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WOLFERETTI: My take on NC State’s 84-83 heart-attack inducing win over SMU

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6 months ago

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I had an awful dream last night.

I dreamt that Quadir Copeland only had 15 assists and zero turnovers, and the Pack lost by 2 to SMU.

Okay, fine, I didn’t have that dream, but the point I’m making is how crazy thin the line is between wins and losses in the ACC. NC State played out of their mind, but so did SMU, and it was at SMU, and NC State was able to escape with a 1-point, Quad-1 victory.

First off, I want to make the point that this SMU team is VERY good. They might have 5 ACC losses, but they are about to stack wins like crazy on the back end of their schedule. The first half of their league schedule was a gauntlet. Duke, UNC, Virginia, Clemson, Louisville, and NC State. The back end is riddled with the cellar dwellers.

The Mustangs took NC State’s very best shot and came up just short. Copeland had a historic night with 16 assists and zero turnovers. His assist-to-turnover ratio is going to be trending towards record levels. He added 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, Darrion Williams showed us what he’s capable of with 25 points on 6-12 shooting from deep. State hit 16 3-pointers. Tre Holloman played his best game. Matt Able played his best half. McNeil, Lubin, Arcenaux…they all played well.

This was NC State’s true coming-out party. This was the first time we’ve seen them clicking on ALL cylinders, and man, was it beautiful.


Quadir Copeland’s Hero Arc


Copeland has been learning on the fly, and it’s gone better than anyone could have expected. Of course, everyone knows the story of him being a wing, and now transitioning to playing PG at the ACC level.

That’s a big transition for sure, but he was a PG early in his life, so he had some foundation to build on there.

The one area of growth nobody is talking about is how Copeland has always been an ‘underdog’ in a sense.

Look at this skill set. It’s clear he has NBA-level speed, height, footwork, vision, court-IQ, handles, and athleticism. Yet, he was still just a 3-star coming out of high school, and when he got to Syracuse, he was relegated to a wing player.

Copeland is no idiot. He knew he was being misused, and that’s why he dropped down a level to McNeese State, a school that would give him the shot at PG. The position he knew he had to master if he wanted to reach his full potential.

But when you have that level of belief in yourself, and it’s not being matched by those around you, it hurts. It makes you realize that if you really want to get to where you believe you can go, you’re going to have to take that journey alone. So Copeland did.

But to get there, you have to deflect all the noise. All the doubt. All the criticism from those who think they know better.

So he created a shell.

Q vs. The World. Inpenetrable, because if you weren’t a believer, you didn’t matter. You were just in the way. And he just moved forward with a smile on his face.

But that type of persona, in the real world, it’s not welcome. It’s not understood. It gives off ‘villain vibes’ to the outsiders.

Q didn’t have the time or energy to manicure his public perception. He was busy working.

I’ve said this a million times, but Wade and Q are the perfect marriage. Wade has some of that in him as well, so he can relate to Q, but at the same time, I believe he’s learned to harness his, and polish it up for mainstream consumption. This is what I believe, under the surface, he’s been teaching Copeland.

Fast forward to today.

Quadir Copeland went from underdog to the leader of a Top-Tier ACC team. He’s gone from underappreciated and misunderstood to NBA prospect.

Last night he arrived. The years of work, the uphill climb over every doubter and every critic, last night he shut them up.

16 assists, zero turnovers, 10 rebounds, and most importantly, a WIN…in a room full of NBA scouts, on national TV.

Quadir Copeland is in the first chapter of his good guy era. This is the hero arc of his story.

And while he’s never going to be fully appreciated by basketball fans everywhere (opposing fans will still be annoyed by him), his doubters have no choice but to transition to haters.

And Copeland, a man used to being on his own, will be playing the rest of this season with a huge pack of wolves behind him, following him as their leader.


Darrion Williams — He is who we thought he was

 

Darrion Williams, WHAT A NIGHT!

Williams got going early with a corner 3 within the first 2 minutes. He started NC State’s scoring in the second half with a back-down baby hook. And he finished the job with a top of the key 3 that pretty much sealed the deal.

Williams answered the bell every single time.

Only superstars do that.

Darrion Williams was brought in to be NC State’s superstar, and last night, we got to see what he’s capable of. In fact, over the past 3 games, Williams has been a different player.

68 points.
16 3s
24-46 from the floor (52%)
16- 29 from 3 (55%)

Remember the guy they told you was picked to be ACC player of the year? Yeah, that’s this guy.

 

Wade’s belief in Tre Holloman pays off


I’m going to be frank with you. There aren’t any meaningful statistics that tell you Tre Holloman should be getting all the minutes he was getting after coming off injury. All the numbers said more minutes for Terrance Arcenaux.

But this is why Will Wade is getting paid the big bucks, and everyone else is armchair quarterbacking.

Tre Holloman played a massive role for NC State last night. In a game where SMU took away Paul McNeil Jr. most of the night, and NC State needed firepower from outside, Holloman produced.

11 points and 3 assists on 4-9 shooting. Which is a good, not great line.

But if you watched the game and saw the timing of these stats, you’d see why Wade trusts Tre. He likes to deliver with the brightest lights on him.

Holloman’s 3’s were timely, but his pass to Matt Able in the corner to break the dam and give NC State their first 2nd half lead was huge.

And no play was bigger than his lockdown defense on the big-shot making, Boopie Miller, as time expired.

Last call for the “Red Reckoning” bandwagon

Some of you have been disciples of the Reckoning since day 1. Congrats to you.

For those who doubted, we are still family, and we welcome you aboard.

That said, this train has already left the station… so grab your bags, run alongside it, and one of us will reach out and pull you aboard.

But if you’re not getting on now, you’re gonna be left behind.

 

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