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.
NC State Forward Ernest Ross announced today that he is entering the Transfer Portal.
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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.
Ross has one more year of eligibility remaining.
NC State has 3 scholarships available now.
Best of luck Ernest!
Gott was taking the high road until that interview recently where he was in disbelief that he was fired. We gave that idiot a chance when no one else would and made him the highest paid employee in the state and this is how he thanks us? Back to back losing seasons and he’s in disbelief? Unbelievable.
Next season’s roster will be interesting to see. Obviously we will have a few leave early, at least one graduate, and possibly transfers. I wouldn’t be mad if we were able to start with this lineup next season: Markell, Maverick, Kirk, Kapita, Freeman. With CorchJr, Newman, Hicks, Yurt7 coming off the bench.
What about Dorn?
Not sure he’s coming back. But then he already transferred once so likely won’t want to sit out another year. Just didn’t like the decision making from him this season. Not sure if it was just how he plays or poor coaching? New coach will have to figure out who he wants and doesn’t want coming back.
One guy goes 5-15 and the other 3-12. Guess it was a poor attempt at raising their draft stock. Maybe distributing the ball and trying to play the right way would have been more beneficial?
I’m old but I play better defense than DSJ. Glad he is gone.
I still struggle with that. I’ve seen him early in the season play high level defense. So I know he is capable. It could be that at a certain point he knew the team wasn’t going anywhere so he packed it in. In his defense there’s no need to injure yourself and ruin your draft stock if the team isn’t very good.
The very reason State should stay away from one and dones.
I think the right coach could integrate a one and done into a veteran lineup but on a poorly coached team like this it was always going to end this way.
This is unrelated but we are already out of the ACC tourney. Why oh why did Debbie allow him to stay the rest of the season? What did that accomplish? I mean I was reading a couple of days ago about Terry H. just ignoring Gott during a timeout and Gott standing in disbelief. He lost this team half way into the season, what kind of moron would allow him to finish as coach after firing him?
Why worry about the OSU position? I mean it will open up at some point in the future. If that job is so attractive wouldn’t Archie take it later on down the road? Whomever becomes the coach at State that guy needs to be fully invested. We need someone with Jimmy V’s passion for this job again.
Bruce Pearl.
Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a really good coach and on the passion front there are few who can match him. But do we really want a coach that likes to party with college kids with his shirt off? That’s just asking for trouble.
You want kids to play hard for you? Join them, he did.
🙂