North Carolina State University Athletics
Inge Ready to be Pack's 'Enforcer'
10/17/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
But now, as he prepares for his senior season, Inge has a different body, one which will allow him to bang with the big guys.
"Kenny has had a great off-season and has really continued to improve his strength," said NC State basketball coach Herb Sendek. "I think he weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 240 pounds now. To put that in perspective, when he started as a freshman, he might have been around 200. He's done it the old fashion way with just consistent hard work. I think his game is really going to benefit from his added strength."
In a league like the ACC, the strong shall inherit the paint, and the lane is no place to be for anyone who is incapable of dealing with the constant push and shove methods incorporated by today's big men. Every team needs an enforcer, and in the case of NC State, Kenny Inge clearly has what it takes to lay down the law down low.
"I think it's a combination of all the years I've spent in the weight room," Inge said. "I've been working hard since I got here, but some people develop at certain times. Now my body is starting to change. My height is the same, but I've put on more than 20-pounds since last season. I've been trying to add weight since my freshman year, and now that I've got it, I'm ready to get on the floor and use it."
Highly competitive-and at times volatile-Inge has always carried a certain warrior mentality onto the basketball court. But now he has the body to back it up. One of only 14 players in school history to surpass the 1,000-point plateau in three seasons, Inge has increased his bench press capabilities by some 85 pounds since his freshman year. And he's done it without the assistance of any magic formulas.
"He's not done it with some of the supplements that are out there," Sendek said. "Our program doesn't endorse any of those quick fix things of which we don't know the health ramifications down the road. He's done it by eating the right way and by working hard."
If Inge can match his career pace of 6.6 rebounds and 10.8 points per game, he'll become just the ninth player in NC State history to amass more than 1,200 points and 800 rebounds for a career. Individual numbers aside, Inge's top priority is to get his team in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991.
"We feel real confident about that right now," said Inge, who averaged 14.6 points and 8.0 rebounds in five NIT games last March. "For four years that's been our goal, but this year we feel real confident about making the NCAA Tournament. That's one of our goals and we'll get there if we play to our potential."
And when push comes to shove this year, Kenny Inge will be more than ready to stand his ground.
