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ACC: NC State Fills Shooting Need With Veteran Tranfers

By Andrew Snyder

Jan 11, 2014; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Terry Henderson (15) looks to pass the ball during the first half at WVU Coliseum. Oklahoma State Cowboys defeated West Virginia Mountaineers 73-72. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2014; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Terry Henderson (15) looks to pass the ball during the first half at WVU Coliseum. Oklahoma State Cowboys defeated West Virginia Mountaineers 73-72. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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When Mark Gottfried accepted the head coaching job at NC State before the 2011-12 season, the toy box was not exactly empty.

He had an assortment of new trinkets at his disposal to help him compete in the ACC — a point guard that could score in Lorenzo Brown, a freak athlete in C.J. Leslie, and a rebounding machine with an exceptional beard named Richard Howell.

But, his favorite toy was a lanky sharpshooter from Marion, Indiana named Scott Wood. Gottfried used Wood as his floor stretcher extraordinaire, running him off screens all game, as he unleashed his reign of three-point terror on opposing defenses.

Gottfried had Wood at his disposal for his first two years at NC State, during which Wood shot 40.9 and 44.1 percent respectively from three-point range. Wood ended his career as the all-time leader in made three-point field goals at NC State and gave State fans exciting moments like this.

Gottfried was a three-point specialist himself during his playing days at Oral Roberts so he always seems to have a special relationship with those players on his teams. After the 2012-13 season, Wood’s eligibility was exhausted and the Pack found themselves without a reliable three-point shooter on the roster.

To replace Wood, Gottfried did not search the country for the next best freshman shooting sensation. Instead he has chosen to focus on point guards, athletes and big men for his recruiting classes. To find shooters, Gottfried has elected to bring in veteran transfers from Division I programs.

The first example of this was Ralston Turner out of LSU. Turner and his quirky looking jump-shot made an instant impact for the Wolfpack. Turner was NC State’s second leading scorer during both his seasons with the program. This past season, he averaged a career high 12.8 points per game on 36.7 percent shooting from outside.

Joining Turner, this past season, was former Alabama guard Trevor Lacey. Lacey may have been thought of as a three-point specialist when he elected to transfer to NC State, but Wolfpack fans quickly learned that he was much more than that.

Lacey only spent one season in Raleigh, but it was a memorable one. He led the team in scoring with 15.7 points per game and shot 39.2 percent from three-point range. His game-winning shot against Georgia Tech virtually saved NC State’s season sparking them to a NCAA Tournament appearance and surprising run to the Sweet 16.

But, Turner and Lacey are gone. Turner’s four years are up and Lacey has entered the 2015 NBA Draft. It’s time for another transfer student to take the reins.

Continuing the trend, Gottfried has brought in yet another transfer that projects to be NC State’s biggest outside threat next season. Terry Henderson out of West Virginia played two seasons in Morgantown, shooting 40 percent from deep in his freshmen season and 37.6 percent during his sophomore campaign. It’s pretty clear that the kid can shoot, but what else can he do? With Lacey’s departure he will also be expected to serve as an occasional backup point guard.

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Henderson has big shoes to fill (two pairs to be exact), and his role on the team could be enormous. If Henderson acclimates quickly to his new environment and assumes a large portion of the scoring responsibilities, then NC State could be looking at their fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

If Henderson scuffles, that leaves a heavy burden on the shoulders of Cat Barber and Caleb Martin to become more efficient three-point shooters. Without someone on the perimeter to stretch the defense those driving lanes Cat Barber likes to glide through will be significantly smaller.

So far Gottfried is 2-for-2 going the transfer sharpshooter route. Whether or not Henderson can make it 3-for-3 remains to be seen. It is unclear whether this is a deliberate recruiting strategy or just a coincidence. I would guess that Gottfried and his staff are doing this on purpose.

It takes the risk out of the equation for recruiting a player whose primary skill is three-point shooting. With a high school kid there is a chance that he will not make the adjustment to the college level. Perhaps the deeper three-point line throws them off or they are not quick enough to get open when playing against more athletic opponents.

When you bring in a transfer with a proven track record of knocking down three-pointers at the Division I level, then you know what you are getting. It’s a unique recruiting philosophy, and one that has paid off so far during Mark Gottfried’s tenure at NC State.

Henderson only has two years left to play, so Gottfried better be on the lookout for his next three-point swishing transfer.

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