North Carolina State University Athletics
Behind the Scenes With Tony Haynes: Coach Overestimates Pack Power
1/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2003
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-For his next act, Levi Watkins will lift Hulk Hogan and Mr. T over his head-at the same time. Josh Powell, meanwhile, is slated to do bicep curls with NC State head coach Herb Sendek's car.
Yes, Watkins and Powell apparently have physique-defying strength in their long, wiry bodies. That became blatantly obvious on Sunday night when Watkins and Powell, at least in the eyes of Virginia coach Pete Gillen, "manhandled" Cavaliers senior Travis Watson in the low post. His 6-8, 255 pound, Kenmore-sized frame feeling frail from the long bus ride to Raleigh, Watson could only muster eight shots and zero free throws.
Can we be serious now?
After watching the massive Watson scatter the opposition like a bowling ball creasing the 1-3 pocket for more than three years, one can't help but wonder why Gillen chose to complain about physical play in the paint following the Wolfpack's 75-63 ACC victory over Virginia on Sunday.
"I was very disappointed that a player like that who got the ball inside, getting bumped, did not get a free throw," Gillen said afterwards. "I give NC State credit. They played very physical, they played aggressively and they did a good job. But I'm disappointed for our kids when they say coach, 'they're hand-checking me,' and I don't know what to tell them."
Did the Pack get away with some fouls inside? Absolutely, but who doesn't? Did Watson dish out his share of excess contact? Was Ralph Sampson tall?
"Travis Watson's picture is next to the word physical in the dictionary," said NC State head coach Herb Sendek.
Bingo.
Along with being one of the league's most outstanding players, Watson is the ACC's immovable force, especially when he goes up against a Wolfpack frontline that will never be confused with the 'Backstreet Bullies.' Perhaps no one had more success keeping the ball away from Watson than-of all people--Watkins, a 6-7 forward who compensated for a strength disparity in the match-up by utilizing his quickness. On those occasions when he was asked to guard Uva's massive power forward, Watkins kept his feet moving and maintained proper angles to stay in front of Watson rather that try to bang him.
For two days leading into the Virginia game, NC State spent an inordinate amount of time working on post defense. Plan A was to deny Watson as much as possible. Plan B was to double him when he did catch it. Actually, the denial option probably worked better than expected as the Wolfpack did an excellent job of reducing the big man's touches inside. And when the Cavaliers couldn't connect from outside (4-22 from the arc), NC State had a defensive game plan that, in the final analysis, worked like a charm.
On Tuesday, Gillen made a public apology for his post-game comments during the ACC's weekly teleconference.
"I would like to publicly apologize to the ACC, to the officials and to the NC State team for comments I made after the game," Gillen said. "I was frustrated and I was just trying to point out some things. I didn't do it in the right manner or through the right channels. I was wrong."
Gillen, a very funny man and a fine coach, will have to make some adjustments from here on out because other teams will be going out of their way to make life difficult for Watson. Until he begins his career in the NBA next season, Watson can expect to be smothered by multiple players every time he touches the ball down low. As a result, Virginia's ability to knock down shots from the perimeter will likely say a lot about just how well the Cavs will do in what should be a very unpredictable ACC race.
The Wolfpack, meanwhile, will send its muscle-bound forces onto the court against Georgia Tech this Saturday in Atlanta. Who knows, maybe Julius Hodge will do 100 pushups with Ed Nelson (6-8, 250) sitting on his back.
