Connect with us

NC State Basketball

BeeJay Anya: The Enforcer

Published

on

Last night BeeJay was outstanding as he played with an edge for 32 minutes. He was the main reason why the Wolfpack was able to hold UNC to an all-time low score at the Dean E. Smith Center. It was obvious that Anya enjoys the challenge of playing against Kennedy Meeks, these two players will always be compared to each other as they are similar in size as well as products of the 2013 recruiting class. These two giants clashed last night and while Meeks out scored and out rebounded Anya, BeeJay found a way to make enough plays to seal the deal for the Pack. A key statistic for BeeJay last night was his ability to defend without fouling as he did an excellent job of moving his feet and going straight up to challenge UNC, as they attacked the paint. There were a couple of blocks that Anya displayed amazing body control to avoid getting called for a foul. At the end of the night Anya finished the game with 6 blocks and 6 rebounds.

Going forward State needs Anya to play up to his potential. He must stay locked in and not commit any dumb fouls. His presence is required for the Wolfpack to make a run in the NCAA. The reason Anya is so important is because he affects the game both physically and mentally. When an opposing guard tries to turn the corner and they see BeeJay they immediately must think twice about trying to get all the way to the rim. This hesitation allows for the original defender to recover which in return allows our defense to stay solid and protect the opposite side kick-out three. Even though BeeJay hasn’t yet developed a low post game offensively; more than makes up for his offensive limitations on the other end. Physically Anya is a giant as he stands 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighs roughly 275 pounds. When you factor in a wingspan of 7-9 and a reach of 9-3 you can start to understand why he is capable of blocking so many shots.

Another important aspect BeeJay brings to the Pack is his ability to absorb contact and stand his ground. Opposing big men rarely catch the ball at their preferred position on the block and that is due to Anya’s ability to move players without using his hands. This is why UNC big man Brice Johnson was unable to have an impact last night. Johnson is long but could not gather any ground as he played off balance the entire evening. Let’s hope BeeJay can continue to anchor our defense, if he continues to play at a high level then the Wolfpack will be a tough out for any team they face.

8 Comments
Subscribe
Notify of
8 Comments
newest
oldest most Upvoted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
wolfpack74
wolfpack74
9 years ago

Wolfer96 Is it true that the conference will make more money the more teams that we have in the NCAA tourney?  I hate to say it, but the game appeared to be fix in favor of the Pack.  Just an opinion, no whining.

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
9 years ago

Wolfer96 PackInsider Staff I also think that having half of the old big east in our conference now makes a difference.  It’s not just Puke and the Holes anymore.

wolfpack74
wolfpack74
9 years ago

shaverlb73 Wolfer96 We need to get Stone and Newman.  Gott needs to offer Stone a scholarship and see if both will come here together.  Newman has made it public that he wants to play with Stone in college.  Give it a try Gott.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

PackInsider Staff Wolfer96 Proof positive is when King Karl gets suspended and other refs at an NC State game have KH written on their shoes. I don’t need to see more than that to know there was bias. These ACC refs made it personal and could not be relied upon to be impartial. I still cringe every time I think about the ACC tourney a few years ago when the same block/charge call went for unc and against State costing us the game. That’s 2 possessions in a tight game so YES bad calls can determine the outcome of a close… Read more »

PackInsider Staff
9 years ago

Wolfer96 Yes huge difference. We will have an article on reffing at some point here when it’s relevant. Not sure if it was Karl Hess’ firing (making refs realize they’re not invincible) or just an overall sweeping change). I’m not sure, but it’s different.  I think there is a lot less bias and a lot less put on tendencies. This means Duke and UNC are getting reffed like every other team in the league. If you have paid attention in the past the difference bw UNC and Duke and the rest of the ACC were their huge, game changing runs.… Read more »

shaverlb73
shaverlb73
9 years ago

Wolfer96   Once Kyle gets it all together, he will be a nightmare for other teams to guard, which will make us even better.

shaverlb73
shaverlb73
9 years ago

Wolfer96 I noticed that too.  I’m so used to seeing someone drive in, not score, and the whistle blow, that it took me awhile to adjust to us making defensive stops.  If Duke’s Okafur is going to be allowed to aggressively back his defender under the goal every time (like he did to Meeks) for an easy shot, then the defense should be allowed some freedom of their own to protect the rim.  I’m all for it.

