North Carolina State University Athletics
Flames Are On Fire
12/16/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Based on last season's results, perhaps no other team in college basketball has made a bigger turnaround than Liberty (7-1). The Flames, who will meet NC State at the Entertainment and Sports Arena on Friday night, are clearly not the same team that went just 4-23 last season.
Why such a dramatic turnaround? Second year coach Mel Hankinson has transformed his team with transfers. Three of those transfers, including standout guard Carl Williams, are first year starters with the Flames.
"Liberty is a very good basketball team," said NC State head coach Herb Sendek. "They're forcing 23 per game. They really pressure the ball and have very good quickness."
The 6-1 Williams, whose nickname is 'the truth,' is averaging 19.9 points to lead Liberty. He also has 36 steals in eight games. Williams played in 16 games for West Virginia in 1997-98 before making the decision to transfer.
Already this season, the Flames have pulled off stunning victories at Virginia Tech and Richmond.
"They weren't very good last year," Sendek said. "But they had some transfers who sat out last season. They have a total of nine new players and it's obvious that they have a lot of talent now."
All five of Liberty's projected starters have played junior college basketball at one time or another.
Like NC State, the Flames have sometimes had a tough time shooting the basketball--- they're hitting just 41 percent of their shots overall. And although Liberty has connected on 36 percent of its three points shots, the long-range bombs haven't been a major part of the team's arsenal.
For the most part, the Wolfpack has done a good job of taking care of the basketball this season (15 turnovers per game), but the ball handling skills of all of NC State's players will be put to the test against Liberty's chaotic full court pressure.
With a win on Friday night, the Wolfpack (6-0) will be off to its best start since the 1981-82 season when it opened with nine straight victories.
