North Carolina State University Athletics
Experience Pays Off For Pack
2/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2004
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-In an age when college basketball teams often rely on freshmen and sophomores to provide instant results, NC State is an exception to the rule. In senior co-captains Scooter Sherrill and Marcus Melvin, the Wolfpack possesses two players who have been around the block a time or two and have seen a little bit of everything - both good and bad. Then there's junior Julius Hodge, a three-year starter who has never been one to run away from the spotlight or the pressure situations most players in the ACC encounter on a regular basis.
As it heads into the second half of its ACC season with a 13-5 mark overall and 6-2 in conference play, the Wolfpack is being hailed by many as the league's biggest surprise this year. But upon further and more serious examination, perhaps it shouldn't be all that shocking that NC State is all alone in second place by two full games as it gets set to travel to Virginia on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Thanks to Sherrill and Melvin, the Wolfpack is second only to Florida State in starts by seniors this season. When you add juniors Hodge, Levi Watkins and Jordan Collins to the mix, and then throw in redshirt sophomore Ilian Evtimov, who has been in the program for three years, you have the makings of a fairly experienced cast of performers who have been on the court for some big-time games the last few years.
"We have a measure of experience but we're trying to integrate some young guys as well," said NC State head coach Herb Sendek. "We're starting a freshman point guard (Engin Atsur) and his back-up is a freshman (Mike O'Donnell). That's a tough position to have a freshman. I think we have good balance on our team."
But there's no replacing the lessons learned from hands on experience. And over the last two seasons, many of the Pack's upperclassmen have been asked to produce during several pressure-packed moments. Moments like stepping up and being able to hit big shot after big shot in glamour games, just the way Evtimov, Melvin and Hodge did two years ago when the Wolfpack stunned 2nd ranked Maryland in the ACC Tournament semifinals. Or even last year, when Sherrill, Melvin and Hodge were key players in Pack victories over Duke in the regular season and top-seeded Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament.
Perhaps it was no coincidence that Sherrill and Melvin hit the two biggest shots of the game in NC State's incredible comeback win over Wake Forest on Wednesday night. Once down by as many as 18 points in the first half, the persistent Wolfpack chipped away at the big lead before Sherrill finally tied it with a big 3-pointer in transition with just over four minutes left. Melvin then clinched it with another clutch 3 with just 31 seconds remaining.
"Experience is really important in life," Sendek said. "If you're paying attention and you're working hard, you're always gaining valuable lessons regardless of what you do. To be able to go through the ACC schedule year after year and gain all the lessons and experiences that that provides, that can really be an important advantage. To have two seniors like Scooter and Marcus is great. Those aren't big numbers of seniors. But that's kind of the trend in college basketball and more and more young players are given opportunities."
Somewhat reluctant to reach out and grab leadership roles before this season, Sherrill and Melvin have continued to blossom - on and off the court - as the end of their college careers have started to come into focus. A few hours before last Sunday's game at Maryland, Sherrill initiated a player's only meeting in his hotel room. By the end of the day, NC State had snagged its first win in College Park in 14 years.
"I think they've been tremendous the last couple of games, but I also think it's been gradually building," Sendek said. "They've been doing a good job all along and they've been learning how to be leaders. Here recently, they've taken their leadership to another level. They've taken more responsibility on their own shoulders by helping their teammates and making sure everybody is doing the right things."
Quite often, leadership can make a big difference for a team that's struggling. But success can also lead to pitfalls if there is an absence of leadership. Even with the recent surge that has led to the best ACC start by an NC State team since the 1988-89 season, the Wolfpack can't fall into the trap of becoming overly satisfied. Sherrill and Melvin certainly know better, especially after going through the unpredictable ACC grind for three and a half years now.
"This league is so strong," Sherrill said. "After you get a big win you're happy for the moment, but the sun is going to rise again in the morning and you've got to be ready to go again. Night in and night out it's a tough game. You can't be too content; you've got to keep a level head and just realize that we still have a long season."
Words spoken by someone who has learned from experience.