Wolfer96
Wolfer96
9 years ago

Does anyone else notice the difference is refereeing this season? Particularly the 2nd half of the season. The ACC is much more physical than years past. Like last night for instance, unc got away with tons of holding, hand checking, and bumping. But it was on both sides. Anya on several occasions brought his arms down on a block instead of having his arms straight up and did not get called for a foul. In seasons past, those would have been whistled every time. We also body checked several unc players as they drove to the basket and no whistle.… Read more »

NC State Basketball

NC State Women’s Basketball Releases Their 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule

Published

on

NC State Women’s Basketball team released their 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule yesterday.

Image

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State women’s basketball program has announced its non-conference slate for the 2024-25 season, as revealed on Thursday.

The Pack will play eight of its 11 games, in addition to a preseason exhibition, at Reynolds Coliseum. Coming off a historical 2023-24 season that was highlighted by the program’s first Final Four since 1998, second in program history, head coach Wes Moore is entering his 12th season at the helm. With a strong home court advantage, the Pack has accumulated a 117-15 (.886) record at home since the renovation of Reynolds Coliseum was completed in August 2016.

NC State will participate in the Pink Flamingo Championship at Baha Mar in Nassau, Bahamas on Monday, Nov. 25 and Wednesday, Nov. 27 against opponents that will be announced at a later date. As previously announced, NC State will play the defending NCAA Champion South Carolina at the Ally Tipoff at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Sunday, Nov. 10, as well as host Ole Miss for the SEC/ACC Challenge on Thursday, Dec. 5.

The Wolfpack will host Anderson (S.C.) for an exhibition on Tuesday, Oct. 29 before officially starting the season at home vs. ETSU on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Following the Ally Tipoff, NC State will return home to host Kent State on Thursday, Nov. 14.

NC State’s first true road game of the season is at TCU on Sunday, Nov. 17. The Pack will then play Coastal Carolina at home on Thursday, Nov. 21 before its trip to the Bahamas for two games (Nov. 25-27).

The Pack will close out the non-conference slate with four straight games at Reynolds Coliseum, starting with the SEC/ACC Challenge game vs. Ole Miss (Thursday, Dec. 5). NC State will then host Old Dominion (Sunday, Dec. 8), Davidson (Wednesday, Dec. 11) and James Madison (Thursday, Dec. 19) to wrap up non-conference play.

With NC State’s known non-conference opponents, six are coming off postseason tournament appearances. Three received NCAA Tournament bids (Kent State, Ole Miss and NCAA Champion South Carolina), two were invited to play in the WBIT (TCU and James Madison) and one played in the WNIT (Old Dominion).

NC State’s Atlantic Coast Conference schedule will be announced by the league office at a later date. NC State will play Wake Forest, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Miami, Notre Dame, Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech at home. The Pack will take on Wake Forest, Cal, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, SMU, Stanford and Syracuse on the road.

Season tickets are sold out for the 2024-25 season. Tip-off times and television designations will also be released at a later date.

2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule

Tuesday, Oct. 29 – Anderson (Exh.)

Tuesday, Nov. 5 – ETSU

Sunday, Nov. 10 – South Carolina $

Thursday, Nov. 14 – Kent State

Sunday, Nov. 17 – at TCU

Thursday, Nov. 21 – Coastal Carolina

Monday, Nov. 25 – Opponent TBD &

Wednesday, Nov. 27 – Opponent TBD &

Thursday, Dec. 5 – Ole Miss +

Sunday, Dec. 8 – Old Dominion

Wednesday, Dec. 11 – Davidson

Thursday, Dec. 19 – James Madison

$ – Ally Tipoff (Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.)

