North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: Highlights and Lowlights
3/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
March 29, 2004
By Tony Haynes
The end of the basketball season always brings about numerous correspondences through this wonderful cyberspace miracle known as e-mail. Since NC State bowed out of the NCAA Tournament, the Gopack.com feedback page has once again produced all kinds of thought-provoking messages and questions. For the most part, the Wolfpack nation is filled with enthusiasts whose thirst for knowledge is only surpassed by their general devotion to the Red&White. With that, we move to the mailbag.
Scott writes: "Tony, now that it's over, what would you say was the highlight of this past basketball season?"
Scott, when you win as many as 11 games in a league as tough as the ACC was this past season, that unto itself is a highlight. And the big key to reaching that milestone was winning on the road. In a year when road wins were as rare and precious as they have been in quite some time, the Pack shed its "road-soft" image by going 5-3 in conference games away from the RBC Center. The game that really got NC State started was that tough 58-53 triumph at Florida State on January 11. The Wolfpack's rally from 16 points behind to edge Wake Forest was magical, as was the 78-74 victory over top-ranked Duke, a game that ended the Blue Devils' 18-game winning streak. And you can't forget that the Pack won at Maryland for the first time in forever. This was an NC State team that often played at the highest level, as evidenced by its 3-1 record against Final Four participants Duke and Georgia Tech. It also goes without saying that another highlight was the caller on Coach Sendek's radio show a few weeks ago that claimed he used to cut Don Shea's grass back in the old days. Some things never change: the media superstars have got it made.
From Josh, we get this: "I'm having a difficult time getting over that Vanderbilt game in the tournament. Is it fair to say that was one of the toughest to swallow losses in NC State history?"
Josh, I think that's fair. When a team scores 21 points on its last seven possessions over the last four minutes of an NCAA tourney game to beat you by two, it makes you wonder if supernatural powers are at work. For the sake of comparison, some of you may remember what it felt like when Dudley Bradley stole the ball from Clyde Austin and threw down a dunk to silence Reynolds Coliseum in 1979. The now infamous travel call on Chris Corchiani that helped Georgetown eliminate the Wolfpack in the 1989 NCAA Tournament is also hard to forget. Another game that stands out is the loss at Maryland in 2000. Up by five points with just over two minutes to play, NC State had a great chance to ice it when Damon Thornton and Damien Wilkins broke loose on a two-on-one break. Going for the jugular, Thornton was called for charging on an attempted dunk. He then picked up a technical foul for slamming the ball down. From there, the Terps would score the last 10 points of the game to win by five. That loss opened the floodgates to a seven-game losing streak that sent the Pack from second place in the standings to sixth in the ACC. Let's move on before anyone else is tempted to find a ledge.
Mike has these thoughts: "I can't remember a time when our opponents hit more timely (or untimely) 3-point shots than this year, especially at the end. Did we do that poor a job of defending the arc?"
Mike, NC State's opponents this year hit just 31.3 percent of their 3-point shots, a figure that ranked second only to Georgia Tech in the ACC statistical category of 3-point percentage defense. But you are dead on when you say that the Wolfpack was done in by some big-time 3s late in the season. It started when Rashad McCants nailed two bombs that were extremely well-defended in UNC's 71-64 win at the RBC Center on February 29th. Then there were a pair of backbreakers that John Gilchrist managed to knock down in the ACC Tournament semifinals. The first wedged between the back of the rim and backboard before somehow falling through. Then there was the 3 he banked off the glass right before the shot clock buzzer sounded, a shot that really took the wind out of NC State's sails. Of course, that last ditch rally by Vanderbilt in the NCAA tourney game featured shots by Matt Freije and Mario Moore that were borderline prayers. Freije's 25-footer hit the front of the rim and banged off the glass to keep Vandy within striking distance. Then the 5-10 Moore capped a five-point possession by launching and connecting on another 25-footer over the outstretched hand of 6-10 Jordan Collins, who was correctly helping off of a screen to take away the 3-point shot.
Our final letter comes from Barry, who writes: "Tony, it should be an interesting off-season with Philip Rivers awaiting the draft and Julius Hodge pondering his future. What else can we look forward to before Amato and the boys hit the gridiron next fall?"
Barry, I'm personally looking forward to the warm weather myself, but that's another story. Hopefully, folks in the Triangle area will enjoy a new off-season TV Show we'll be cranking up on Fox 50 this weekend. Inside Wolfpack Sports with Lee Fowler begins its summer run at 11 a.m. this Sunday. Upcoming guests include Herb Sendek, Kay Yow, Elliott Avent, Bob LaCivita (football operations) and David Horning (facilities). Basically, we hope to have all the NC State head coaches join us as the show works its was through April, May, June, July and parts of August. There will also be features on athletes and informative segments with representatives of the Wolfpack Club. My guess is there will be something for everyone so stay tuned.
Oops...the clock on the wall says it's getting late. With darkness looming, I'll have virtually no chance of mowing Don Shea's entire yard if I don't run along. See you next time.
