After an unexpected Sweet 16 run, the NC State men’s basketball team suffered heavy losses in the offseason, parting ways with three of its four leading scorers during the 2015 season.
The Wolfpack suffered the most in the backcourt. With seniors Ralston Turner and Desmond Lee graduating, redshirt junior Trevor Lacey’s early departure left Anthony ‘Cat’ Barber as the Pack’s only rotation guard left on the roster.
Even the losses of reserves Staats Battle and Patrick Wallace ended up being detrimental to the Pack’s future.
However, head coach Mark Gottfried and his staff have been hard at work gathering the correct pieces to help his 2015-16 Wolfpack squad maintain the level of excellence that State fans have come to expect from the program in recent years.
It all begins with Gottfried’s mastery of the transfer market. For the past four years, Gottfried has brought in a highly touted transfer. Turner and Lacey, both Alabama natives, joined the Pack for the chance to play under Gottfried, who had recruited them both in high school.
The success of both Turner and Lacey, as well as the State program as a whole, made Raleigh a more attractive destination for players who were leaving their old programs.
In June 2014, former-West Virginia guard Terry Henderson declared he would come back to his hometown to play for the Pack.
“I thought it would be a better fit for me academically and basketball-wise to leave,” Henderson said.
Like Turner and Lacey before him, Henderson sat out the entirety of the 2015 season but still practiced with the team every day, learning the playbook and how to gel with his new teammates.
Henderson will join Barber in what will likely be State’s starting backcourt. However, with Chase Cannon and Chris Corchiani Jr. as the only other guards on the team’s roster, Gottfried will likely get as much mileage of the duo as possible.
Henderson said he is ready to accept his role as a leader on this year’s squad.
“I’m going to be a shooter, but I’m going to try to be more than that,” Henderson said. “I want to guard the other team’s best players. I’ll take on any challenge that Coach gives me.”
Though Henderson only averaged 27 minutes per contest during his sophomore season at West Virginia, the guard is used to producing for his team even when playing major minutes.
During his sophomore season, Henderson averaged 17.4 points in games he played 32 minutes or more — significantly better than his season points per game average of 11.7.
While Barber and Henderson will likely be able to handle the heavy load next season, Gottfried realized he may not have the duo for long. With Barber’s emergence late last year, the junior may be headed to NBA a year early if he continues his high level of play.
With that in mind, Gottfried signed his latest transfer: freshman guard Torin Dorn of Charlotte. Dorn averaged 12 points and shot more than 50 percent in his one season with the 49ers, leading him to be named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year.
“I’m really excited to have Torin join our program,” Gottfried said in an official statement. “He’s extremely versatile and can play multiple positions on the perimeter. He is going to become an even better player because he has a great work ethic and is a great competitor. Most importantly, he’s a great student and he comes from an athletic background.”
Dorn has the ability to play both point and shooting guard and should be a great asset to the Pack in years to come; however, the guard will have to sit out a season before making his debut in red and white.