North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Hoping to Welcome Back Bethel Soon
1/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2005
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - Coming off a heartbreaking one-point defeat at Virginia Tech - its fifth loss in the last six games - the NC State basketball team hasn't exactly been the recipient of a lot of good news lately. Believe it not, however, there may actually be something to feel good about in the near future. Guard Tony Bethel, who has missed four consecutive games since being diagnosed with colitis, is finally turning the corner with his health and could conceivably be available for part time duty in Sunday's 6:00 p.m. clash with Maryland in College Park.
"I'm hoping," NC State head coach Herb Sendek said on Friday. "He practiced a little bit the day before our game at Virginia Tech. He's been getting some extra cardiovascular work in. It's going to take time, but he's certainly moving in the right direction. We'll just see how he responds over the next few days in practice. How long it will take him to get back to game shape is hard to pinpoint."
Perhaps it's no coincidence that NC State's play has been spotty ever since the junior point guard first started feeling sick just before the Wolfpack took on Columbia and St. John's during the Holiday Festival in New York in late December. Prior to falling ill, Bethel played one of his best games of the year at BYU, tallying 15 points, six rebounds and five assists in a 72-61 victory over the Cougars.
But offensive numbers probably don't tell the entire story. As the losses have mounted, NC State's defense has suffered numerous breakdowns, both on the perimeter and in the post. When the Wolfpack had Bethel pressuring the ball and keeping opposing ball-handlers out of the paint earlier in the season, it appeared to be a better defensive team.
"He really solidifies our perimeter rotation," Sendek said. "He really gives us another athletic, quick guard who can do a number of really positive things for our basketball team."
When Bethel does get back to the point where he can play meaningful minutes, he'll give NC State a different look in the backcourt. But whether Bethel can make it back for the Maryland game or not, Sendek hinted that some changes may very well be on the way as the Pack tries to recover from its toughest stretch since the 2000-01 season.
"I think we have to take a good, hard look at ourselves," said Sendek. "I think the only way you can change results is if you change behavior. In order to be able to do that, as difficult as that may be, you have to give yourself an honest evaluation. We have to focus on things like getting big rebounds, getting an important stop, and eliminating some critical point turnovers with better decision making."
Rebounding and defense, particularly down the stretch in close games, have been major trouble spots for NC State. In one-point losses at Miami and Virginia Tech, the Wolfpack often had trouble coming up with a big defensive sequence or defensive rebounds at critical stages.
NC State has also fallen short on the offensive end of the floor in crunch time, although it has gotten plenty of excellent opportunities to score baskets that clearly would have made a difference. Two examples stand out in the one point losses to Miami and Virginia Tech. With his team up on the Hurricanes by a point with just over two minutes left, the Wolfpack's Julius Hodge missed a layup that would have made it a three-point game. Miami then took the ball to the other end in transition and got an old-fashioned 3-point play.
At Virginia Tech on Wednesday, the Wolfpack had five or six shots at point-blank range over the last five minutes that wouldn't drop.
"If we convert a couple of layups, chances are the theme of this conversation is entirely different," Sendek said. "Not to oversimplify or trivialize things, but we're probably a made layup or a couple of free throws away from being 3-1 [in the ACC] instead of 1-3. In a couple of instances, I don't know that we could have gotten better shots than we've gotten. We just haven't converted."
Now the Wolfpack must set its sights on a trip to the Comcast Center, a building in which Maryland is 9-0 this season. Last season in College Park, NC State came up with a precious 81-69 win over the Terps as Hodge scored 28 points and Engin Atsur nailed three huge 3-point baskets in the second half.
The focus of Maryland's flex offense is to get the ball inside, something that will no doubt set off red flags in Sendek's mind. In the recent losses to Duke and Virginia Tech, the Wolfpack's post defense was exploited by big men Shelden Williams (22 points) and Coleman Collins (20).
Out of the flex, the Terps' big men set horizontal screens at the blocks and then `duck in' for post-ups close to the basket. If the ball gets to them on target and on time, it can be awfully difficult to stop.
"I've always had great respect for the system Maryland employs," Sendek said. "I think they have one of the best systems in college basketball. It could be traced back to when coach [Gary] Williams was with coach Tom Davis years ago, and he's certainly polished it through the years. They have a great system and they really force you to prepare."
Of course, systems are usually only as good as the players that are in them. For Maryland, no one player has taken advantage of the system more lately than Nik Caner-Medley, who is averaging 27 points over his last four games.
Sunday's game will be the start of a grueling stretch for NC State, which will be playing three of its next four games on the road.
Bennerman Injured: Just as Tony Bethel is working his way back, the NC State backcourt suffered another blow on Friday when junior Cammeron Bennerman injured an elbow during practice. Bennerman, the Pack's second leading scorer with an average of 10.3 points per game, is expected to sit out Sunday's game at Maryland. Beyond that, it was not known as of Friday how much more time he'll miss.
