written post ACC-tournament

Quote :

" Easily the MVP of the ACC tournament, Brandon Costner wrapped up a phenomenal (redshirt) freshman season with an incredible showing over four days in Tampa. He played a total of 151 minutes (nearly 38 minutes per game) despite participating in four straight games from Thursday through Sunday, something that even NBA players don’t ever have to do. Despite the obvious fatigue that had to take its toll, Costner was an absolute devastating force for the Wolfpack, playing terrific basketball while matched up against some of the best NBA draft prospect big men the ACC has to offer. Costner is the perfect fit at the power forward slot in Sidney Lowe’s Flex offense. A natural lefty, Costner is equally effective with his back to the basket as he is facing it. He is an excellent ball-handler with his left hand, and has a pretty stroke with range that extends all the way to the college 3-point line. Most perimeter oriented big men are known more for their finesse rather than their toughness, but Costner is an extremely aggressive player who puts tremendous pressure on the defense and does not shy away from contact. He’s not overwhelmingly quick in his first step, but is extremely smart and crafty, particularly in the way he uses the glass to finish around the hoop. He’s a patient guy who takes what the defense gives him and is highly intelligent in the way he moves off the ball in the half-court, setting screens nicely and doing a good job making sharp cuts to the basket for easy finishes. Once Costner gets to the rim, he lacks a bit of explosiveness to finish in traffic, being more likely to finish with a layup rather than a dunk, but is smart enough to know how to draw fouls and get to his noticeably stronger hand, his left. He got to the free throw line over 8 times per game in the tournament, and showed a very soft touch there knocking down his shots. In the post, Costner is blessed with an outstanding frame and has excellent footwork and a great understanding of how to use fakes and pivot moves to get his man in the air. His touch is excellent once again here, and if faced with a double team, shows terrific court vision (like all of NC State’s players) to find the open man spotting up or cutting to the rim. After having the pleasure of taking in a couple of his performances this past weekend in person, there is little doubt in our mind that Costner will emerge as one of the best big men in the ACC, likely as soon as next year. The only question we have is, just how good of an NBA prospect will scouts consider him to be? Only standing 6-8, Costner has the frame but not the prototypical height of an NBA power forward. He is just an average athlete on top of that, which shows up most noticeably on the defensive end, where he struggles with his lateral quickness and does not really go out of his area for rebounds. Offensively, he could still stand to improve his off-hand, as it’s not hard to tell that he favors his left strongly and will even switch hands in mid-air while on the right side of the post to avoid having to finish with his right. In terms of an NBA comparison, think of a mix between Brian Cook and Ryan Gomes. NC State ran out of gas in the ACC Championship game against North Carolina and was not able to pull off the Cinderella upset to secure the automatic bid for the NCAA tournament, but few will forget the heart this young team showed off in winning their first three games. Returning most of their core, minus Engin Atsur, this team will be one to look out for next year and should be able to win an at-large bid next year with all the talent they possess and with the terrific coaching of Sidney Lowe. At the forefront of that effort will be their smooth and versatile power forward, Brandon Costner."

Quote :

