Found this on PackPride.

Quote :

"N.C. State has a sleeper in Werner By Thad Mumau Correspondent It was without fanfare that N.C. State received a commitment from Dan Werner last spring and then got his signature on a letter-of-intent in November. The 6-foot-8 power forward from Lincroft (N.J.) Christian Brothers Academy is not ranked among the top 100 high school seniors in the nation. He isn’t even in the top 200 as ranked by prepstars.com. Therefore, nobody made a big deal out of his recruitment. Christian Brothers coach Ed Wicelinski thinks folks in ACC country are going to have their eyes opened by Werner. In fact, he feels the Wolfpack itself is in for a pleasant surprise. “The State coaches got a better player than they ever expected,” Wicelinski said. “Dan just may be the best all-around player in New Jersey.” Lance Thomas, a 6-8 forward who is strongly considering Duke, and 7-footer Brian Zoubek, who has already signed with the Blue Devils, are the Jersey kids who get most of the ink. Both are top-30 prospects. Werner fits the throwback mold, a fundamentally sound player who makes crisp bounce passes, sets solid screens, believes in passing to open teammates when he’s double-teamed and thinks it’s just as important to prevent points as it is to score them. “He is athletic enough to play in today’s game,” Wicelinski said, “and he has enough of the old-time game to make him a very good, well-rounded basketball player. “I don’t think a lot of people noticed him much before this season. Now, they are saying he may be the best overall player in New Jersey. Dan isn’t the best shooter, scorer, rebounder or shot blocker. But he’s in the top three in a lot of areas. Nobody up here does so many things as well as he does.” Werner averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks as a senior, while shooting 58 percent from the floor, including 41 percent behind the arc, and 74 percent from the foul line. He scored 32 points in a two-point loss to perennial power St. Anthony’s, evoking this from its legendary coach, Bob Hurley: “Only one or two kids have ever had that kind of game against us, and that covers a period of many, many years.” Werner’s season-high 41 points came in a 99-93 double-overtime win over Chester (Pa.) High, the effort spiced by seven 3-pointers. “He can go out there and shoot it,” Wicelinski said, “and he can mix it up inside. The thing about Dan is that he doesn’t go around hunting shots; he takes what is available. He plays within himself and doesn’t take bad shots. “Averaging 21 points on this team is quite an accomplishment. First of all, we are a very balanced team. We don’t go to him all the time. And we play what some would say is a deliberate style. We pass the ball around and find good shots; we don’t just run up and down the court.” Neither does the Wolfpack, and that was believed to be a big reason for its romance with Werner. “It’s true that Dan felt he could go in at N.C. State and compete quicker because their style is similar to ours,” Wicelinski said. “But it was more than that. He liked Herb Sendek and the rest of the staff, and he is excited about competing in the ACC. “Dan has a very high on-court IQ; he really understands the game. He is an excellent defender on and off the ball, and he can guard people out on the floor. “He handles the ball well — he helped us break pressure all season — and he is a good passer. The folks at State are really going to like the way he plays.”"

3/15/2006 1:01:21 AM

Evtimovs replacement

i love how lately all our recruits have been tall but yet really smart, mobile and 3-able

Ced, Andrew, Ben, Brandon, even Fells and then throw in this guy

our teams for the future are realllllly starting to shape up

[Edited on March 15, 2006 at 1:08 AM. Reason : d]

3/15/2006 1:08:08 AM

yeah

not to change the subject

but if fells can turn his raw athleticism into serious basketball talent he is gonna be ridiculously dangerous, he showed lots of promise this year

the future is bright

3/15/2006 1:09:56 AM

^^I'm actually a bit concerned about that.

Brack's not what I hoped for this year, and who knows if he'll keep playing basketball for another 1-2 years? I hope Ced stays 4 years, but we don't know how high he might be predicted in the draft after next year.

But after them, we have several Ev-like guys--McCauley, Costner, Werner, Horner...rather than your typical strong post players.

[Edited on March 15, 2006 at 1:11 AM. Reason : ^]

3/15/2006 1:11:32 AM

the difference being that mccauley and costner have athletic ability, evtimov was a fucking fence post out there

i don't know much about werner and horner though

3/15/2006 1:13:05 AM

I cant be the only one who doesnt like where this is going.


Havent we learned enough from the Evtimov's, Brackman's, and McCauley's of the world???


Boo.

3/15/2006 1:13:42 AM

as usual, you aren't making much of a point

no one is a fan of evtimov's play

brackman has waned since last year -- he's probably distracted by baseball and probably won't return to form, so, yeah, he's a failed experiment

but mccauley's just a freshman and has shown lots of promise, whats your beef with him

3/15/2006 1:16:33 AM

Good chance that Brackman might not play next year since he will be more than likely drafted after his junior baseball season.

