a while. With the weight gain came some real confidence problems. He looked nervous and lost every time he touched the ball last season. This year he’s reshaped his body and is finally living up to (and exceeding) the Pack’s expectations for him.
Key Quote: “I’m not trying to play for my own personal glory,” he said repeatedly during an interview this week. “I’m trying to get my team somewhere.”
– We were the first to break the news that the Holt brother’s construction company was going to be renovating Reynolds coliseum in the near future and recently a new mock-up of the proposed space has started floating around. The space is pretty much the same on the sides, however in the endzone it looks like they’ll have a glass area, probably for recruits or VIPs. The only problem people seem to be having here is the cost. Looks like State will be dumping $40 million into this project. Sounds like a bit much, does it not?
Terrence and Torry Holt’s construction company will be renovating Reynolds Coliseum
— PackInsider.com (@PackInsider) September 11, 2013
– USA Today: Sidney Lowe Pleads Guilty to Tax Charges
Now on to the bad news. Our boy Sid has taken another fall. This makes me pretty sad, to be honest. I loved Sid, I loved the story of him coming back to save NC State as a head coach. Sadly, it was a crash and burn type scenario from there on out. His teams were pretty undisciplined and he just wasn’t quite ready to handle the duties of a college head coach. That was sad, but I still applauded the fact that he stepped up when no one else would. But now we find out he hasn’t been paying his taxes. Yikes. But hey, we still love Sid, don’t we? I mean, he was part of the most storied year in the history of NC State. See what winning will do for you!?
– Lorenzo Brown getting some major minutes for Philly. As you probably already know, Brown was cut by the T-Wolves (the team with 1000 point guards) and picked up by the 76ers. Last night for example, Brown logged 19 minutes, scored 4 points and dropped 6 dimes. The one blemish? 5 TOs. Zo is going to have to cut the TOs down if he wants to stick with Philly for the long term, however they really don’t have too many other options.
– Next up for the Pack is the 5-5 Detroit Titans. The game is this Saturday at 6pm. It’s on ESPN3 and being played at Reynolds Coliseum.
Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) is a priority for NC State, according to a source.
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.
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.
He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.
NC State already hosted Indiana State Transfer Guard Ryan Conwell last week, and while the Wolfpack coaches like both players, from what I’m hearing, James would be their preference.
NC State hasn’t had James in for a visit, but that could happen soon.
James has 2 years of eligibility remaining.
NC State Basketball
NC State’s Casey Morsell is the 4th Player in NCAA History to Start 41 Games in a Season
NC State has Dominated UNC in Athletics in 2023-24
WATCH: Highlights from NC State’s Series Clinching Win Over #11 UNC
NC State Came From Behind to Beat UNC 5-4 Securing 1st Home Series Win Over the Tar Heels Since 2016!
Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James is Currently Visiting NC State
Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James is a Priority for NC State
Players in the Transfer Portal that Have Heard from NC State
Rothstein’s Way-Too-Early 2024-25 Preseason Top-25
Indiana State Transfer Shooting Guard Ryan Conwell Set to Visit NC State
NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Has Professional Options in France
Looking to Next Year: 4-Star SF Paul McNeil Jr. Will Make an Instant Impact
2024 NC State Commit Trey Parker Finishes 2nd in OTE Dunk Contest
VIDEO BREAKDOWN: Was BYU 3 point barrage unstoppable, or was NC State’s defense to blame? You decide.
VIDEO: Terquavion Smith GOES OFF in G-League Debut with 37 points & 8 Boards
NC State lands combo guard DJ Horne from the portal
