State didn’t come out flat as many reports are stating. In fact, they came out with a lot of energy and looked like they might put the Tigers on the ropes pretty quickly. That, however, became less and less likely as State started to get ice cold from the field. As their confidence wavered, so did their defense. Clemson hit a few uncontested shots and all of the sudden State collapsed and the Tigers went on a roll. By halftime State found themselves in a 36-16 hole.
With Lacey and Turner ice cold, State turned to Abu who had another nice all-around game, but still only hit 6-14 shots. When it became clear that State wasn’t going to get their shots to fall, Gottfried amped up the defense and went with full court pressure. This sped up the Tigers, forced poor shots, created turnovers and got the Pack out in transition. They scratched and clawed to get it going, but the hole was too deep and the shots just weren’t going down when they needed them. Lacey dropped in a few big shots down the stretch and State got within 5, but that would be it. Untimely mistakes and poor decisions by the Pack down the stretch allowed Clemson to cling to life and ultimately escape with the victory.
Here is our take.
Ok first off…Stop the ‘Fire Gottfried’ stuff
Believe me, if these types of losses are happening two years from now, then fine, you can start the ‘fire Gott’ calls, but some of you people on twitter are acting like children who’s toys got taken away. Gottfried is not without flaws, but the people that are being vocal about him being fired right now are, I’d guess, not familiar with the inner workings of a team at this level.
You do understand that Gottfried has been at NC State for less than 4 years ,right? You understand that his first couple years were playing with Sid Lowe’s leftovers and that you are behind the curve when you start recruiting. Your first few classes are patchwork classes. You are late to the game and need to fill slots. You pick up flawed players and hope they pan out. Some did, some didn’t, but he always kept his group together and motivated enough to make it to the tournament ( a place that just 10 years ago some of the same fans calling for Gott’s head would have given their first born to be invited to.) The first class Gottfried really should be getting judged on is this years freshman class. This is the group that he was able to really focus on and create relationships with as underclassmen. He wasn’t going after late bloomers, he wasn’t taking anyone’s leftovers and he wasn’t ‘just settling.’ This is the first class of guys that were zero’d in on by his staff early on and they worked hard to get. This was really where he was on level playing field with all of the other long standing ACC coaches. And what did he get? Just 3 guys that are hard working, no excuse, future on the court leaders.
Do you not see this? The Martin twins don’t have to be yelled at to play defense. They don’t have to be taught how to give effort or fight for loose balls. They don’t need to be schooled on the fundamentals. These guys can’t stand to lose, they come out every night and do whatever it takes to leave with that W. Abu is the same way. The kid might still be raw but that effort has him putting up double doubles and becoming State’s go-to post presence. He’s vocal, he’s passionate, he isn’t out there trying to look cool, he’s out there trying to win basketball games. These two guys have a different level of their game. They are elite athletes with the basketball IQ, a deep ingrained passion for the game and a burning desire to win. These are the type of players that win championships and these are the type of players that Mark Gottfried seems to be keying on at this point.
Give the guy a break. This teams true talent is still very young and he has been getting pretty good results with a roster filled with flaws.
Abu Coming Alive
Speaking of the talented freshman, how good is this guy? He was finally able to stay out of foul trouble and all he did was go for 15pts and 12 boards. His energy and physicality on the blocks gives the Pack a whole new dimension. Since Abu has turned the corner he’s been in foul trouble twice and has had the guards go ice cold. State has yet to put these two pieces together on a single night. They will and when they do, watch out. You are watching a true star emerge for the Pack. He is going to be what you hoped CJ Leslie would be. Enjoy the show.
Time for Turner to Redefine Role
Ralston Turner has been great for NC State and has at times been a savior for this team, but as players like Abu and the Martins are beginning to emerge, Ralston’s role needs to be redefined. No longer does Gottfried need to rely on Turner going corner to corner trying to get a sliver of light to shoot a well contested 3. Turner needs to become more of a spot up shooting role player for this team. He needs to focus on his strengths and make sure every shot he takes is a good one. There is too much talent on the floor for him to feel like he needs to take long, contested 3s for NC State to have a chance. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be a ‘what have you done for me lately.’ type person. I’m really not. He’s going to have more big games and he’s a huge piece to this puzzle, but he is not versatile enough to take the volume of shots he is currently taking. It’s time for Gottfried to help him redefine himself to fit with the pieces that State currently has.
