Before its Nov. 13 regular season opener against William & Mary, the NC State men’s basketball team takes the court Sunday at PNC Arena for an exhibition game against the California State University-Los Angeles Golden Eagles.
The Division II Golden Eagles finished a paltry 10-16 competing in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Their most recent outing was a 95-57 evisceration Oct. 30 at the hands of the UCLA Bruins.
The Wolfpack opens the season unranked in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls. With in-state rivals UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke ranked No. 1 and No. 5 respectively in the AP Poll, the Wolfpack has more than enough motivation to prove itself this season.
Last year’s Sweet 16 run came as both a surprise and a sign of things to come. But with the untimely departures of junior Trevor Lacey, sophomore Kyle Washington and senior Ralston Turner, the Pack is left scrambling to make up ground. Enter junior transfer Terry Henderson and freshmen Maverick Rowan and Shaun Kirk.
Henderson joins a Wolfpack team eager to build off last year’s postseason success. The Raleigh native averaged 9.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG and 23.4 MPG during his tenure playing for the West Virginia Mountaineers. Appearing in 58 games for the Mountaineers, including 28 starts, Henderson provides the Wolfpack a threat from beyond the arc, as he made 89 3-pointers in two seasons.
Henderson also brings a defensive presence to State. Having played under head coach Bob Huggins and his notorious full-court press at West Virginia, Henderson will no doubt be one of the better defenders for the Pack this season.
Rowan hails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and provides yet another deep threat from beyond the arc for head coach Mark Gottfried. Listed as both a guard and forward, Rowan’s 6-foot-7, 215 pound frame coupled with his athleticism makes him a very dangerous threat on the wing for the Wolfpack.
Kirk, a Whiteville, North Carolina native, brings youth and even more athleticism to State. Look for Kirk to mirror the play of both sophomores Caleb and Cody Martin- — tough, lockdown defense and non-stop hustle all game.
The Pack also returns last year’s Renaissance man, junior Anthony ‘Cat’ Barber. Late last season, Barber turned the corner and began to play some of his best basketball at just the right time. Highlighted by a 23-point performance Jan. 31 at Georgia Tech and a 15-point outing Feb. 24 at UNC-Chapel Hill, Barber’s improved play propelled the Wolfpack to a 14-5 stretch to end the season.
The ceiling for junior BeeJay Anya, sophomore Abdul-Malik Abu and junior Lennard Freeman seems to get higher and higher with each game they play. With Anya as a shot-blocking threat down low, Abu’s athleticism in both scoring and rebounding the ball and Freeman’s rebounding and defense have the Pack boasts one of the best front courts in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
After a successful campaign last season, the Pack is poised to make some noise this season in the ACC.
