North Carolina State University Athletics
BACK TO '83: Reserves Gannon, Myers lead Pack, 111-76
1/3/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 3, 1983
BY TIM PEELER
Sophomore Terry Gannon and freshman Ernie Myers, a pair of backcourt reserves, came off the bench to provide instant offense for the Wolfpack in a 111-76 pummeling of Fairleigh Dickinson Monday night. Both posted career highs, with Gannon providing his 17 points from the outside and Myers scoring the bulk of his game-high 22 points with slashing moves from the high post.
Continuing the youthful surge, sophomore Lorenzo Charles also hit all five of his shots to score 10 points, his most significant contribution so far this season, as five Wolfpack players reached double figures in the team’s biggest scoring night in seven years.
That’s not to say the Wolfpack’s senior trio didn’t have much to do with the team’s second consecutive win. Dereck Whittenburg had 21 points and Thurl Bailey added 16, as both players topped the 1,000-point career scoring mark. And veteran point guard Sidney Lowe had a near flawless performance, dishing out 11 assists with only one turnover.
For the night, the Wolfpack (6-1) shot a sizzling 57.5 percent from the field and poured in 12 of its 18 3-point attempts, in the team’s fifth non-conference game using an experimental 3-point line and 35-second clock.
“I think
Feeley, however, was quite impressed with what he saw along with the sparse crowd of 7,300 at Reynolds Coliseum.
“We’ve played most of the top teams in the country now and according to the Feeley poll, NC State is No. 1,” said the coach. “They were just too big and too strong for us to handle inside.”
For Gannon, it was a breakout game. His previous career high was nine points, scored last year against Clemson. But he proved deadly from the 19-foot, 9-inch arc that will be used in all ACC games this year, hitting five of his six attempts from beyond the arc. He is now 9-for-11 from that mark this season. Whittenburg also hit five 3-pointers, including three in the game’s opening five minutes.
“I’ve been shooting well in practice and I feel really confident about the 20-footer,” said the sophomore from
Valvano was certainly impressed, after telling Gannon he would get more playing time as freshman George McClain continues to recover from his bout with meningitis and a severe ankle sprain.
“Some players play well in practice and some don’t when the lights go on,” the coach said. “He’s the kind that plays like he practices and he has been playing well in practice. I just game him the opportunity. He figures when he is on a roll, he can throw it in from Apex. I believe he can too.”
Myers bounced back from a poor first-half showing to carry the Wolfpack during stretches of the second half. After the Knights forced Valvano to call a timeout by cutting the Wolfpack’s lead to just 14 points, Myers went on a scoring frenzy, pouring in 11 of his team’s points in a 13-2 run. After making just three of eight shots in the first half, Myers was a perfect 5-for-5 in the second half, scoring an efficient 22 points in just 15 minutes of action.
“With some freshmen, Ernie being one of them, when you’re the man in high school and in college you are coming off the bench, some have trouble with it,” Valvano said after the game. “Ernie’s not what you’d consider instant offense. He’s a scorer not a shooter. He might go to the basket and score, get a rebound and score or hit a short jumper and score. He’ll be more consistent next year, when he is a starter.”
By the latter stages of the second half, thanks to the scoring of Myers and Gannon, the Wolfpack enjoyed as much as a 42-point lead.
Now, Valvano must prepare his team for its most brutal stretch of the season, traveling to Clemson on Friday to begin ACC play, heading to Missouri for a Sunday afternoon non-conference tilt, then returning home Tuesday night to face No. 4 Virginia and All-America center Ralph Sampson.
“If there is anybody playing a tougher January schedule, I am glad I am not coaching there,” said Valvano, whose team finishes the January slate with home games against Georgia Tech, Memphis State and Duke and road games against North Carolina and Wake Forest. “We’ll have to be exceptional to come away with three wins in our next three games. I was really pleased with the way we played against
“But we have to stay that way. The games come fast and furious now.”
Clemson has been particularly difficult place for the Wolfpack to play in recent years. Valvano has yet to win there in his first two attempts and, in fact, State has won there only once since winning the 1974 NCAA Championship.
“I don’t think it’s a jinx,” Whittenburg said. “Last year we were ranked in the Top 20 when we went down there and they got a big win off of us. I think it’s the long bus ride more than anything else.
“That’s a six-hour bus ride and I think it really has an effect on the way you play. I hope we do something different this year, either leave early so we will have time to get over the ride or fly.”
Or maybe the Tigers simply know a thing or two about beating Valvano.
“I know how to play these guys,” said Clemson scout Dwight Rainey, who was sitting on the baseline evaluating the Wolfpack. “Line your guys up outside the 3-point circle and force them to take the two-point shot.”
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
