1. How quickly the tides can turn: 

In the matter of a couple days NC State basketball went from a lock to be in the top 25 to a team that will likely be a bubble team as the news dropped that Trevor Lacey would forgo his final season and Kyle Washington would transfer. I know many are thinking this is par for the course for NC State athletics, seriously the Wolfpack seems to be the definition of Murphy’s Law. A couple of questions that arise from this is did the coaching staff do everything they could to guard against these unforeseen circumstances? It has been well documented how the Pack have 0 commitments in the 2015 class. Were the coaches banking on the majority of the players returning? I am not 100 percent confident in saying that they didn’t do their due diligence because the staff has been relentlessly pursuing recruits and have tirelessly tried to persuade prized recruit Brandon Ingram to commit the the Red and White. Maybe the answer is that the staff didn’t really love any of the recruits in this year’s class outside of a select few. Or they have great confidence in the 2016 class. Truthfully we will have to wait a little while before we can pass any judgement.

2. How good will the 2016 class be to NC State? 

It is no secret that the 2016 class is regarded as one of the highest touted classes in recent memory as it is loaded with talent. Out of the top 60 recruits in the 2016 a total of 11 are considering the Wolfpack. Out of all of them, the prized recruit that the Pack is hoping to land is Dennis Smith Jr. out of Fayetteville. A couple of things the Pack have in their favor is the fact that Raleigh is close to home and they play a style that caters to the point guard. Smith Jr. reminds me a lot of John Wall with his outstanding quickness and leaping ability, check it out for yourself in this highlight video from our friends Ball is Life. Another thing in the Pack’s favor is the fact that Dennis Smith Jr. plays for an Adidas sponsored AAU team.

In addition to Smith looking at the Wolfpack #3 rated Josh Jackson SF out of Michigan released his top schools with NC State in the mix. Jackson is a jack of all trades forward who has an excellent handle and size at 6-6 to get to any spot he wants on the court. He also possesses a smooth jump shot that keeps the defense honest. Here is a highlight video so you can see for yourself. 

2016 could determine the fate of Coach Gottfried and his staff as they must have a big time recruiting class to reload in order to get over the hump in the NCAA Tournament. In order for this to happen it will take a group of recruits seeing the potential that NC State holds as a traditional basketball power with top notch facilities, fan base, and competes in the best conference in America. Kids will have to have a mindset that they want to blaze their own trail!

3. Will Gottfried have a different philosophy next season? 

Offense is what makes headlines, and to be completely honest I love to watch a team that can light up the scoreboard as much as the next person; however, what I enjoy more is winning. I would love to have the best of both worlds, for example my favorite team in the NBA is the Golden State Warriors…alright before you call me a bandwagon fan I have been a fan of this team solely since they drafted Stephen Curry (many losing seasons and ankle injuries have finally yielded results). This season they led the NBA in both Field Goal % offense and held teams to the lowest Field Goal % in the league. This is a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since the 1980-1981 76ers.

With that being said the Wolfpack is far from being a top notch offensive team next season given their current personnel. I draw this conclusion strictly on what I saw last season, but hold out hope that our guys will improve this offseason. Returning next season the Pack have a group of 7 players who are all capable of being great defenders. If Gottfried wants to be relevant next season he must find a way to get his guys to defend at a high level every game and for 40 minutes each game. Another important factor that will be critical is our ability to defend without fouling! This past season depth was a strength that currently does not look like a luxury the Pack will have this coming season. Yet a 7 man rotation has advantages as each player will see more minutes which should push our guys to be extremely motivated.

Gottfried could elect to play small ball in order to maximize the athleticism on our team. A line-up that consists of Barber, Henderson, Caleb, Cody, Abu or Anya would be an extremely quick group that could force lots of turnovers. I am banking on the Martin twins to be vastly improved offensively and much more efficient around the rim. If State plays small then one of the twins will have a bigger defender on them which will allow them to use their quickness to beat them to the rack. Both Caleb and Cody have all the attributes necessary to finish at the rim!

Next season will hinge on Gottfried and his Staff’s ability to maximize the talent that they do have more than ever. Yes we were dealt a bad hand with Lacey leaving and we will miss Washington, but we still have a talented group that could exceed expectations.