North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Seeking Right Combinations in Red/White Game
10/31/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 31, 2002
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-If there is one aspect of his NC State men's basketball team that coach Herb Sendek likes the most, it is an interchangeability that will allow different players to be plugged into different positions on the floor. Maybe "positions" is a bad word. The fact is, this year's Wolfpack team will feature a number of players who have the skills to play either in the backcourt or the frontcourt. And because of the depth and versatility NC State possesses, Sendek will have the option of using any number of combinations during the upcoming campaign.
He'll take a look at some of those combinations during Saturday's annual Red/White scrimmage, which gets underway at 12:30 p.m. at the arena.
"In practice, we've been able to play with some fun kinds of combinations, some combinations that if you really haven't sat down and looked at our team, may not have occurred to you yet," Sendek said. "We could play bigger than we've played in the past or we could play with a smaller line-up."
And while the Pack won't be gigantic in the post area, it will be capable of throwing a lot of length out on the wing positions. Players like Marcus Melvin (6-8), Ilian Evtimov (6-7) and Levi Watkins (6-7) are all fully capable of playing away from the basket at both ends of the floor. Versatile sophomore Julius Hodge, who stands 6-6, could see action at all of the so-called perimeter spots.
It's not totally out of the question that Sendek could go with an extremely long line-up featuring the four players just mentioned along with a post man like 6-9 sophomore Josh Powell.
"I don't know that I'd have a problem playing a big line-up where even a guy like Levi Watkins could be a guard," Sendek said. "I've told Levi that he's a player and that he could play positions one through five on our team. You could make the same statement about a Marcus Melvin. It could be a fun team from that standpoint."
Any smaller combinations would likely involved guards Clifford Crawford and Scooter Sherrill, two players that made major contributions off the bench during last season's 23-11 campaign. Sendek has noted that Crawford is coming off a strong off-season, while Sherrill has continued to work hard on his overall game.
"One thing that Scooter does give us, and it came into play last year, is the ability to stretch the defense," Sendek said. "Without Archie [Miller], that becomes increasingly important for us. He's an outstanding shooter and he's continued to improve that area of his game. He has a lot of confidence right now and like Cliff, he's excited about the season and the opportunity."
Over the last two weeks, there has been a lot of mixing and matching behind closed doors as Sendek, like a mad scientist, has experimented with many different looks in practice. The fans will get their first birds-eye view during Saturday's Red/White game.
