only thing costner was missing was the red

11/11/2008 9:24:43 PM

^Yeah typical Fells is awesome one game and a ghost the next. Kid is crazy talented and doesn't seem to use it fully. He could easily be a star player and play in the NBA.

Gotta give Catawba credit, they are pretty good DII team and are well-coached you can tell. #12 and #15 would probably be our starting guards.

11/11/2008 9:25:01 PM

ha we played maybe 10min of good basketball. the first 5 and the last 5. Degand and Costner stepped up. And Costner needs to do do something with that halfassed mohawk.

11/11/2008 9:26:39 PM

i agree, catawba is realllllly well coached, they did a heck of a job on a baby come back.

their guard #12 was nasty...he was making it all, and then 32 was not bad either, they will do some big things in their league if they can find a post game.

11/11/2008 9:28:07 PM

Reading reports like this makes me want to strangle Fells. He needs to be like Julius Hodge junior year -- demand the ball, use his offensive skill to put pressure on the defense until it breaks down.


All he really has to do is get within 5 feet of the rim, and he can jump over everyone to throw it down.

[Edited on November 11, 2008 at 9:32 PM. Reason : .]

11/11/2008 9:30:30 PM

he moved to the 3 spot from the 2, it will take a little time to adjust but I think we should see big things out of him this year.

11/11/2008 9:31:23 PM

Fells has all the talent in the world.

He SHOULD be better than Hodge. He has no will. Maybe he can steal some of Psycho T's.

11/11/2008 9:31:44 PM

I really don't understand how after the years he has been here and after people have constantly told him to take over the game, he still acts like a timid freshman.


You'd think he'd wear down and become confident.

[Edited on November 11, 2008 at 9:36 PM. Reason : .]

11/11/2008 9:34:27 PM

Quote :

"“I think we played great,” said Degand, who had a team-high 15 points, to go with two assists and four steals. “We definitely moved the ball around. We definitely pushed the ball like coach preached to us in practice. “I think we did a real good job.”"

Quote :

"“I thought we played a solid game,” said Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe. “I thought our defense again was good."

Quote :

"“I think we are ready to go,” Costner said. “We are playing very well right now. "

Only quote missing was:

Quote :

"We're only going to lose 4 games this year."

11/11/2008 10:18:04 PM

Farnold played decent, he can still hit the turbo, although he did get outta control a few times. But he went 7-8, 1-1 3P, 4 steals in 22 minutes.

Costner looked promising with 14 pts, 6 rebs, and 5 asts in 22 minutes. First time I'd seen him this season, and he looks like a different guy. What is with that haircut?

Fells was quiet, but he did have a nice dunk. And Horner got blocked on a dunk attempt, twice i think. Tracy went on a run in the second half and ended with 14 points in 13 minutes. Harris was solid.

Not a great game, defense was lacking, but just an exhibition and lot of mixing up, lots of guys getting minutes.

11/11/2008 10:28:47 PM

I'd just like to hear Sid rip into the team instead of sugar coating everything. They should have destroyed this team.

Sounds like the same crap from last year. Except now we don't have a future 1st round draft pick to carry us.

11/11/2008 10:36:30 PM

Quote :

"i agree, catawba is realllllly well coached, they did a heck of a job on a baby come back. their guard #12 was nasty...he was making it all, and then 32 was not bad either, they will do some big things in their league if they can find a post game."

lol... it's fucking Catawba.

11/11/2008 10:39:16 PM

On the radio it sounded like Fields was making crazy shots with a hand in his face most of the time. Sometimes guys get on a hot streak and make circus shots. I fear when we have to play Miami b/c of Jack McClinton.

11/11/2008 11:30:45 PM

a couple of the catawba guys did shoot very well 12 and 15 if i remember right. Most of them were contested jump shots, most nights not many of those shots go down

11/11/2008 11:36:48 PM

i was optimistic after watching the red and white game and then listening to the first exhibition against fort valley, but if we keep playing like we did tonight then there is no way we win more than 5 acc games. lazy plays, lazy/stupid passes, little focus, not much movement, too much hesitation, etc. This team could be worse than last years if they don't get their shit together.

I will say that we have a shit ton of potential, but if we don't start getting some intensity out of all the players and not just javi, farnold and simon then we are going to be in for a very rough year. There were some plays that you could catch glimpses of what we could be if every player would play every possession. Somebody needs to kick these guys in the ass and tell them to PICK IT THE FUCK UP.

I was VERY disappointed in our play.

11/11/2008 11:43:44 PM

i'm sorry, but if you were honestly that disappointed, i don't know what to tell you.

did you expect everything to be fixed over the offseason?

