I pitched an idea to PI this preseason.

Give me a column where I can give my unfiltered, uncensored thoughts after each game. I want a column where I don’t have to beat around the bush, where I can say exactly what I want to after each game. And guess what, PI gave me the green light (That’s their first mistake!) So without further ado, I’d like to introduce “Joey Wolferetti’s 3 Things I loved & 3 Things I hated” column.

3 Things I LOVED about NC State’s win over Bucknell

1. The no fear, no prisoner’s play of freshman Terquavion Smith
   If you’ve followed the site the past couple of months, I’ve been a true believer in Smith. I mean, the kid has talent, and we all can see that, but it’s his confidence that sets him apart. I can honestly say that NC State hasn’t brought on a freshman with this much swagger since Julius Hodge.

   I knew Smith is going to be a big contributor to this team from day one, and the Bucknell opener didn’t disappoint. Smith finished with 20 points and really did so in a pretty efficient manner. He was 9-17 from the floor and 2-5 from 3 (and led the team with 4 steals). The fact that a freshman is hoisting up 17 shots tells you that he’s not shy, but the fact that he’s shooting over 50% from the floor tells you he’s not just shooting for the sake of shooting. However, the real reason he’s the #1 thing on my “Loved” list is the way he scored.

   He was a true 3-level threat. He hit 3s, he hit mid-range floaters and on the break, he was so controlled and has a natural ability to score in transition. That euro-step move he did, where he stepped to the right on the break and then finished with the left, over his defender’s head, was all I needed to see. That’s a move a lot of NBA guys can’t make, and it was just natural for Smith. This kid is gonna be fun to watch!

2. Dereon Seabron’s Double-Double
   Seabron wasn’t really much of a factor in the first half. He was king of letting things come to him. But that’s not his game and we all know it. If Seabron is going to be a big impact player, he’s going to need to force the issue. He’s a matchup nightmare for opponents at 6’7 with guard skills, so for him it’s all about picking his spots and bullying his way to the basket. In the 2nd half he did that and on this night it worked.Sure there’s going to be times when he has someone who can match up with him a lot better, and those are the nights when he’ll have to knock down a few jumpers to keep his defender honest and open up driving lanes. However, last night wasn’t one of those nights and when he finally realized that, he was unstoppable. But honestly, that’s not the main reason I slotted him at #2 of my “Love” list. It was the rebounding.With Manny Bates likely out for a while (no new info, just guessing here), this team is going to have to find ways to rebound, and a lot of those rebounds are going to need to come from the bigger, more physical guards like Seabron and Morsell. If they can do this, then they can off-set at least SOME of the boards that will be lost from losing Bates. Seabron finished with 11 rebounds on the night and led the team. That, to me, was HUGE and needs to stay consistent for NC State to be a factor this season.

   Seabron finished with 18 points and 11 boards on 8-13 shooting.

3. Casey Morsell showing signs of offensive life
   I have to say, I’ve been super bullish on Morsell since the transfer from Virginia. I knew State was getting an elite on-ball defender, but I remember Morsell in high school and the kid could score it. He seemed to have lost that at UVA, so a lot of people wondered if he could re-find that ability at NC State. Early in the game, he looked a bit lost and it worried me, after a few misses and a couple turnovers, I started to wonder if he was going to fall back into the funk he was in over the past two seasons. Fortunately, the 2nd half was much different. Morsell found his stroke and finished with 13 points on 4-8 shooting. He knocked down a 3, and actually hit another 3 that was negated because of an illegal screen (he also added 6 rebounds).NC State needs Casey Morsell to be a big-time factor. He needs to defend, and he needs to score. He also needs to be a leader alongside Hellems. These two are the keys. They are veterans, they are very physical and they are winners. Keatts needs both to be playing confident if he wants this group to have a chance. Last night was a step in the right direction for both, but Morsell’s showing was more exciting because there were a lot of questions surrounding him.