Also, ESPN has Ced listed as one of the "players to watch" for the NBA draft in our region of the NCAA tournament. I really doubt hes going to stay all 4 years.

3/15/2006 1:17:55 AM

We're really going to need to pick up a couple of legitimate PF/C recruits in the next class.

3/15/2006 1:18:34 AM

Brackman gained a lot of muscle and weight, its hard to adjust in that short of a time period, see Tiger Woods

as for Evtimov he really gives teams a hard match up believe it or not, ask coaches who the hardest NCSU player to defend is and its Evtimov...i like how he plays and hes our smartest defensive player, i hope some of the new boys can be that dedicated to learning the opposition

as for Fells, i love this kid...he seems to be all kinds of good and really really respectful
Ben has GREAT footwork downlow, and these new kids in werner and horner and wright have real promise, i say in 2 years we are gonna be nasty if Ced can stick around till his senior year

oh and Gavin has really come around lately

Quote :

"We're really going to need to pick up a couple of legitimate PF/C recruits in the next class. "

did u even read the article, do u even know about our class?

but this Werner kid seems like the athletic Evitmov

[Edited on March 15, 2006 at 1:21 AM. Reason : d]

[Edited on March 15, 2006 at 1:22 AM. Reason : all kinds of typos]

3/15/2006 1:20:08 AM

^Yeah, McCauley's footwork has impressed me. He'll be nice once he settles down in game situations and finishes.

But sometimes you just need a big guy to go up strong.

And yes, I read the article, and I don't think you read anything I've written in the thread. McCauley, Costner, Horner, and Werner are all basically tall SFs, just like Evtimov--not PFs/Cs.

I still maintain that we need to pick up some strong big men.

[Edited on March 15, 2006 at 1:23 AM. Reason : ]

3/15/2006 1:21:55 AM

Quote :

"Good chance that Brackman might not play next year since he will be more than likely drafted after his junior baseball season."

if he gets drafted in a high round he'll be gone

if he gets drafted low he'll probably stick around but i doubt he'll play basketball

Quote :

"as for Evtimov he really gives teams a hard match up believe it or not, ask coaches who the hardest NCSU player to defend is and its Evtimov"

i agree 100%

he made big guys look like morons when they tried to defend him outside

until this year, that is

i don't know wtf he was doing in the tournament game -- he had all kinds of opportunities outside against williams but he looked scared to shoot

3/15/2006 1:24:30 AM

Quote :

"Havent we learned enough from the Evtimov's, Brackman's, and McCauley's of the world???"

His point is that he thinks big white guys are a waste of space out on the court.

Hopefully this kid has the athleticism to play ACC ball.

3/15/2006 1:32:06 AM

Quote :

"if he gets drafted in a high round he'll be gone"

Do you not consider the first round a 'high" enough round?


and yes ^ that is my point.

3/15/2006 1:34:53 AM

yeah i do, wtf are you talking about

who said he was gonna go in the first round

and even if he does, he might not sign

more to the point, you can not equate evtimov with brackman with mccauley

3/15/2006 1:38:38 AM

Evtimov probably looked scared to shoot because he hasn't been practicing; it was a dumb move to have a guy who isn't practicing in the game though.

I don't see how Ced could go pro after this year. He still has a lot of raw potential but he had one big game against Duke and he's been fairly meh the rest of the time.

McCauley looks like he'll never be more than "pretty good" to me. I mean, he looks like he'll be a solid contributor but I can't see him ever taking a game over. Especially if Ced leaves after next season, the future of this team really relies on Grant, Costner, and Fells, I think.

Either way next year will be rough.

3/15/2006 1:40:47 AM

he was talking about ced being a pro prospect after next year

either way, he has a long way to go before any nba scout is gonna give a shit about him

3/15/2006 1:43:47 AM

Im not really equating Evtimov to Brackman and McCauley...

I just think we already have plenty of these "low ceiling" players and it gets annoying.

How many O'Donnell's and Simon's do we really have to sit through?


Low ceiling players get you beat.


I'd much rather have had young talents like Fells/Costner playing this year than Evtimov.

I have serious issues with sitting talent on the bench in order to start guys who are just good enough to get you beat.


ANd everywhere ive seen has Brackman as a first rounder. Sure, he could slip and go 2nd round or something, but its kinda nuts to act like he's not gonna be a high pick.

3/15/2006 1:44:07 AM

i agree, sort of

odonnell and simons though?

i might be missing your point but why did pick to guys who were gone after one year

we didn't really have to sit through their time at all

and coster was hurt wasn't he

---

and, dude, read my posts

i never said brackman wouldn't be a high round pick

he probably will be a first or second rounder

but that doesn't mean he will sign

the first year player draft is a crapshoot

there's a good chance he'll be back at state next year

3/15/2006 1:47:55 AM

well yeah he's a sophomore so he'll def. be back.


we had to watch o'donnell a lot actually. he was a total disaster adn herb loved to play him. archie miller is another good example of a guy who got too many minutes.