11/12/2008 1:48:08 AM

how many "rebuilding year" offseasons are we allowing ourselves here?

[Edited on November 12, 2008 at 2:20 AM. Reason : ----]

11/12/2008 2:19:46 AM

derrick favors ftw

11/12/2008 3:06:17 AM

i expected the team to give a shit since "chemistry" was our problem last year.

11/12/2008 8:57:21 AM

Nope, we aren't going to be great this year. But this was just an exhibition, so relax. 10 players saw minutes int he double-digits.

11/12/2008 9:14:02 AM

I hate to start any Fire Sidney talk, but it is a coaches job to fire up his players and make them give some effort

11/12/2008 9:31:09 AM

^I had a hard time getting excited about last nights game too though

Quote :

"I'd just like to hear Sid rip into the team instead of sugar coating everything. They should have destroyed this team. Sounds like the same crap from last year. Except now we don't have a future 1st round draft pick to carry us."

Sidney didn't rip the team to the media....but he sure as hell did during some timeouts last night. The video showed him going nuts about half way through the first half because we kept throwing the ball away and letting them score easy baskets.

11/12/2008 9:36:48 AM

defense is definitely what bothers me the most this year. I thought the team looked a whole lot better in their first exhibition, I guess they gave a damn about the opener but didn't put a lot of effort into this one.

I did see some good things from McCauley and Costner actually tried on occasion this game, made a few plays....

11/12/2008 9:47:25 AM

Quote :

"I hate to start any Fire Sidney talk, but it is a coaches job to fire up his players and make them give some effort"

Once more, this was an exhibition game. So yeah, let's not start any "Fire Sidney" talk.

11/12/2008 9:50:13 AM

not terrible, definitely not good either..... looked much better the first game

we will just have to see how we play against formidable competition

11/12/2008 9:51:05 AM

Horner really looked bad last night. There were a couple errant passes that came his way that he didn't even try to save. And by not trying, I mean just look at the ball as it goes out of bounds.

11/12/2008 9:56:38 AM

Here's an article on our two preseason games by Ryan Craig of WRAL:
http://www.wralsportsfan.com/rs/blogpost/3945505/

Quote :

