I’m not sure about you, but Duke Basketball Report has long been one of my favorite ACC sports sites. It feels like you’re really listening to the typical Duke grad. They’re smart, witty and exude an air of arrogance cloaked in a wrapper of humility. This is what makes them so fun to read. Well, that and the fact that they’re usually pretty fair and non-biased when it comes to scouting NC State.
A few days ago they released their take on the state of Wolfpack athletics and this year’s basketball team. The full article is here, but if you’re short on time, here are the highlights…
On Dennis Smith and Omar Yurtseven….
Dennis Smith on board, and the freshman point guard appears to be fully recovered from his knee injury. He’s a superb talent and has a high basketball IQ. He’s also a rugged defender.
He’s going to be a load for everyone.
Then State pulled off a huge coup, signing Turkish center Omar Yurtseven (actually he’s from Uzbekistan but most people seem to consider him a Turk). He’s big, (7-0/245), he’s mobile, and he can shoot and rebound. He’ll have a lot of fun with Smith. He’s also expected to be a lottery pick.
This means that Abu can play forward and not worry about being a center, and he’s an outstanding forward. It also means that State won’t have to rely as much on Jenny Craig’s favorite Wolfie, BeeJay Anya.
On Abu…
Abu is a key for State. He averaged 12.9 ppg last year and 8.8 rpg. He’s big, thick and he can bang with anyone. We love his game. Yurtseven – it sounds like an address on a Mongolian cul-de-sac – will make him even better. So will another summer of weight lifting. He’s got the potential to be very, very good.
On Maverick Rowan…
The Martin twins looked as if they might leave a huge gap in State’s roster and if there is a weakness it’s at small forward. Maverick Rowan will probably get first crack. He had a very solid freshman year, averaging 12.9 ppg and establishing himself as a legitimate outside threat. He’ll need to improve, but he certainly showed potential.
On the backcourt…
In the backcourt, State’s key player is Smith, who, barring any more injuries, should be great. Not good.
Great.
He’ll be the point guard and he’ll also bring huge ball pressure. The NBA is already drooling; Team USA has him on the radar. He’s legit. But State now has a deep backcourt too.
Last year, West Virginia transfer Terry Henderson went down in the very first game and was out for the season. He should be back, and he’ll help.
So will Charlotte transfer Torin Dorn, who led Charlotte in scoring.
If the name sounds familiar, it should: his dad was a UNC football great who spent seven years in the NFL. Not that GoPack.com is going to admit to that: here’s how they describe his dad:
Personal: Son of Torin and Rhonda Dorn … Father played seven seasons in the NFL for the Los Angeles Raiders and the St. Louis Rams … Communication major.
Now that’s beautiful.
On their depth…
There’s one factor that people may overlook however. This may be the first time at State that Gottfried has had enough depth for the backups to really push the starters. As we know at Duke, internal competition really pushes a team forward. State has depth at basically every position and every player is going to benefit from that competition. So will State. If things go well, this could be Gottfried’s best team at State. The Wolfpack will not be easy for anyone.