& – Pink Flamingo Championship (Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas)

+ – SEC/ACC Challenge (Raleigh, N.C.)

 

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

NC State Legend Julius Hodge Named Head Coach at Lincoln University

Published

on

NC State Legend Julius Hodge has been named the Head Coach at Lincoln University.

This marks Hodge’s first stint as a Head Coach.

Hodge has been in the Coaching world since 2015, when he served as Director of Player Development at the University of Buffalo under Bobby Hurley. Then, he spent 2016 and 2017 as an Assistant Coach under Herb Sendek at Santa Clara. From 2018-20, Hodge served as an Assistant Coach at San Jose State. Hodge has spent the past three seasons as an Assistant Coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

At NC State, Hodge earned 1st Team All-ACC honors in 2003 & 2004, and 2nd Team honors in 2005. Hodge was named the ACC Player of the Year in ’04. He earned the All-Freshman Team in 2002.

Hodge is 1 of 11 players in NC State history to earn 1st Team All-ACC honors more than once.

His 2,040 career points scored rank 3rd in NC State history. Hodge also ranks 1st in Free Throws Made, 14th in Rebounds, 7th in Offensive Rebounds, 6th in Assists and 7th in Steals.

Congrats Julius! You deserve this!

 

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

WATCH: Getting to Know NC State’s Trey Parker

Published

on

NC State Men’s Basketball is releasing videos helping fans get to know the new players on the 2024-25 roster.

Below is the video of Freshman Trey Parker (6’1″/178), with a transcript underneath.

“My name is Trey Parker. I’m an incoming Freshman from Fayetteville, North Carolina.” 

“I was recently playing at Overtime Elite. It was a great experience. A whole lot of development and great energy.” 

“Coach Levi (Watkins) recruited me. As soon as I got to the campus, it was a great experience. They just gave me that big inspiration to feel like I’m home, and feel like a great student outside of basketball.”

“I knew I wanted to be a part of the Pack back in November of 2022. I just felt like it was a great fit for me.”

“Living in North Carolina, and now playing in North Carolina, is a big opportunity. There’s a lot of people from North Carolina looking up to me, and I want to give them what they want to see.” 

“Being close, allows for them to bring the whole city out. It just feels like I’m already at home.” 

“Y’all stay tuned. Showtime is coming this year.”

_______

Parker originally signed with NC State in November of 2022, as a member of the 2023 recruiting class. He decided to reclassify, making him a member of the 2024 class.

Parker is a consensus 3-Star prospect, though 247Sports’ Composite Rankings have him as a 4-Star prospect. 247 ranks him as the #135 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, the #26 Shooting Guard, and the #13 player in the state of Georgia.

Continue Reading

NC State Basketball

Jersey Numbers for 2024-25 NC State Men’s Basketball Team Revealed

Published

on

The NC State Men’s Basketball team revealed the Jersey Numbers for their 2024-25 team yesterday.

Image

Numbers that are Staying the Same

Michael O’Connell – #12

Ben Middlebrooks – #34

Dennis Parker Jr. – #11

KJ Keatts – #13

Jordan Snell – #22

Numbers that have Changed

Jayden Taylor – #1 –> #8

Breon Pass – #10 –> #4

Numbers of New Players

Mike James – #0 (He wore #0 at Louisville last year)

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield – #1 (He wore #5 at Louisville last year)

Paul McNeil – #2 (He wore #2 in High School last year)

Dontrez Styles – #3 (He wore #0 at Georgetown last year)

Trey Parker – #5 (He wore #5 in High School last year)

Marcus Hill – #10 (He wore #0 at Bowling Green last year)

We don’t know what number Ismael Diouf will be wearing at NC State next year yet. 

 

 

Continue Reading