What did an ACC Title & Final Four mean to NC State Legend TJ Warren? I caught up with the man who won the ACC Player of the Year Award in 2014 to get his take.
What was it like for you watching NC State go from the #10 seed in the ACC Tournament, to winning the Championship, to going to the Final Four?
I’m a second generation Wolfpack basketball player. Wolf blood runs through my veins, so to be able to witness a ride like that was truly amazing.
What did this run say about Kevin Keatts and these players? In what ways did you see them adapt, change or persevere?
I think that is speaks to the heart that the players have. As a 10th seed in the ACC tournament, it’s easy to pack it in and look towards the offseason, but they did the opposite. They bonded together over adversity and that’s what made them so endearing. Hard work in the face of adversity, that’s something that Wolfpack fans can relate to.
As one of the best players to ever wear the Red & White, what did this run mean to you personally?
As I mentioned earlier, NCSU hoops has been in my family for a long time, so it meant a whole lot personally. This run definitely took me back to some of the fond memories I have of putting on the Red & White and playing in front of a packed house at the PNC.
What was the most memorable moment for you?
I think Mike’s shot to tie the game at the end of regulation. It just felt like destiny at that point. Anytime you get to beat UNC and Duke days apart is special too.
How do you think this run can change things for the NC State Basketball program going forward?
I think that it puts us back on the national radar where we belong. After a magical run like that, I think it makes players want to be a part of that. A run like that reinvigorates a program definitely.
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Warren is 1 of only 6 NC State players to ever be named the ACC Player of the Year. In his Sophomore season, Warren was named a 2nd Team All-American by Sporting News and the AP. He averaged 24.9 points per game, which is the 5th best mark in a single season in NC State history. Warren scored 871 points that year, which is the most points ever scored in a single season by a Wolfpack player.
TJ was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 14th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Poised to make a run. Yeah, after visiting Taco Bell too many times. Over hype as always from PackInsider Staff.
Too many ppl talk about this team being young? Problem with this team is that there are upperclassmen but they didn’t improve. That will pretty much kill any team when 3-4 year guys aren’t playing any better than year 1-2.
#1 in particular was a glaring problem for me. As talented as DSJ is… he seems to enjoy killing about 10-15 seconds of clock just dribbling the ball. Lack of ball movement definitely hurt the offense. Kapita hurt himself early in the season by picking up quick fouls. But that doesn’t explain why he was basically relegated to the bench in so many games this season?
I have my doubts but by deep run if you mean losing in the 2nd round then I may buy that swamp land. There were numerous occasions during the year where the team’s offense worked better with Markel at the point. Dennis “Dribble,Dribble” Smith took the motion out of the team like Kyle Washington did when he played. Insert Lennard Freeman and you have a sweet 16 team. Too little too late.
Yeah but that’s all on coaching. Kyle W. is playing pretty well now that he’s actually being coached. I’m sure dribble loving DSJ could also have improved under better coaching. It’s almost like Gott didn’t know what to do so he put it in DSJ’s hands and hoped he would just take over.
Yes – Washington is another black mark on Gottfried’s record. Reduced his minutes and ran him out of town instead of coaching him up and recognizing his talent. He should have been a perfect high post player. Now he’s a star at Cincinnati. I like Freeman but I don’t believe he would have had a magical impact on this team – same big man coaching problems apply to him.
Add the Martin twins to that list.
I would think coach knows better. He was the point guard on a team that made several consecutive deep runs in the NCAA tournament. Some of this could be the player not wanting to be coached? Look how good Lorenzo Brown did, and he was not a “true” point guard.
Remember Zo was there during the Lutz era. I don’t think coach Lutz is getting enough credit for what he did behind the scenes. The last 2 seasons were Gott’s worst and that coincides with Lutz changing titles and this season with him leaving. One could surmise that it was Lutz working with Zo, CJL, Howell and company. Maybe the story will come out one day from one of the players.
Nothing would make me happier, but that was pretty exhausted Georgia Tech team we barely beat the other night with us having a much deeper bench. Granted, it was on the road and Gottfried made some changes I think he had been scared to make earlier. Here’s hoping your right.
Hope you are right