Coming into last season, NC State was full of unknowns. Sophomore star T.J. Warren morphed into the ACC Player of the Year and carried the Wolfpack into the NCAA Tournament. Losing Warren presents a tremendous challenge, but the Pack do have some pieces in place to get them back to the Big Dance. Three top 100 freshman and a talented transfer will join up with a frontcourt that now has experience. There are some definite questions that need to be answered if the Wolfpack are to make a postseason run, namely a backup point guard, consistent perimeter threats, and post scoring. If head coach Mark Gottfried can find these solutions, he could have his deepest team yet in Raleigh.
Backcourt
After splitting point guard duties with Tyler Lewis last season, Anthony “Cat” Barber will have the job all to himself following Lewis’ transfer to Butler. A strong start and strong finish to the season sandwiched a rough stretch for Barber. Without Lewis to take over when necessary, Barber’s biggest challenge is to remain steady throughout the season and increase his scoring load. Increasing his 8.5 point and 3.5 assist average will be a key to the season.
The Wolfpack have plenty of options on the wing. The most talked about player of the offseason has been junior shooting guard Trevor Lacey, a transfer from Alabama. Lacey averaged 11.3 points as a sophomore in a low-scoring offense, and the hope is that he can get near a 15 point average to help make up for the loss of Warren’s production. Lacey will improve the Pack’s three point shooting and run the point when Barber rests. Ralston Turner is NC State’s leading returning scorer at 10.5 points per game. Turner was the one perimeter threat last season, shooting 37.2% on a high volume. He must increase his scoring and make it happen in more than one way. Rotating with Lacey and Turner will be senior Desmond Lee, who started 19 games in 2013-2014. While Lee struggled from outside, shooting 28%, his defense and driving ability were tremendous assets for a team that lacked it last season. Bringing more of Lee’s assets are the freshmen twins Caleb and Cody Martin, who at 6’6” will present problems on the defensive end.
Frontcourt
The Pack frontcourt will include three sophomores and a freshman, but will not be short on potential. The second year trio of Beejay Anya, Lennard Freeman, and Kyle Washington will likely rotate starting spots. Washington and Freeman saw the most time as freshmen, with Washington the best scoring threat and Freeman easily the best rebounder. Washington will look to double his 4.8 points per game and become more of a threat from the perimeter. Freeman also needs to increase his scoring ability, but will continue to be relied upon for hustle, defense, and his work on the boards. The wildcard is center Beejay Anya, who lost over 50 pounds to get under 300 for the first time in his college career. At 6’9”, his size and wingspan is a gamechanger on the defensive end. Like the other posts, if he can increase his scoring, the Pack can get to the next level. Freshman forward Abdul-Malik Abu has the highest ceiling on the offensive end and is physically ready for the rigors of ACC play. He could become a starter as early as December.
| Projected Starters |
|---|
| Cat Barber |
| Trevor Lacey |
| Ralston Turner |
| Kyle Washington |
| Beejay Anya |
Schedule
Mark Gottfried has gotten the Wolfpack to the NCAA Tournament the last three seasons due in part to his scheduling tactics. Non-conference matchups with Richmond, Boise State, Purdue (in the ACC/B1G Challenge), Wofford, Tennessee, West Virginia, Louisiana Tech, and Cincinnati will boost the Pack’s RPI. In conference play, NC State will get Clemson, UNC, Virginia, and Wake Forest twice each.
Prediction
This may be NC State’s deepest team under Gottfried, but question marks remain as to who will step up and be the star. Lacey is the most likely, so his progression and keeping Cat Barber healthy are the keys to making a fourth straight tournament. The team is built for a top half finish in the ACC and making the postseason. With improved defense and depth, this will be different than most Gottfried-coached teams while seeing a similar result and an NCAA Tournament berth.
by Matt Purdy @UMwolfpack87
Fantasy Player to Watch
Mark Gottfried has said on multiple occasions that he thinks this will be an offensively balanced team. If there was one player that could breakout though, it would be Trevor Lacey. The Alabama transfer averaged over 11 points per game at Alabama two seasons ago. Equally important in fantasy terms were the 3+ assists and rebounds that Lacey averaged. Look for Lacey late first round or early second round in your draft.
Projected Statistics (Returning Players Only)
Explanation of Statistic Projections
| Name | Pts | Asts | Rbds | Stls | Blks | TOs | % Correct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony `Cat` Barber | 12.8 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 2.6 | 89 |
| Desmond Lee | 8.8 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 90 |
| Ralston Turner | 8.5 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 89 |
| Kyle Washington | 8.3 | 1.0 | 5.1 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 90 |
| Lennard Freeman | 7.8 | 0.8 | 5.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 82 |
| BeeJay Anya | 6.2 | 0.6 | 4.7 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 92 |
| Patrick Wallace | 4.5 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 98 |
| Chase Cannon | 1.5 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 98 |
| Chris Brickhouse | 1.4 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 100 |
| Staats Battle | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 98 |
Last Year's Player Statistics
| NC State | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | GP | Mins | Pts | Asts | Rbds | Stls | Blks | TOs | FG% | 3P% | FT% | |
| TJ Warren | 35 | 35.4 | 24.9 | 1.1 | 7.1 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 2.4 | 52.5 | 26.7 | 69.0 | |
| Ralston Turner | 36 | 26.1 | 10.5 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 40.6 | 37.2 | 70.4 | |
| Anthony `Cat` Barber | 36 | 24.2 | 8.5 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 40.1 | 26.1 | 69.6 | |
| Desmond Lee | 36 | 24.2 | 8.4 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 39.1 | 28.0 | 72.5 | |
| Kyle Washington | 36 | 19.9 | 4.8 | 0.4 | 3.9 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 43.5 | 0.0 | 56.3 | |
| Tyler Lewis | 36 | 19.9 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 34.6 | 23.4 | 74.4 | |
| Jordan Vandenberg | 32 | 22.3 | 4.6 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 68.0 | 0.0 | 52.2 | |
| Lennard Freeman | 35 | 23.2 | 4.0 | 0.6 | 5.7 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 51.4 | 0.0 | 44.9 | |
| BeeJay Anya | 33 | 11.6 | 2.1 | 0.1 | 2.1 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 58.7 | 0.0 | 48.4 | |
| Patrick Wallace | 6 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 44.4 | 44.4 | 0.0 | |
| Staats Battle | 6 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Chase Cannon | 5 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Jevoni Robinson | 5 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Chris Brickhouse | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
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