North Carolina State University Athletics
Haynes World: These Guys are Good
11/20/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
About five hours before NC State was to meet Charlotte (it's not fashionable to say UNC--Charlotte anymore) in the championship game of the CoSida Classic on Saturday night, I was walking up a hallway that would eventually lead me to the basketball court at the Entertainment and Sports Arena.
But just as I turned into one of the tunnels, I encountered several large men wearing green warm up suits coming my way. I politely stepped aside and watched them go by. One by one, they walked slowly down to the visitor's locker room. The first guy looked to be around 6-8, 240 pounds. The second, third, fourth and fifth guys in line fit almost that exact same profile. And each had broad shoulders and bulging biceps.
The logo on their backs said "Charlotte."
Then it hit me, "the Charlotte Hornets must be practicing here today for some reason," I thought. "I know they want to leave the Charlotte Coliseum, but this is taking things a little too far."
Actually, I was just joking with myself. I knew full well that this was the team NC State would be facing later that night. Needless to say, the Charlotte 49rs did not look like a collection of college kids. In relative terms, it was almost like looking at those so called "12 years olds" Taiwan once fielded in the Little League Baseball World Series years ago.
Just a few minutes into the game later that night, the Wolfpack certainly realized it wasn't on the court with a little league college basketball team. Those 6-8 guys I referred to could do a little bit of everything, including shoot the three with deadly accuracy.
The ringleader was a 20-year-old freshman named Rodney White. The Philadelphia native has a Karl Malone body, Larry Bird shooting touch and a Magic Johnson-like presence on the court. And like the Magic Man, White is one of those gifted players who could play all five positions if asked to do so. Heck, he might be able to play all five at the same time.
"He's awfully good," said Wolfpack head coach Herb Sendek. "He's every bit of 6-8, he's very strong and he's as skilled as any front court player we've seen in a while."
And for those who have complained about the Wolfpack's non-conference schedules in recent years, you got your wish on Saturday. In my opinion, Charlotte will be recognized as one of the top 10-to-20 best teams in the country by the time the season hits February.
The 49rs are big, strong, athletic, and can shoot the three point shot from four positions. And if you were stunned by Charlotte's 95-78 win over the Pack, consider the fact that the Niners defeated Interhoop by 25 points in an exhibition game. We're talking about the same impressive outfit that NC State edged by four points in a pre-season contest back on November 4.
NC State simply ran into a buzz saw; a very good team that was hitting on all cylinders. And the game will prove to be a great learning experience for Pack freshmen Marcus Melvin, Michael Bell and Scooter Sherrill. Against Charlotte, that threesome got a first-hand look at the type of mental and physical toughness they'll encounter when ACC play begins in January.
"Our team is going to be baptized with fire by a very difficult early season schedule," Sendek said. "We're going to have to have different guys continue to get better. We're going to realize it's a marathon, it's not a sprint. We refuse to flinch; we're going to maintain our poise and composure and we're going to learn and get better."
The marathon is just beginning, and many of the setbacks that occur early in the race could very well be forgotten when the finish line comes into view in March.