Martins Need Minutes
They might not be physically strong enough to become leading role scorers right now, but there is no doubt that these guys are the future of this program. The level of effort, the defense, the length, the versatility of these two has given the Pack yet another dimension. I’ll say it again. One or both of these guys need to be on the court at all times. I think you’re already seeing this with Gott’s rotation, but I just wanted to reiterate. State needs high energy guys like this to emerge and become leaders of this team. When your leaders are your hardest workers then you get a trickle down effect that can take your team a long way. The run State made in the second half was made possible by the Martins pressure and length. They still need to learn to score at this level but right now their defense, ability to rebound from the wing and overall motor should keep them on the court.
Lost Cat?
State isn’t going to go far without a true PG and we’re starting to see that. Gott went all in with Barber and right now he’s not liking what he’s seeing. He’s decreased Cat’s minutes significantly and has taken him out of the starting line up. He’s decided to go with Cody Martin, and while Cody has looked great, State has not. Lacey has been forced to take over PG duties, which takes him away from his natural scoring spots and asks him to work to bring the ball up the court and get the team into the offense. It’s not ideal, and has hurt the Pack offensively, but where else do you turn?
Barber just seems lost right now and we’re coming down the home stretch of his sophomore season. He’s still not crafty enough to finish around the rim, he’s not strong enough or physical enough to get by defenders and he’s still searching for his jumper. There is no plan right now with Cat and that simply needs to change. He needs to study great PGs and turn away from the early Allen Iverson comparisons he was fed. I’m really at a loss on what else to say here other than State desperately needs Cat to turn into a great PG if they want to win and Cat desperately needs to turn into a great PG if he wants to earn his minutes back.
Next game is a must win. This Saturday the Pack takes on GT in Atlanta at noon.
Testify Moderator!
Wolfer96 superhl I want the same things you want…. However, we live in different times. More competition in recruiting. Players are different. Years ago you could recruit 3 good players and have really good team. Now you may recruit 5 great players and have a mediocre team. No matter who you hire as coach, it going to take time to build a successful team..It been a long time since I seen the excitement that we have seen since Gottfried became coach. I was at the Clemson game and the first half was awful but the second half was very exciting even… Read more »
superhl Wolfer96 I’m not understanding your thinking here. This school is one of the few in the country to possess 2 National Titles and my expectations are unrealistic? My expectations are to add a 3rd national title and before that to hang ACC title banners. If that’s unrealistic why even have a basketball team? Why have blogs about this basketball team? Why post on blogs about this basketball team? I say you sir are unrealistic with your low expectations.Was UVA and Miami unrealistic when they hung ACC banners? Sorry but I just don’t get this kind of mentality? And why are… Read more »
Wolfer96 superhl Ok…who would be his replacement. Three years down the road who will replace the next coach? I think your expectation are unrealistic. Let give him a chance!
Wolfer96 coryfogg I will just jump in real quick with this. Sendek and Gottfried, while both NC State coaches, were very different and shared different circumstances and direction. I’ll explain… Herb started without much talent. He came in when State was really struggling. He had initial trouble recruiting talent, but found his niche with his ‘positionless’ offense. Basically he got high IQ players who could shoot and dribble. At the same time he struggled to get the elite athlete types and when he did they were usually not the smartest players (now there were exceptions along the way, obviously Hodge was… Read more »
Yup. Couldn’t resist. It was highly entertaining thanks!
coryfogg Wolfer96 Are you just trolling? Because “keep things the same” is not a strategy unless you’re winning. We kept things the same for 10 seasons with Sendek and that got us zero banners to hang.
You set your goals high and either achieve that goal or die trying. The university is not pumping millions of dollars into these programs to stay mediocre. I’m glad you’re not in a position to make decisions because 30 years from now we’d still have no new banners to hang.
Wolfer96 Well with your strategy, I’d recommend eBay
coryfogg Wolfer96 No we’ll stick with the tried and true no conference titles and no national championships. That seems to keep some fans of this program happy.
Wolfer96 I’m sure constant changeover is the perfect recipe for building your consistency. Never mind that every one of Gott’s Wolfpack teams have exceeded initial expections for any reasonable basketball observer. But hey, your way has worked great so far!
coryfogg Wolfer96 You make no points and I’ve back up everything I’ve posted. So not sure what you mean by rational? Were you one of the vocal Sendek supporters? Fans of this program should want to see the teams succeed at the highest level or do everything possible to achieve that. Not make excuses or pointless remarks.
Wolfer96 I prefer to argue with rational people.
coryfogg Wolfer96 No I’ll leave that to you and all your good points. Oh wait you have none.