"Preseason college basketball isn’t about scores or stats, it’s about finding rhythm, tweaking rotations, and getting a feel for who will contribute for your team and who cannot. Sometimes the numbers tell the real story, while other times they mask the truth. N.C. State didn’t exactly blow the doors off the “Old Barn” last night in its 85-61 win against Catawba College, so as you might suspect, my impressions about State were mixed. First off, and most importantly, Farnold Degand looked as though he’s playing at close to 100% after returning from last year’s ACL tear. The Pack’s starting point guard only missed one out of eight shots last night and tallied four steals in just 22 minutes. Again, it’s not about the numbers, but what those numbers meant. The 6-foot-3 playmaker showed range from three, the ability to get into the lane, and the lateral movement to keep his man in front of him and force turnovers. I was impressed with the way he was able to play the up-tempo style Sidney Lowe is looking for without seeming like he was forcing the issue. The former Iowa State player’s one missed shot was a testament to his offensive efficiency – the team just looked like it operated better on the offensive end with him running the show. Sometimes you just have to forget about the numbers and give a team the old “eye test.” These eyes likes what they saw more with number 12 at the helm. As you might expect, if I thought the team looked better with Degand at the one, then I thought they looked worse when Javier Gonzalez was there. At least against the Indians, Javi’s jumper still seems to be more of a liability than a weapon. The sophomore had three wide open looks from beyond the recently-extended three-point line and missed all three. One of State’s problems last year was its inability to knock down open jumpers. When defenses don’t have to respect your ability to shoot from outside, defenders can sag off your perimeter players, compromising your ability to get into the lane and clogging the paint for low-post playmakers like Ben McCauley and Tracy Smith. Degand appears to have the shot that can force his man to play tight on him, opening up the opportunity for a dribble-drive – Gonzalez does not. That, in itself, is one of the reasons why the offense is more effective in the hands of Degand. The biggest issue the Pack is going to have in the back court, other than the chance the team may faint from holding its breath while Javi is playing point, is the complete lack of a shooting guard. Trevor Ferguson is not as bad as his Brian Zoubek-like four fouls in ten minutes stat line, but he’s not a legitimate ACC two-guard either. Of course, it doesn’t really matter, because for some reason, C.J. Williams, the true freshman out of Jack Britt, is the starter for now. I always make it a point to say that I’ve never coached a college basketball game – or a high school game – or a pickup game – and I will reiterate that point right now. But, this is the second time I’ve seen Williams play in person now, and if he’s the best option State has at shooting guard, this is going to be a long season in Raleigh. Coach Lowe re-stated his affinity for his style of play after Tuesday night’s contest, but I just don’t see it. Sure, his body may be college-ready (Williams is already filled out at 6-5, 205 pounds), but his game isn’t. I understand that as a freshman he has a lot to learn, but for now he is absolutely no threat on the offensive end of the court. State doesn’t have enough talent at the other spots on the floor to play 4-on-5 on offense, and that’s exactly what they are doing right now with a player that didn’t even look for an opportunity to score until there were two minutes left in the game. State’s depth is in the front court, and because of that, I think you go with Degand at the one, Fells at the two, Costner at the three and then McCauley and Smith at the four and five respectively. Sure, you probably lose some of Fells’ offense because of the energy he’ll have to expend playing the other team’s two, but you make up for it by moving Costner to his best position and having your two best low-post players on the floor together. Speaking of the front court, State looked good here. McCauley was solid and Brandon Costner and Tracy Smith were better than that. Costner only finished 4-12 from the field, but the weight he’s dropped is allowing him to be more of the all-court player he was two years ago when he made a name for himself in the ACC Tournament. The redshirt junior hit from three, showed quickness in the lane, and perhaps most importantly, had enough in the tank to dive on the floor for loose balls. Costner was admittedly one of the most disappointing players from last year’s team, and it looks like he took it upon himself to get in better shape and get back to the level he was at when he was considered one of the best small forward prospects in the conference. One of the things that will allow Costner to play more on the perimeter, where I feel he’s more comfortable, is the emergence of Tracy Smith as a legit post presence on the offensive end. Smith is no Hickson (though State fans might argue that’s not a bad thing), but he appears to be building off of the improvement he made last year. The true sophomore has solid footwork in the paint and the body to bang down low in the ACC – his only issue sometimes can be his willingness to demand the ball. It seemed as though every time he touched the ball in the paint he scored (he shot 7-10, though you have to consider the competition), but after every one of his baskets I found myself asking ‘why doesn’t he ask for the ball more often?’ He suffers from what I have decided to call “Courtney Fells Disease” (CFD). CFD can present in a variety of ways, including deferring too much to other players, not demanding the ball on the offensive end even though you are the most skilled player on the court or might have the greatest advantage with your matchup, and disappearing for long stretches at a time for no reason at all. The performance against Catawba was hardly dominating, and perhaps only mildly more than reassuring, but at least Wolfpack nation got a look at what they can expect from this year’s team. As long as the starting five can stay on the floor (I'm counting Fells, and not Williams, as one of those five), State will be competitive in its games. Unfortunately, the bench isn't deep enough to keep the five best players fresh enough to run like Lowe wants to this year, meaning a lot of the Pack's games will feature a quick start to both halves and a likely drop-off from there (similar to what happened against Catawba). This year's freshman class doesn't look like it will have much of an impact, if any, which won't help assuage the loss of Hickson and Gavin Grant to the NBA and graduation , respectively."

11/12/2008 2:28:42 PM

I'm not going to comment on this particular game, because I wasn't able to see it. However, it's still disconcerting to me when I read from people who did see it that "the other team was just on fire" and "they are going to be awesome in their own conference." At some point that doesn't cut it with teams with drastically inferior talent. It seems like EVERY team was awesome against us last season according to most people. That tells me that OUR team isn't very good and just seems like a whole bunch of excuses.

Anyway, I have VERY LOW expectations this year, so I'm not setting myself up to be disappointed. I think we finish 2-3 games below .500 overall and get 5 or 6 ACC wins. Obviously, anything less and I would be disappointed. Anything more and I'll be happy.

More than anything else, I want to see consistent effort at both ends of the floor.

11/12/2008 2:42:54 PM

we have to learn how to coach and play consistent defense. it is that simple. offense for every team in america comes and goes depending on the night, just the nature of the game.

defense is where we lacked sorely last year and unless some major things have changed in philosophy we will continue to struggle on defense.

and like the post above stated, it is all about effort and want to on defense. and we didn't have that last year.

11/12/2008 2:58:15 PM

Agreed, defense is the one thing you can be consistent about and can manage if you "want" to. I am not expecting a stellar season, but I am expecting an above .500 season.


III

11/12/2008 3:24:59 PM

I think our basketball team this year is going to be similar to our football team in that we can compete with most teams (save UNC and Duke), but are going to lose a lot of close games.

This team still cannot shoot the three or force turnovers. Hopefully if we really do try running a press this year, we can get some turnovers and easy baskets. I just do not see that happening against most of the teams we'll be playing.

11/12/2008 4:14:55 PM