Seth Greenberg, who is a College Basketball Analyst with ESPN, was at NC State’s practice yesterday, and he was gracious enough to take some time to tell me what he saw.  Greenberg used to coach Virginia Tech, and won the ACC Coach of the Year honors twice for the Hokies. Here is Greenberg’s perspective of what he saw yesterday:

Opening summary…

I thought practice had a great pace to it.  They had good energy.  I thought they got a lot done.  Defensively I thought they did a lot of good things.  It was a good mix of going up and down and teaching in the half court.  Mark did a really good job.  His staff does a really good job.  He runs the practice.  I just thought it had a really good flow to it, which is important.  They play fast. They play freed up. They play confidentally. Mark does a good job, maybe as good a job of anyone in the country, at empowering his players…giving them confidence…helping them believe in themselves.

On BeeJay Anya…

BeeJay Anya didn’t practice yesterday, so obviously that was a disappointment.

On Malik Abu…

The guy that jumps out to you…100%…is Abdul-Malik Abu.  I thought he was terrific.  He pursues every rebound like it’s a pass off of the backboard.  He runs the court about as hard as any guy I’ve seen.  He did a pretty good job of finishing.  From the beginning to the end, I just thought he was realy good.  He did a terrific job.

On Terry Henderson…

Terry Henderson hit shots.  He’s picked up what they’re doing.  Sitting out a year and learning the offense has made the transition kind of seamless for him.  It’s important to have guys sitting out.  People undervalue the importance of someone learning the offense while they are sitting out.

On Maverick Rowan… 

Maverick Rowan had a nice practice.  His offense is a little ahead of his defense.  In terms of how he’s going to guard, and who he’s going to guard a probably going to be a little bit of an issue.  He can shoot it.  He’s got a really good basketball IQ.  He’s got a good feel for the game. He was better when they were going up and down.

On Caleb & Cody Martin…

The twins (Caleb & Cody Martin) were good.  They are more confident.  They handled and passed the ball well.  Cody did a good job at backup point guard.  He handled the ball well and made good decisions.  He didn’t turn the ball over.

On Lennard Freeman…

Lennard Freeman looked good, but it looks like he’s still trying to round into shape.  He worked really hard.  Feel is still probably an issue for him at times, but I thought he did a nice job.

On Cat Barber…

Cat is Cat.  Cat has improved significantly in terms of his release and technique.  I recruited him and know him very well.  He’s shooting a much softer ball.

On what to expect…

They have some good pieces.  I think they will be in the mix with the rest of the teams after the top 3.  The bigs are going to be better.  Cat is going to be better.  That’s a reality.  Can Terry make some shots to make people honest?  Can Maverick Rowan make some shots to keep people honest, and will he be able to defend?  That’s going to be the question.  Lacey and Turner made a lot of shots.  Who is going to make those shots? They are trying to figure out where those shots are going to come from.

On Coach Gottfried…

Coach Gottfried’s done a tremendous job.  4 consecutive NCAA tournaments.  He’s advanced in the tournament.  He’s created excitement.  He’s got a great personality for NC State.  I think he relates to people.  I think he’s a really good coach, but he keeps things in perspective.  He just has a really good way about him.  I’ve known Mark since when he was back at UCLA.  We’ve been friends for a long time and I have a lot of respect for him.  I just think he’s done a terrific job.