Herb has the risk tolerance of a moose and its reflected by these chumps he keeps giving scholarships too.

That curly red headed guy on our bench now is another example.

If this skid happened and we had Costner and Fells playing 20 mpg, people would be much more willing to deal with it.

As it is, we have experience out the ass this year. The only thing we lack is TALENT.


which is funny because supposedly Herb has been bringing in loads of talent the past few years...


Its like Herb sometimes has a mental lapse and forgets he isnt at a mid-major anymore. These guys simply can NOT play at a high enough level to get things done in the ACC.

Id rather have guys like Gavin Grant out there anyday than Ilian Evtimov.

[Edited on March 15, 2006 at 1:59 AM. Reason : a]

3/15/2006 1:57:14 AM

Ced getting drafted has got to be a joke! He's had some good games, but my god I really don't think he's a target for the NBA draft. He didn't even make an all ACC team this year, and the past 4 games that state has played Ced has been MIA just like the rest of the team.

3/15/2006 2:00:55 AM

curly red headed guy

lets see we wont have a point guard next year with Bethel gone, yea we need a replacement

and have you seen this kids videos and him shooting the 3 ball?
hes a friggin sharpshooter, prolly the highest % shooter on the team next year, Bethels temp. replacement

3/15/2006 2:05:32 AM

^^ huh?

Cedric is projected to be a lottery pick after his junior season.


Dont confuse Herb miscasting Cedric, with a lack of talent on his part.




^ maybe... maybe, he proves me wrong but i doubt it. ALl i know is Roy Williams can take a guy like Wes MIller and turn him into a valuable player.

Herb can take guys like Grant, Bennerman, and Simmons and turn them into mediocre players with flashes of greatness.

[Edited on March 15, 2006 at 2:09 AM. Reason : a]

3/15/2006 2:06:40 AM

^
I know he has a lot of talent and I hope he brings it out (hopefully around Friday night) but I just find talk of him going to the draft a little funny.

[Edited on March 15, 2006 at 2:08 AM. Reason : .]

3/15/2006 2:08:11 AM

people were talking about him being pro prospect after the duke game

two weeks after that, i never heard a word about it

3/15/2006 2:08:53 AM

NBA Draft 2007 Projection:

updated 3-13-06


1) Greg Oden

2) Brandan Wright

3) Kevin Durant

4) Julian Wright

5) Kyle Lowry

6) Patrick O'Bryant

7) Cedric Simmons

3/15/2006 2:11:37 AM

i notice you didn't list a source with that projection

[Edited on March 15, 2006 at 2:12 AM. Reason : ]

3/15/2006 2:12:20 AM

http://www.nbadraft.net/index.asp?content=mock2007

3/15/2006 2:14:03 AM

ok i'll accept that

still way too early to tell in my opinion

3/15/2006 2:16:18 AM

Quote :

"http://www.nbadraft.net/index.asp?content=mock2007"

God I hope Charlotte doesn't use another lottery pick on a PF.

3/15/2006 2:17:58 AM

too early to claim he is going to be a lottery pick, certainly.


My response was someone saying that Cedric getting drafted was a joke.


It's not a joke to think he'll get drafted at some point if he projects as a lottery pick.



^ i woudlnt read too much into that... they're just ranking the players for '07... they're using the current season win/loss records to determine draft order so its not claiming ot be accurate to that extent.

Although the knicks picking first is pretty realistic

[Edited on March 15, 2006 at 2:23 AM. Reason : a]

3/15/2006 2:21:19 AM

fire herb

3/15/2006 2:43:48 AM

Quote :

""if he gets drafted in a high round he'll be gone" Do you not consider the first round a 'high" enough round?"

For a little more perspective, the last I heard he was ranked as the #2 overall prospect for his elgible draft year... he's definitely gone. He'd be a fool not to spend this next year focusing on workouts for the draft.

3/15/2006 2:45:35 AM

Quote :

"Werner averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks as a senior, while shooting 58 percent from the floor, including 41 percent behind the arc, and 74 percent from the foul line."

eep

3/15/2006 2:50:12 AM

Quote :

"Werner fits the throwback mold, a fundamentally sound player who makes crisp bounce passes, sets solid screens, believes in passing to open teammates when he’s double-teamed and thinks it’s just as important to prevent points as it is to score them."

That whole quote makes me feel better about the guy. Seems he is a good team player. I just really hope that he is athletic and is able to keep up with the Reyshawn Terrys and Anthony Morrows of the ACC.

3/15/2006 11:28:31 AM

what's that new rule about the nba draft for high schoolers...they only have to play one year of college ball before they can declare for the draft?

3/15/2006 2:04:51 PM