North Carolina State University Athletics
Haynes' World: Turnover Tumult
2/12/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The word "turnover" doesn't always have a negative connotation. Personally, I love turnovers, but only if they have an apple filling inside them. At the beginning of each year, some folks decide to "turn over" a new leaf, which is usually an admirable commitment to physical or mental improvement. My New Year's resolution in 2001 was to eat more apple turnovers.
But as far as the NC State basketball team is concerned, the word turnover has become as nasty as anything comedian George Carlin could have come up with when he authored the seven words you can't say on radio and television.
Many of you have taken time to send e-mails that feature a few of those same words we're not allowed to use in mass media. Admittedly, I also use those words when I come upon a mini-van or SUV that isn't parked between the white lines. And by the way-my second New Year's resolution is to start a parking school for mini-van and SUV drivers.
Anyhow, one of the questions we often receive here at GOPACK.com is "how in the %#@* could this team be 11-11? A long list of problems comes to mind, but for the sake of time, space and laziness on the writer's part, we'll begin and end with turnovers.
Not only do turnovers translate into a possession without a shot, they often destroy a team's opportunity to play defense. And if there is one area in which the Wolfpack has consistently excelled during the Herb Sendek era, it is on defense.
Getting quality shots on a consistent basis against the Pack's set halfcourt man-to-man is often more difficult than watching an XFL game in its entirety. But when NC State begins to turn the ball over-as it did repeatedly against Duke on Sunday-its hopes of setting up that defense vanquish.
As Sendek likes to say, "turnovers lead to shots that can't be defended." Duke, with its almost unfair cast of three-point shooters, capitalizes on turnovers better than any team in college basketball. And many of the Blue Devil bombs on Sunday came in transition after turnovers.
NC State is at its best when it forces opponents to play a high percentage of possessions against its set defense, and the only way to accomplish that goal is to take care of the ball and take good shots. Even when they are off the mark, good shots still give a team a much better chance to get back and balanced on the defensive end.
Over its last four games, the Wolfpack has turned the ball over 83 times, an average of 20.8 per contest. During that same four game stretch, NC State's opponents have scored 103 points off turnovers.
Considering that two of those games resulted in close defeats to Wake Forest and Syracuse, every point that's been lost looms rather large right now.
Figuring out why NC State has turned the ball over so much is difficult because the errors have occurred from a variety of positions. At one time or another, each player on the team has experienced ball-handling difficulties during the course of the season.
Instability at the point guard spot has certainly contributed to some of the Pack's problems. Sophomore Cliff Crawford is still learning to lead while Archie Miller is still recovering from a stress fracture in his left leg. Junior Anthony Grundy was having a great year until he was forced to fill some of Miller's lost minutes at the point. Since being asked to pull double-duty, Grundy has struggled with his offensive game.
Prior to this season, it was always fashionable to talk about what Justin Gainey couldn't do as a point guard. But without him, the Wolfpack hasn't been nearly as steady or sure handed. Gainey never got the credit he deserved because he wasn't as physically gifted as many of the other ACC point guards he went up against. What he did do was take care of the ball and run the NC State offense with poise and confidence.
With six regular season games left, NC State has recorded 20 or more turnovers in nine games. Last year, the Wolfpack reached the 20 turnover mark only five times during the regular season.
Considering how close most of NC State's games are at the end, the Wolfpack would greatly increase its chances of winning simply by eliminating three to four turnovers per game.
And by the way---cherry filling isn't bad either.
