North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Leaves Convention Behind
10/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 17, 2002
By Tony Haynes
Just seconds after sitting down to face writers and broadcasters on media day, NC State basketball coach Herb Sendek was peppered with questions that took on the same theme. Who will replace Archie Miller at point guard? Will Julius Hodge play the point? What about Cliff Crawford?
Conventional wisdom suggests that in order to play winning basketball effectively, teams must have two ingredients: A singular floor leader at the point and a big-time low post scorer.
NC State's answer to that question a year ago was, "no you don't."
During its 23-11 season that included the school's first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 11 years, the Wolfpack defied the conventional wisdoms about basketball. NC State's best low post scorer last season was Anthony Grundy-a 6-3 guard. Its most accurate three-point shooter was Marcus Melvin--a 6-8 forward. Did NC State really have a point guard last season? Well, kind of. Miller was labeled by many as 'THE point guard,' but in reality he played away from the ball just as much as anyone else, with the exception of maybe Josh Powell or Jordan Collins. Obviously, Miller couldn't pass himself the ball when he was cutting off screens looking for three-point shots. And-by the way-it was Grundy who led NC State in assists.
"Probably more than transporting the ball, our need for a point guard--if you want to frame it that way--will be to help us get organized, to help us know when to attack, when maybe we need to re-set," Sendek said. "I think we do have any number of players on are team that are capable of transporting the basketball. Along those lines, we do have an offense that truly is position-less. A lot of times coaches talk that way, but they really don't mean it. But our offense is that way. We have an interchangeable system. Our key will be just to have somebody to pull us together."
Watching NC State play basketball these days is like attending a Halloween party where everyone invited comes masqueraded as a point guard. The only difference is some of the guests are tall while others are short. Take your pick: At 6-7, Julius Hodge can handle, pass and shoot. Along with knocking down 44 percent of his three-point shots last season, Melvin often brought the ball up the court against the press. Crazy you say? Not really when you consider that many of the opposing players assigned to guarding Melvin were power forwards who are not accustomed to playing defense out in space. Ilian Evtimov created similar match-up difficulties with his ability to handle and shoot. Then there's 6-3 senior Cliff Crawford, whose athletic gifts are undeniable.
"Cliff has had the best preseason of his career," Sendek said. "I think he's anxious for the opportunity that awaits him. The one thing that he brings us is an experienced, big, strong guard who is capable of defending. That's really important in our league because you go down the roster of our opponents and everybody seems to have that one guy that on a given night you have to be able to stop."
And NC State's versatility on offense carries over to the defensive end of the court as well. Players like Melvin, Hodge and 6-7 sophomore Levi Watkins have the athleticism and size that are necessary to guard multiple positions.
"More than ever before, we have some guys on our team that can guard multiple positions," Sendek noted. "When you look at guys like Levi, Marcus and Julius, they're capable of guarding more than their labeled position. It kind of compliments some of the commentary we've had on our offense."
Bottom line: NC State will create a lot of match-up problems for its opponents on the offensive end of the court, while also avoiding mismatches on defense. Post defense, which was often a sore spot last season, will likely be less of a problem now that big men Powell and Collins have added strength between their freshman and sophomore years. Powell, in particular, comes into his second season with renewed confidence.
"You're going to see an immediate difference when you see him in a uniform," Sendek said of the 6-9 Powell. "He doesn't look like he did last year. He has really transformed his body and just as importantly, his strength is measurably better. Even through the first four days of practice, it's obvious to see that he has more confidence and he's really improved. I think he really feels good about himself right now. I was really impressed with him through the first four days of practice."
An added bonus for the Pack will be the return of Watkins, who was just coming into his own before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in the ACC opener against Maryland last December.
"Levi has fully recovered," Sendek said. "He has to wear a knee brace for the remainder of the year, but if you didn't see the knee brace or know that he was hurt last year, you would see no signs of injury. Of all the guys I've ever seen rehabilitate from an injury, nobody has impressed me more than Levi. He attacked his rehab with a determination that was incredible. I have great respect for his maturity, focus and determination."
Said Hodge: "It's really an added bonus with Levi being in good health this year. He's a very good player and a lot of people may have forgotten about him. Every day I'm telling him, 'Levi you know they forgot about you; they don't know who Levi Watkins is so you've got to show them.' Levi's in the gym every day. I was working very hard this summer, but every day at about 5:30 in the morning Levi was in here shooting. He's become a better player and I think it's really going to show this year."
Shooting sessions that begin before sunrise might sound unconventional. But then again, this is a team that leaves convention behind.
