Don’t look now but this week officially kicks off the start of college basketball season. Does it seem abnormally early? Well yes it does, this is the earliest that the NCAA has allowed teams to begin practice. I remember when I was a part of the program; October 15th marked the official start to the season. However I think it’s a good thing that the NCAA is allowing the teams to get a head start. Not only does this give the coaches more time to implement their strategies, but it also gives the players more time to develop and gel with each other. Overall it should improve the product that we as fans see, especially early in the season.

In past time I remember the pains of the early games and the quality of teams to start the season. Many games would be plagued with turnovers, fouls, and low shooting percentages. However recently with the NCAA loosening their grip on coaches and the amount of practice allowed, teams have been more prepared and enjoyable to watch. Now I know what some people are thinking, this just adds to the already long season for the athletes. But the added time actually gives the coaches the ability to give athletes more days off to recover and absorb the information that is dumped on them.

As for the Wolfpack, look for a different look, or actually an earlier look. Last season proved to me that Coach Gottfried was willing to adjust to fit the strengths of the team that he had. He didn’t force certain aspects of the offense on them, he allowed the players to run a more basic form of the UCLA high post attack. Last season we were not as balanced as we were in the previous two seasons offensively. In Coach Gottfried’s first two season we had 4 to 5 players all average right around 10 to 14 points a game, personally I believe that is what Gottfried prefers. However last season we were short on scorers, luckily we had the BEST scorer in the country in TJ Warren to bail us out and shoulder most of the scoring load night in and night out!

This season I would bet that there would be 4 or 5 players averaging right around double figures. As always Coach Gottfried loves to run and attack in the break, but look for more execution out of this bunch than last year. Experience in the frontcourt will be a major reason why. Last season the only big that had any experience in the high post offense was Jordan Vandenberg; the others had to learn on the fly.

BeeJay, Kyle, and Lennard all have had one full season and a full offseason to improve. You will see them look much more comfortable in the high post, making reads and feeding each other in the low post. This is when the offense becomes nearly unstoppable. As you have the posts players working together, it opens everything up on the perimeter. Our point guard will find it much easier to initiate the offense; wings will get open more regularly and catch the ball in the proper location (I.E. not 35-40 feet from the basket). Overall the offense should look much more fluid.

I am extremely optimistic about the upcoming season. I cannot wait to see all of the new pieces and how they all gel together. Look for the incoming freshman class to have a big impact on the season. The Martin twins will be capable defenders given their length and athletic abilities. Abu will be a monster with he quickness and explosiveness around the rim. Only time will tell on how Coach Gottfried and his staff will utilize the wealth of depth and talent that this team possesses!

Tip off is slated for November 8th at PNC. If you want to see the talent before hand go and check out the Throwback with the Pack, and get to see some the legends of the past highlighted by David Thompson, Tom Gugliotta, Vinny Del Negro, Cozell McQueen, Thurl Bailey, Rodney Monroe, Chris Corchiani, and Julius Hodge.

Make sure to get to Reynolds early, Throwback with The Pack will begin 30 minutes following the conclusion of the NC State vs UNC Volleyball game (6:30 pm)