"Ben McCauley and the Wolfpack had a great statement tournament in terms of showing their fight and overall skill. McCauley fits in very well with his teammates because of how fundamental and risk free he plays the game. It’s impressive how low McCauley’s turnovers were this year considering how much playmaking ran through him in the post. When you factor in the precious few minutes he received as a freshman just a year ago, McCauley’s production is more impressive. McCauley operates almost strictly in the low post as an offensive weapon, though his superior passing ability makes him an excellent facilitator of ball-movement out of the high post as well. McCauley operated out of the left-side, low post for a majority of the ACC Tournament and did some decent damage from there as a playmaker. McCauley’s turnover’s were higher than acceptable at 3.8 per game, but his seasonal average of 2.3 per contest leads one to believe that McCauley was simply over-anxious to be a playmaker for the Wolf Pack during Tourney play. As a draft prospect, McCauley is almost assuredly a four year man due to his average athletic ability, though his improvement from first to second year was quite encouraging. McCauley’s main problem is his physical tools relative to his skill set. As a seven-footer, McCauley would be one of the most intriguing sophomore big men in the country, but he is not. At 6’9, McCauley has a power forward’s size with the game of a pure center. McCauley hasn’t displayed any type of outside shot, taking less than nine percent of his offensive touches off the face-up jumper. His first step and dribbling ability are center caliber quality on an NBA level as well. His rebounding numbers aren't off the charts either, something that is a must for undersized players looking to buck the normal trend and stand out from the pack. Hitting the boards and hitting his free throws (67%) would go a long way toward a successful junior season showing marked improvement. He also isn’t the quickest guy in the world and won’t ever wow you with the way he explodes off his feet. Overall, McCauley has a great feel for the game and has improved dramatically over the course of two seasons. As his game and body develop maturity, he should help NC State’s frontcourt gain the consistency it needs to win games and garner him some attention in the process. His skill set and size point to a pro career somewhere if he keeps developing his game, especially with a solid face-up game from the foul line extended. McCauley should be a fun player to watch develop over the remainder of his collegiate career, as he plays the game the right way and has a winning attitude."

http://draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1919

3/16/2007 2:32:10 PM

Quote :

"Easily the MVP of the ACC tournament, Brandon Costner"

yeah, that's what you would think mr. writer. however, that's not how the acc media thinks.

3/16/2007 2:34:52 PM

I'm glad these guys aren't taller. Otherwise I'd be worried about them testing the waters this year.

Costner my go next year or the year after. He's gotta show that he can defend one of the forward positions in the NBA, though. That was Marcus Melvin's biggest drawback. Too small to guard an NBA 4, too slow to guard a 3.

McCauley will be a 4 year player, and a damn good one at that.



[Edited on March 16, 2007 at 2:41 PM. Reason : 2]

3/16/2007 2:38:34 PM

with a coach like sid (and his nba exp.), I don't think "testing the water" would be that necessary. When sid says they're ready, they're ready.

3/16/2007 2:40:24 PM

Good write up, pretty spot on.

3/16/2007 2:44:01 PM

I dont know why these experts are so worried about Costner playing D against quicker 3's or bigger 4's.


They dont play D in the NBA.


Whatever. Its fine with me so maybe they will both stick around for a while longer.

3/16/2007 2:47:20 PM

Quote :

"They dont play D in the NBA. "

3/16/2007 2:54:29 PM

WolfAAPack probably thinks Wisconsin is the best team in the country because "they play great defense"

3/16/2007 2:58:45 PM

Quote :

"They dont play D in the NBA. "

The defense in the NBA is far superior to college.


Gavin and Courtney rarely even consider staying with their man... Look at what Wes Miller did to us

Very few college teams even pretend to rotate defensively

3/16/2007 3:00:55 PM

lol


SEN SI TIVE!!

3/16/2007 3:02:56 PM

^faggot

gtfo my thread

3/16/2007 3:04:30 PM

Anyway, this article says exactly what we want to hear.


Not only do we have great talent, we have guys who don't project well to the NBA.

Next year we should be a tourney team, and the year after that we're legitimate ACC and NCAA contenders.

3/16/2007 3:07:05 PM

I guess you guys werent the same people bitching about Sidney early in the season because of his "NBA defensive mentality" he brought to NC State.

3/16/2007 3:08:49 PM

no, I was bitching about the fact that we don't guard the three pointer correctly for the college game.

Which is true.

In the NBA you guard the lane because once guys penetrate it's over.

You don't have to guard the three (except for maybe ~20 players in the league) off the dribble because its 24 feet from the basket.

In college even I can drill 40% from 3-pters off the dribble if you don't switch immediately.

So clearly, college basketball shooters are going to bury you.

3/16/2007 3:18:36 PM

Especially tonight

Whittington shoots 10 3's a game

even thier 7 footer shoots 40 percent from 3

3/16/2007 3:20:04 PM

I agree with that.

3/16/2007 3:28:49 PM

Quote :

"Wolf Pack"

asshole.

3/16/2007 3:41:05 PM