North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Basketball Begins New Era
11/18/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Fifty years ago, basketball fans couldn't believe their eyes when they first walked into the new home of the Wolfpack. For years after its opening, Reynolds Coliseum was referred to as "the showplace of the south."
On Friday night, the reaction will likely be much the same when NC State plays its first game in the brand new Entertainment and Sport Arena. All 19,772 cushioned seats will be occupied when the Pack entertains Georgia in the season opener for both teams.
At Reynolds, NC State experienced a home court advantage that was second to none in college basketball. Will it be the same at the ESA?
"That's not going to be that much of a factor," said Wolfpack guard Anthony Grundy. "When we had that open scrimmage, the crowd made us realize that it could be pretty loud there."
The six thousand curious spectators who attended an open practice at the ESA a few weeks ago made plenty of noise. Add 13,000 more fans and you have the potential for a high decibel experience.
The arena, coupled with high expectations for a rebirth of NC State hoops, have allowed the school to sell more than three times the amount of season tickets it ever sold at Reynolds. A representative of the Wolfpack Club attended a recent practice to inform the team that over 13,000 season tickets had been purchased by victory starved NC State fans.
"That was shocking," said junior forward Kenny Inge. "If you think about it, Reynolds holds 12,400. We sold out a lot of big games there. But now, going into a place that's almost twice as big and knowing that over 13,000 season tickets have been sold, that's just amazing."
While the focus of the fans and media will no doubt be on the opening of the arena, the NC State players must find a way to concentrate on the task at hand-beating Georgia.
"There's no escaping the fact that there's a lot of excitement in the air," said Pack coach Herb Sendek. "It's a historical moment for NC State and everybody who's participating wants to do their best. Our guys have been working extremely hard for opportunities like this. You just have to do the best job you can of focusing and playing like you're capable of."
Not only do the Bulldogs have a new coach in Jim Harrick, they feature a number of new players.
"We really go into the game with blinders on and we have to be prepared for the unknown," Sendek said.
Harrick comes over from Rhode Island, a program he led to the NCAA Tournament a year ago. The native of Charleston, West Virginia brought UCLA back to prominence when he guided the Bruins to a NCAA Championship in 1995.
While Harrick is a known quantity, many of his players are not. Counting walk-ons, eight of the 15 players are newcomers. The Bulldogs return only three players-D.A. Layne, Robb Dryden, and Badi Oliver-who averaged double-figure minutes last season.
Layne, who averaged 12.9 points last season, is the only returning Georgia player who averaged double-figure scoring last year.
The Bulldogs were picked to finish 5th in the Southeastern Conference's East Division this season.
NC State should use nine or ten players on Friday night, but Tim Wells may not be one of them. The senior from Winston-Salem has sat out most of pre-season practice with tendinitis in his knees.
"I'm not sure Tim has turned the corner," Sendek said. "We'll have to reevaluate him and try to find out what might be the best thing to do at this point. I don't know if there is any treatment or anything we could do beyond what we've already tried. There's nothing structurally wrong. It's just an area of his legs that has some discomfort and pain. It's right below both knees."
Junior Cornelius Williams has completely recovered from a stress fracture in his leg and will be available for the opener.
Georgia was 15-15 last season, while the Pack posted a 19-14 mark.
NC State leads the overall series with Georgia 9-8. This will mark the second time in the last three years that the two teams have met each other in the first game of the season. The Wolfpack upset the 19th ranked Bulldogs 47-45 to tip off the 1997-98 campaign.
The most significant match-up between the clubs occurred in the 1983 national semi-finals. After disposing of the Dogs 67-60, NC State went on to shock Houston two nights later to win its second NCAA Championship.
