Junior Ben McCauley and freshman J.J. Hickson went back-and-forth in Saturday’s Red-White game at the RBC Center, tit for tat with big plays as the Red team defeated the White team 53-47.
Hickson became quite comfortable above the rim, going high for multiple dunks, while McCauley showed his experience and polish by scoring against Hickson with a few post moves of his own.
“I feel like he makes me a better player defensively. I’ve got to learn to get a hand up and just move my feet. He’s a great player,” Hickson said of McCauley. “He has some of the best post moves I’ve seen in a long time.”
McCauley joined redshirt sophomore forward Brandon Costner, junior guard Courtney Fells, sophomore guard Marques Johnson and redshirt junior forward Simon Harris in the White team’s starting lineup.
Freshman forward Tracy Smith, sophomore forward Dennis Horner, senior forward Gavin Grant and redshirt sophomore point guard Farnold Degand were in the Red team’s lineup with Hickson.
Though Hickson drew loud cheers for his play on Saturday and is a highly-regarded player coming in as a McDonald’s All-American, he said he’s trying to tune out distractions such as the NBA.
“For right now, I’m just staying humble. I’m not looking at the NBA right now. If the opportunity is there, I’m going to sit down and talk with my coach and family, and we’ll go from there,” Hickson said. “But going into the season, I’m just kind of trying to hopefully get to a Final Four, win a championship.”
While the two post players led their teams in scoring, Hickson with 21 for the Red and McCauley with 14 for the White, coach Sidney Lowe watched a match-up he has often seen in practice.
“It’s great for us because it’s going to make both of those guys better, going at it every single day,” Lowe said. “And they both are very similar in their work ethic. They go hard — [they] really do. It’s fun to watch those two play.”
While he said he saw some “questionable” passes typical for such a scrimmage, Lowe said he was pleased with his team’s effort on Saturday.
“I saw us really execute certain sets really well and read the defense and got some wide-open shots,” Lowe said.
The Red team, led by Degand, got up and down the court for fast-break baskets frequently, including a couple of acrobatic shots by Degand.
“The guards did a good job of pushing the ball, getting up the court,” Hickson said. “That’s something we’re working on a lot in practice, getting it after a make or miss and just pushing the rock and getting up the court.”
Meanwhile, McCauley said Degand is still figuring out when is the best time to use his speed to push the ball upcourt.
“One thing he needs to concentrate on is when to do that and when not to do that,” McCauley said. “But right now, he’s really getting out and running with the ball, and I think you’re going to see a lot of that this year with this team.”
Sights & Sounds
“Fear the Blazer” T-shirt
A new T-shirt was unveiled with the words “Fear the Blazer” scrolled across the back. The front was a copy of the front of Sidney Lowe’s infamous red jacket.
“Lock” from online video
The little boy from the online video that starts crying after he finds out N.C. State lost last season’s ACC championship to North Carolina was in attendance Saturday.
Fuller’s jersey honored
Todd Fuller, who played for the Wolfpack from 1992-93 to 1995-96, had his No. 52 jersey honored during halftime. Fuller was a first-team All-ACC selection his senior year and was picked 11th overall in the 1996 NBA draft.
-Kanen Lawson