Wolfer96 Thank the Good Lord of Wolfpack basketball, you have no say in the team’s decision making.
superhl Did you support the firing of Sendek? If not then it makes total sense that you think it’s crazy to fire Gottfried. However, if you supported Sendek’s firing then by that logic Gottfried can also be terminated and it wouldn’t be that crazy. Look at their results. Gott started off better than Sendek but only because he started off with a lot more talent. If you look at Sendek’s last several seasons, they included a sweet 16 run and several 1st round exits. That’s basically what Gottfried has done. He started with a Sweet16 run and now appears to… Read more »
Fire Gottfried! You gotta be crazy or have Alzheimer’s! I will have to say I don’t always agree with his coaching but state needs to keep him… I wish he played Lee more. I like Cat’s defense but he seems lost on offense! Lacey tires by the end of the game. I think he needs to rotate more and full court pressure early. When state was down by 12, I think he should have gone full court pressure. Why wait till you down 20 points?
PackInsider Staff Wolfer96 deedogtx I agree, I just don’t see any place for Cat on this team. He can’t make assists, he can’t score, he’s indecisive, and he dribbles way too much.
I don’t see why everyone thinks Lacey can’t play the 1? He is a guy that can create his shot at will. A guy like that can score his points from the 1. As I mentioned before I think the problem is that it’s just a matter of too many minutes and Lacey with tired legs at the end of the game. Like the time he started cramping up.
PackInsider Staff Wolfer96 I love the Martins twins and Abu is really starting to show improvement. That I can agree with. What I’m not so sure on is whether this coaching staff can get the most out of guys like that. Again, with his extension Gott will be here for a few more seasons whether people like me agree with that or not. But that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it. Remember it has been over 30 years since our last championship and I believe 1987 was our last ACC title. That’s a long freaking time for a… Read more »
deedogtx Wolfer96 Lacey’s problem is not having to handle the ball too much. Lacey’s problem is playing too many minutes. Lacey is actually a very good PG and the best one on this team. You can tell at the end of the game he is tired. Gott needs to figure out a better rotation. Giving more minutes to Cat is not the solution unless we are up big and need to dribble some time off because he excels at that. I would love to see little Corch in there for a few minutes to see what he can do but I… Read more »
deedogtx I do agree that Lacey is not the answer at PG, but of those 3 losses this team was up nearly 20 in two of those games (both against VERY good teams). The problem is and will continue to be ‘on the floor leadership.’ When you’re up 20, you don’t go falling in love with the 3 ball. In fact when you’re up 20 you jam it inside get the foul count up, get easy buckets and slowly pull away. We need a leader who when a player shoots a quick 3 when you’re up 20, he grabs them by… Read more »
PackInsider Staff Point taken(no pun) but you agree, like I said, Lacey needs to focus on being the 2 and State is what, 1-3 since benching Barber? I am no Barber apologist but I think the team’s chances are better if he carries the ball handling duties.
deedogtx Ok we definitely should have been more clear. The first point was made for those calling for Gott’s head. We DON’T think thats the right move right now. We do think that he made some mistakes in this game and we mentioned those. Again, our fault for lack of clarity there.
Wolfer96 I will agree that overall discipline has been a problem for Gottfried at times, but if you bring in the right group then you don’t have to worry about that as much. I wast to see where he goes from here. The Martins and Abu are a new breed of player State has not seen in a long time. They are high energy, high athleticism, high IQ players. Usually those types end up at Kansas or Duke. I don’t think you bail on him just yet.
Wolfer96 deedogtx Because the offense gets stagnant when he’s in there and the team loses flow. He needs to either move the basketball or attack the basket and make plays. All the dribbling out front has Gottfried looking for other options.
You said don’t put all the blame on coaching and then went on to say, Turner’s role needs to redefined and the Martin’s need more minutes. That’s coaching.
Wolfer96 deedogtx It was. If for no other reason, Lacey needs to be the 2 and not try to handle the ball so much. He excelled when he had another ball handler. You do understand how that works, right?
deedogtx I hope that is not a serious question.
I have to disagree a bit on the coaching. I mean that shot that Turner took out of a timeout that got blocked was classic Gottfried. Everyone in the ACC has figured out Gottfried’s go to play. Remember that Gottfried’s most successful season was year 1 with Sidney’s guys. He’s been on a downward trend since then. It doesn’t take 10 years to know if you’ve got a good coach or not. I knew 3 years into Sendek’s tenure that he was not the guy to lead State to glory (technically 1 year but I like to give a coach… Read more »
Can someone tell me why Cat Barber no longer starts?!