North Carolina State University Athletics
Status of Bethel and Collins Uncertain for Pack
3/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 15, 2005
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - As of Monday night, head coach Herb Sendek wasn't willing to make a prediction on the playing status of center Jordan Collins and guard Tony Bethel for Friday's first round NCAA Tournament game against Charlotte in Worcester, Massachusetts. For Sendek, it must be like déjà vu. Last year at this time, he was dealing with the same kind of question marks after Scooter Sherrill went down with an ankle injury in the last week of the regular season and Collins tweaked a knee during the ACC Tournament.
This time around, it was Collins who was hurt in the regular season finale, suffering a partial shoulder separation late in the Pack's game against Wake Forest on March 6. And though the senior big man did see a few minutes of action in Friday night's ACC Tourney victory against the Deacons, he wasn't able to come back and play the next day against Duke.
But of the two, Bethel might have to the most difficult mountain to climb as he tries to recover from a pulled groin, an injury sustained in last Thursday's first round ACC Tournament contest against Florida State.
"Jordan Collins is progressing," said Sendek. "I'm optimistic that he'll be able to return at some point, but I can't determine when that will be. I guess I'm glad we're playing Friday instead of Thursday because it's an extra day to try to get him back. Tony is probably not as far along as Jordan, but I'm not going to jump to any conclusions with either guy right now. With each day that goes by, we'll try to evaluate where they are and see what happens by the time we get to the weekend."
In the absence of the two Wolfpack starters last weekend, others stepped up to help NC State win two crucial games in Washington. Cameron Bennerman averaged 12 points in the three tourney games, while freshman forward Andrew Brackman tallied 16 points versus Wake Forest and 12 in Saturday's defeat to Duke. The Pack also got productive minutes from rookie Gavin Grant.
Sendek is confident that all three of his freshmen - Brackman, Grant and center Cedric Simmons - are ready to step in and produce in their first NCAA Tournament.
"I think the season we just completed is the best preparation," Sendek said. "When you have a chance to participate in an event like the ACC Tournament or play in a 16-game schedule in our conference, all those kinds of experiences add up and give you the ability to go into the NCAA Tournament ready to go. Those guys have gained invaluable experience along the trail."
Speaking of experience, seniors Julius Hodge, Collins and Levi Watkins will be playing in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year, while Bennerman and Ilian Evtimov are back for the third time. The Pack's leading scorer in tourney play is Evtimov, who's averaged 14 points in four NCAA games. The bulk of that average was built on last year's 28-point outburst against Vanderbilt. In five tournament starts, Hodge is averaging 13.6 points and 6.6 rebounds.
Hodge needs only 10 more points this weekend to join David Thompson and Rodney Monroe as the only players to surpass the 2,000 plateau for their careers.
Other NCAA Notes: The Wolfpack has played a total of five games against three of the four No. 1 seeds. NC State met Washington in December, then played two games apiece against Duke and North Carolina....This is the first time the Wolfpack has been a No. 10 seed...This will also be the second time in the last four years that NC State and Connecticut could face off in the second round of the tournament. In 2002, the Huskies eliminated the Wolfpack, 77-74....Over its last nine games, NC State's improving defense yielded an average of just 62.7 points per game. Charlotte averages 78.4 points per contest.
