How will Dennis Smith Jr be remembered? I honestly am not sure. I’m guessing a lot like JJ Hickson. People from NC State will want to claim him as their own if he succeeds in the NBA, but overall I think the expectations outweighed the reality and that kind of stung for people. Smith Jr was supposed to save the program. Even his own coach called him the best guard in the nation. Now, even if he was, I don’t think a coach should be spreading the praise on that thick, but it is what it is. It just goes as a reminder. Most real winning teams do not have freshman leaders, and their PG is not a high volume scorer. NC State had both, and look where it got them.
Now, we say that as NC State fans, but the truth is, Dennis Smith Jr is a crazy gifted basketball player. He is just young. He made moves this season that you only see from NBA all-stars make. The kid is going to be a success, Let’s take a look at this years greatest hits.
Dennis we hardly knew ye. Wish you had a better coach because this season could have been very special. Good luck to you in the NBA and don’t forget to join TJ back in Raleigh during the breaks.
BTW, where is that little twerp that was always on here telling everyone they didn’t know about basketball? Haven’t heard from him since everything I had been saying about this team came true.
I feel like the average age on that site may be too young. Too many brainwashed Wolfpackers who believe State should play 3rd fiddle to our neighbors. We have the money, the facilities, the location. Only thing missing is a good coach and the right administration. Yow doesn’t get a pass until she rights the men’s basketball program.
Wolfer96
7 years ago
They are alike in that they were both coached poorly. It wasn’t JJ’s fault that team chemistry took a dump. That was on Lowe for playing favorites and not integrating JJ better into the existing roster. Much like how Gott mismanaged his roster and had so many transfers over the years.
Boston Transfer Center Caitlin Weimar (6’4″) is currently on an Official Visit to NC State.
Sources tell me Caitlin Weimar (6’4” Forward transfer from Boston U) is currently on a visit to NC State.
She ranked 44th in D1 (scoring) last season at 18.7 ppg & 15th in rebounding at 10.6 rpg, in addition to 2.0 apg, 1.3 spg & 2.8 bpg. pic.twitter.com/d2y4jACx2K
Weimar is the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year, and has been named Defensive Player of the Year the past two years. She has earned 1st Team Patriot League Honors the past two seasons.
This year, Weimar averaged 18.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. As a Junior, she averaged 15.5 points and 10.0 rebounds. She shot 55.5% this year, and 59.7% last year.
With NC State not having River Baldwin at Center next year, adding Weimar is an extremely exciting possibility.
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.
Ross played in 14 games this year, averaging 3.4 minutes per contest. After playing in 34 games last season, averaging 11.4 minutes per contest, Ross saw his participation dip to a career low this season, but that didn’t for a second break his infectious personality. On the sideline, you could count on Ross every single game to be the heart and soul of the Wolfpack on the bench. To watch a player who played as little as he did, care as much as he did, makes me super proud that this young man represented NC State so well.
Ross was a consensus 4-star player in the 2021 recruiting class, with 247Sports ranking him as the #60 overall player nationally. ESPN ranked him as the #5 overall player in the state of Florida.
Dennis we hardly knew ye. Wish you had a better coach because this season could have been very special. Good luck to you in the NBA and don’t forget to join TJ back in Raleigh during the breaks.
One and dones never comes back.
Dennis may because he’s a local guy. JJ was from Georgia so it makes sense he doesn’t come back.
Wrong post
BTW, where is that little twerp that was always on here telling everyone they didn’t know about basketball? Haven’t heard from him since everything I had been saying about this team came true.
Try “backingthepack.com”. There a bunch of them on that website.
I feel like the average age on that site may be too young. Too many brainwashed Wolfpackers who believe State should play 3rd fiddle to our neighbors. We have the money, the facilities, the location. Only thing missing is a good coach and the right administration. Yow doesn’t get a pass until she rights the men’s basketball program.
They are alike in that they were both coached poorly. It wasn’t JJ’s fault that team chemistry took a dump. That was on Lowe for playing favorites and not integrating JJ better into the existing roster. Much like how Gott mismanaged his roster and had so many transfers over the years.
Just like J.J. Hickson. J.J. who?