3 Things I HATEDabout NC State’s win over Bucknell

1. Manny Bates broke my heart and got injured in the first minute
   I’ve said it over and over again. This team lives and dies with Manny Bates. Partly that is because Bates is probably the best interior defender in the ACC and he’s an emerging scoring threat from the block, but the other reason is that NC State has no depth in the post.Well, my nightmares all came true only 1 minute in. Bates, while going for a loose ball, injured his shoulder (the one he’s had surgery on) and went right to the locker room. Now, there aren’t any reports on how serious it is, but I’m just going to prepare you. He’s likely out for a significant amount of time, if not the full season.This is a HUGE blow to this team and Keatts is going to need to retool his approach ASAP. Ebe Dowuona filled in alright, and added 10 rebounds and a couple blocks, but he has a long way to go. Bucknell’s 7 footers was scoring at will on him, and let me just say this, if a 7 footer is playing at Bucknell, well, you get the idea. NC State is in trouble if Bates is out for an extended period.
2. Cam Hayes didn’t attack the basket enough 
   A lot of people aren’t going to like this take, but it’s got to be said. Cam Hayes is not a true PG (yet). He’s played PG his whole HS career, and he’s going to play it for NC State, but he’s not a creator (yet) and that hurts NC State.Hayes is a great player. In fact, he’s one of NC State’s better players. He can score at 3 levels, and he’s a long, athletic defender, but he just doesn’t really have the skill set to be an elite distributor at the point. He’s tall, but he’s just not shifty enough to consistently get in the lane. And when he finally does, he almost always settles for a pull-up jumper. This was the case last year and it’s the case this year. Hayes has got to work on changing speeds, staying low, and creating some deception with his movement. He also needs to focus on finding open guys when he gets to the middle and draws defenders.The team has shooters. Smith, Allen, Hellems, and potentially Morsell are going to be threats from the outside, so getting Cam Hayes really doesn’t need to focus on being a scorer. This team needs a distributor, but more importantly, it needs a guy who can create havoc, move around opposing defenses and find the open man. Hayes did have 4 assists and didn’t turn the ball over, so I’m not trying to pile on the kid here, but it is what it is. He’s good, but NC State needs him to be great and not “great” in the boxscore, they need him to be great at making those around him great, and while he’s only a sophomore, with Bates out, they’ll need him to get there pretty quick.
3. The NC State bigs (minus Bates) are soft
   “Oh man, Joey is being mean! Don’t say these things, Joey, you’ll hurt these kids’ feelings!” Yeah ok, buy into that weak narrative. These kids are playing elite-level college basketball and there are some absolute truths that exist. You can decide to hide from them or you can decide to find ways to sugar coat them so they don’t seem so sharp and abrasive, but in my opinion, those are just crutches that slow you down from getting results. Accept your flaws, own them, then work your a$$ off to fix them.Like it or not, without Bates, NC State is in big trouble in the paint. Ebe Dowuona has great size, good athleticism, and will be a decent fill in, but to win in this conference “decent fill-in” doesn’t cut it. They’re going to need Dowuona to start playing with a chip on his shoulder and stop allowing bigs to bully him around. He was bullied in the exhibition and he was bullied last night by Bucknell’s 7-footer. Yea, he had 10 rebounds and we should credit him for that, but the soft hook shots on offense and allowing bigs to back him down on defense have to be fixed. It’s “grow up” time for Dowuona, and while it would have been ideal for him to mature with Bates getting most of the mintues, that’s likely off the table. NC State needs these guys to get mean, get physical and start treating the paint like they own it.Gibson looks to have put on some size and he also got 14 minutes, but 0 points and 2 boards? Not gonna cut it.

   Ernest Ross, the 4-star prospect almost had the dunk of the night and he’s got the versatility to be a star someday, but he’s going to have to start learning how to throw his body around if he wants minutes. Now, yeah, this was the kid’s first real game, so he gets some slack from me. But look, either this team is going to win or it’s not. Those are the only two outcomes anyone cares about. So these bigs are going to have to come together and focus on creating a gritty, physical identity for themselves, or this is going to be a long season.