NC State Recap and Look Ahead

NC State’s season wasn’t what anyone was hoping for. Preseason transfers and Trevor Lacey leaving to go pro put State in a tough predicament. Then add the fact that Terry Henderson, who was expected to fill some of the void of Lacey only played 6 minutes on the season just compounded the problems. There really wasn’t much going for this group outside of Cat’s spectacular season and the fact that they played hard all year. I do think that there are positives that can be gained from this season that could translate into success next year.

Many players gained lots of experience on the job as they were forced to play a bigger role than they were pegged for at the start of the season. Both Martin twins showed that they can contribute and should improve in the off-season. Maverick Rowan has the ability to breakout at any moment offensively; however, he must improve his defense and consistency. Most of his improvements offensively can come through improving his shot selection. Malik Abu improved dramatically as the season progressed, especially considering how he started the year.

It remains to be seen if State will play in any post season tournament, or if they would rather just move on and start looking towards next season. It could be beneficial to just leave it where it is. This would give the players a longer off-season to heal up and work on their games. It would also give Gottfried more time to focus on who he wants to hire to replace Rob Moxley as an assistant. The earlier start would give the Pack a jump on other teams looking to hire an assistant. The staff could then put much more time on the recruiting trail while much of the competition is still focused on this year.

This off-season will be critical for Gottfried and the direction of the program. Will Cat return? How will this group look with the additions of Terry Henderson, Torin Dorn, and Dennis Smith? All of these questions will have to wait to be answered but in the meantime checkout the season’s highlights below…