Flash back to March 2011. The buzzer just sounded on an early-round ACC tournament game. NC State had just lost to Maryland 75-67 to finish off another disappointing 15-16 season. Sidney Lowe just completed his fifth season in Raleigh and had failed to reach the NCAA tournament in any of them.
Athletic director Debbie Yow knew there needed to be a change so NC State parted ways with Lowe (technically he resigned) and began a search for a new head coach.
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After a disastrous coaching search that saw public rejections from Gregg Marshall and Shaka Smart, among others, the Wolfpack ended up with then ESPN analyst and former Alabama coach Mark Gottfried. To say that the fan base was not inspired would be an understatement.
Enraged and disappointed would be a fair assessment, but Gottfried would soon shatter those low expectations.
In his first two seasons in Raleigh Gottfried would go 48-24 (20-14 in the ACC) while reaching back-to-back NCAA tournaments and making the Sweet 16 in his first season.
After those unexpected back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tournament, NC State was projected to take a step back in the 2013-14 season. Lorenzo Brown and C.J. Leslie opted to turn pro after their junior seasons, and Scott Wood and Richard Howell graduated.
Highly recruited freshman Rodney Purvis transferred to Connecticut, leaving T.J. Warren as the only major contributor from the previous year. There was not much firepower remaining from those tournament teams, or so everyone thought.
Warren stepped up to the challenge and carried NC State to the NCAA tournament, where they would beat Xavier in a First Four matchup before losing a heartbreaker to Saint Louis. He torched the ACC, leading the conference in scoring at 24.9 points per game on his way to the ACC Player of the Year award. Following the season he elected to enter the NBA draft and was selected 14th overall by the Phoenix Suns.
The question facing NC State this season is how do they replace such a huge part of their offense? How can they expect to have another successful season when they are losing their best player? NC State will attempt to do that with depth and balance.
They return Anthony “Cat” Barber, Ralston Turner, Kyle Washington, Dezmond Lee, Lennard Freeman, and Beejay Anya from last year’s rotation while adding transfer Trevor Lacey and highly regarded freshmen Malik Abu, Caleb Martin, and Cody Martin. Coach Gottfried usually goes no more than nine deep in a rotation, so this year he will have plenty of options.
Other noted subtractions from last year’s squad are point guard Tyler Lewis and Australian center Jordan Vandenburg. Lewis decided to transfer to Butler when it became clear that Barber would be getting the bulk of the minutes at point guard next season, while Vandenburg graduated. Barber is now the only scholarship true point guard on the roster making staying healthy and productive more important than ever.
Barber will be a huge part of any success NC State has this season. His freshmen season came with its ups and downs, but he really came on late in the season improving his play significantly. In high school he was his team’s primary scorer so Barber had to get used to making plays for other players.
Early in the season it was obvious he was usually looking for his own shot rather than thinking about creating for his teammates.
Once he figured out how to drive to pass he become an effective playmaker while also showing off that scoring ability. Barber is lightning quick off the dribble, so penetrations and dishes down low or drive and kicks for open 3-pointers will be a big part of his game this season. Barber has been prone to concussions in the past, so playing hard without playing reckless will be his No. 1 goal this season.
The recipients of those passes to the wing will be Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner. Turner and Lacey should both be in the starting lineup this season and look to shoulder much of the scoring load. Both transferred into the program after spending time in the SEC, Turner with LSU and Lacey with Alabama.
Turner, now a senior, played his first season for the Wolfpack last year after sitting out the previous year. He was second in scoring to Warren and was NC State’s only reliable threat from deep. He averaged 10.5 points, and 2.5 rebounds per game on 37.2 percent shooting from three point range.
Lacey gives the Wolfpack another 3-point threat. His sophomore year at Alabama 11.3 points per game on 37.3 percent shooting from 3, while also grabbing 3.8 rebounds and dishing out 3.3 assists per game.
While Turner is mostly just a 3-point shooter, Lacey also likes to get into the lane and create his own shot. He is the most versatile player on the roster and may end up being the team’s best player.
During his time at NC State Gottfried has never had two capable 3-point shooters on the roster at the same time, he will gladly welcome this change. The coaching staff has raved about Lacey whenever given the chance and some believe he could be the “go-to guy” in crunch time.
Dez Lee will also get time in the guard rotation. He is a tenacious defensive player, though a bit undersized. He will likely spell Barber for a few minutes a game at point guard, and also get minutes at the two guard spot.
The big-man rotation is very deep. Beejay Anya, Lennard Freeman, and Kyle Washington got the majority of the minutes last season each providing value. Anya and his huge wingspan bring the rim protection, Freeman is a rebounding machine, and Washington is a high energy offense first player.
Their continued development will play a large role in NC State reaching their ceiling as a team. They’ll be joined down low this season by the Martin Twins, and Malik Abu.
Abu will slide into the rotation seamlessly. He has been billed as a high motor defense first player who should also provide scoring and rebounding down low. The Martin twins may get limited minutes this season, but their future is bright.
This year’s team may not have a first-round NBA draft pick like T.J. Warren, but as you can see they might be Gottfried’s deepest and most balanced team during his tenure at NC State. They will rely on contributions up and down the roster to replace what Warren brought to the table last season.
Not having the player who carried them last season will be adjustment at first, but with such an intriguing mix of young talent and experience this team should have no problem competing in the ACC. This will be a very versatile team with an offense that can score in a variety of ways and a high energy defense.
NC State may not be championship contenders, but Gottfried and the Wolfpack should be well on their way to a fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance.