Quote :

"Tradition-conscious Wolfpack wants own memories By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot © February 22, 2006 RALEIGH - N.C. State assistant coach Mark Phelps walked into a locker room following the Wolfpack's 86-64 win over Florida State last week holding a stat sheet . One item in particular caught his eye. 'Twenty-two assists on 28 field goals," he said. "That's unselfish play." Phelps could have picked plenty of other numbers to highlight as well. N.C. State made 13 3-pointers, shot 64 percent and had five players score in double figures. Most importantly, the Wolfpack improved to 20-5, reaching the 20-win plateau faster than any N.C. State team since 1974. The Wolfpack has since run its record to 21-5, 10-3 in the ACC, heading into tonight's game against North Carolina at the RBC Center. N.C. State is 15-1 in its raucous home arena, where David Thompson, class of '75, exhorts fans from a giant video screen, and Chris Corchiani, class of '91, sits behind the home bench. Current players say they're glad to have the Wolfpack legends around. But as Cameron Bennerman diplomatically put it the day after the Florida State game: "It seems like with N.C. State, at times we're kind of living on memories." This year's crew, led by Bennerman and fellow seniors Tony Bethel and Ilian Evtimov, is eager to make some of its own. They are doing it their own way, without a signature star who will add to Wolfpack lore, but with five players averaging between 10.2 and 13.7 points per game. That's not to say the team lacks sizzle. You might know the players by reputation as a deliberate, patient, buttoned-down bunch that milks every possession, choosing their shots as carefully as their deliberate, patient, buttoned-down coach, Herb Sendek, chooses his words. But that's not necessarily the case, Bennerman said. "This year, I think we're a little more edgy," he said. "We take more risks than Coach Sendek really likes, but that's OK. We do a lot of things, sometimes, that he doesn't want us to do." Such as? "Maybe an ill-advised shot," he said. "Trying to create a play." Statistics suggest that Bennerman is right, and the Wolfpack is more freewheeling than generally given credit for. Through Monday, N.C. State was second in ACC games in scoring, behind only Duke. The Wolfpack had attempted and made more 3-pointers than any team in the conference. In fact, 45 percent of the Wolfpack's shots are from behind the arc. Since N.C. State makes 40 percent of those, it's easy to see how the points add up. "We don't want to milk the shot clock, but we will," Phelps said. "We're deliberate, but we run the fast break, too. We're looking for the first good shot. If it's in transition, we'll take it." Phelps, a Kempsville High graduate and former coach at Atlantic Shores, has been at N.C. State since 1996, as long as Sendek. Phelps is a true believer in Sendek's system. At times in Raleigh, that's been a lonely stance to take. Sendek faced a rebuilding job when he took over and has gone about it unhurriedly. It took him five years to reach the NCAA tournament, and by then, Wolfpack fans, who must live in the shadows of perennial powers Duke and North Carolina, had grown impatient. Sendek kept plugging away. The Wolfpack reached the NCAA tournament in 2002 and has been back every year since. The rub, for some N.C. State fans, is that the team did it with a Princeton-style halfcourt spread offense that emphasizes ball movement - not the stuff of TV highlight packages. Fans began coming around last year when N.C. State reached the NCAA tournament round of 16 for the first time since 1989. This year, the team has already equaled last year's win total, with three regular-season games to go. Sendek, who turns 43 today, needs just one win to tie Wolfpack coaching legend Everett Case with 191 victories as an ACC coach at State. N.C. State has upped its win total despite the loss of last year's leading scorer, Julius Hodge, who pumped in 2,040 points in four years. Without Hodge, the Wolfpack is a team without a marquee player, which might make this year's team the truest embodiment yet of Sendek's system, as well as his low-key personality. "You think Herb Sendek, you think character, balance, skill, unselfishness and defense," Phelps said. Sendek has recruited versatile players suited to his style. Evtimov and reserve Andrew Brackman are among the most skilled big men in the conference, able to handle the ball, pass and shoot like smaller players. Bennerman, Bethel and Engin Atsur can play either guard position. Four of the team's top six players have been in the system at least three years. "It's a very disciplined offense," Bennerman said. "You've got to know what to do, or most importantly, what not to do on the floor." When clicking, the Wolfpack offense is a thing of basketball beauty, with players driving, drawing attention from the defense and kicking the ball to open 3-point shooters for high-arching, back-spinning treys. Several Wolfpack players are superb shooters. Bethel hits 56 percent from 3-point range in ACC games, by far the best mark in the league. Evtimov hits 49 percent, Atsur 44 and Bennerman 37.5 As a team, the Wolfpack is shooting an ACC-high 46 percent in conference games. "We have had some good shooting teams," Sendek allowed. "Right now, perhaps, our numbers are as good as they've ever been." Teams that overplay the Wolfpack's shooters run the risk of being burned for backdoor cuts. It's a strategy Duke successfully employed against State, in part because the Blue Devils have the league's top shot blocker, Shelden Williams, protecting the basket. The trade-off was that N.C. State center Cedric Simmons faced no double-teams inside, and scored 28 points. In the Wolfpack's other losses, State has been hurt by scoring droughts, caused in part by sloppy ballhandling. Atsur is the team's primary ballhandler but Bethel and Bennerman can also bring the ball upcourt. Even in a 22-point win over Florida State, the Wolfpack committed 21 turnovers. "We've just got to eliminate some of those almost inexplicable turnovers," Sendek said. N.C. State is also not a great rebounding team, ranking 10th in league play. But the Wolfpack holds teams to a league-low 39.8 percent shooting in conference games. Is it a formula for a long postseason run? The Wolfpack may have to hold it together awhile without Evtimov, who missed the Virginia Tech game Saturday with a sprained foot and is listed as day-to-day. But if there's a team built to overcome the loss of one player, it just might be the Wolfpack. Not having a "go-to" player can turn out to be a strength. "From game to game, it'll be someone different," Bennerman said. "But when it comes to taking certain shots, I don't mind that. I can take the pressure, or whatever you want to call it." His coach can, too. "

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=100006&ran=98312

[Edited on February 22, 2006 at 1:41 PM. Reason : ads]

2/22/2006 1:40:38 PM

very good read

2/22/2006 1:49:18 PM

^^good article!

2/22/2006 1:51:33 PM

goose bumps

2/22/2006 2:06:28 PM

nice

2/22/2006 2:14:18 PM

Yeah . . . I know it is a little long, but I liked it. Hence why I posted it.

too bad most people will be too lazy to actually read it

I especially liked these two quotes

Quote :

""This year, I think we're a little more edgy," he said. "We take more risks than Coach Sendek really likes, but that's OK. We do a lot of things, sometimes, that he doesn't want us to do.""

and

Quote :

"When clicking, the Wolfpack offense is a thing of basketball beauty, with players driving, drawing attention from the defense and kicking the ball to open 3-point shooters for high-arching, back-spinning treys."

[Edited on February 22, 2006 at 2:25 PM. Reason : ]

2/22/2006 2:16:06 PM

kinda weird how he called evtimov and brack two of the most skilled big men in the conf, but did not mention simmons... brackman's a soph too. good read tho

2/22/2006 2:27:05 PM

he said skilled, not talented

by skilled he meant in aspects not normally attributable to a big man, such as 3 pt shooting or passing.

2/22/2006 2:29:36 PM

bump for a good read

2/22/2006 8:30:55 PM

Quote :

"In the Wolfpack's other losses, State has been hurt by scoring droughts, caused in part by sloppy ballhandling"

Should be reiterated

2/22/2006 8:36:08 PM