North Carolina State University Athletics
HAYNES: Pack Seniors Brace for B.C.
3/5/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Note: The 1st Half of the Women's Basketball ACC Tournament Championship Game between NC State and Duke will be shown on the RBC Center videoboard prior to the men's game.
By Tony Haynes
Prior to their final regular season home game at the RBC Center on Sunday afternoon, NC State seniors Dennis Horner and Farnold Degand will likely be filled with the usual emotions college basketball players must cope with as the end of their careers comes into full focus.
They'll both reflect on the ups and downs they experienced, while also thinking about the unconventional paths that brought them to Raleigh.
But after they're honored in the traditional pregame senior day ceremonies, both will try to do whatever is necessary go out on a winning note when the Wolfpack (16-14, 4-11) hosts Boston College (15-14, 6-9).
Head coach Sidney Lowe has enjoyed watching both of his seniors mature over their four years, and he understands what Horner and Degand have been thinking about as the finish line closes in.
"They realize this is it," said Lowe, who helped the Wolfpack trounce Wake Forest 130-89 in his final home game at Reynolds Coliseum in 1983. "They realize their college careers will end at some point and they'll move into the real world."
With one game guaranteed in next week's ACC Tournament, Horner and Degand are assured of at least two more opportunities to wear the NC State uniform. And with a few more victories, the Pack could put itself into the NIT discussion.
'That would be huge to go out the right way," said Horner, who's averaging nearly 12 points and five rebounds per game this year. "Hopefully we'll make a run. You never know what can happen when we play good basketball."
Horner was initially recruited from his hometown of Linwood, New Jersey by former NC State coach Herb Sendek. But in the spring before his freshman year, the 6-9 forward learned that the coach who had lured him to Raleigh would be leaving after accepting an offer to coach Arizona State. At that point, Horner had a critical decision to make.
"That was a huge decision," he said. "I remember I was at a friend's house when coach Sendek called and let me know the news. I was wondering what I was going to do. I hated the whole recruiting thing and figured I was going to have to get back to that. But after sitting down with my family and we talked to coach Lowe, I figured why not? I decided I liked NC State all around."
Slowed by knee tendinitis in his sophomore and junior years, Horner returned with a little more bounce in his step this season after undergoing a special medical procedure to ease the discomfort last summer.
And down the stretch over the last three weeks, he's played the best basketball of his career, tallying three double-doubles in his last five games - the first double-doubles of his career.
In the eight games before NC State's February 10th home contest against Virginia Tech, Horner had grabbed a combined total of 17 rebounds. But against the Hokies, he snagged 16. He's recorded two more double-figure rebound performances since and has averaged 8.5 boards over the Pack's last six games.
"The coaches had been getting on me about it in practice and calling me out, so I wanted to show them I could do it," Horner said.
Like Horner, Degand's career was short-circuited somewhat by knee problems. More specifically, the 6-4 guard suffered a torn ACL 10 games into his first season at NC State. A transfer from Iowa State, Degand had shown considerable promise before injuring his knee against Cincinnati on December 12, 2007. Last season as a junior, his minutes were still being limited by post-surgery soreness.
"[The injury] definitely slowed down my progression," Degand said. "I think I was making strides towards the right direction. It also held me back last year because I was out there playing with a bad wheel. I don't dwell on it too much; I just try to focus on making myself better as a basketball player."
In Degand's case, the torn ACL could have been a devastating blow since it affected perhaps his number one asset on the court: his blinding speed. This year, however, he's often shown that old explosiveness, giving the Wolfpack a backcourt player who can create offense for himself and his teammates off the dribble, a threat the Pack has been lacking over the last several years.
'The knee feels a lot better now," Degand said. "I don't feel it most of the time and that's been a blessing."
With 11 points, four rebounds and six assists, Degand was one of the heroes in NC State's 88-74 upset victory over Duke back on January 20.
In fact, it was a game at Duke's famed Cameron Indoor Stadium last year that will always stick out in Degand's mind, not so much because of what happened on the floor, but because of what was emanating from the Cameron Crazies, who implied with one of their glib chants that Degand's first name was a typo.
"I remember like it was yesterday, 'Farnold your name is a typo,'" he said with giggle. "I actually laughed because it was a pretty good one and made a lot of sense. As far as I'm concerned, Farnold is just a regular name and I've come to embrace it as part of who I am."
Although he was eligible to play, Degand was held out of the Wolfpack's first six games by Lowe, who felt his senior needed to get refocused on academic priorities. The message clearly got through since Degand is on track to graduate this spring. Horner is also expected to earn his degree on time.
"It means everything in the world," Lowe said. "That's something that we really are proud of. Every senior we've had since I've been here has graduated. To me, that's more important than anything. It's not more important because it helps me; it's more important because it helps them. Dennis's mother and grandmother are so proud of him, as is Farnold's mother."
Over the last four years, Horner sat and watched the likes of Engin Atsur, Gavin Grant, Courtney Fells and Ben McCauley take their bows on senior day. It was on those days that he listened intently to his senior teammates, who would be amazed by the swiftness with which a college career goes by.
With Sunday's regular season finale just hours away, Horner and Degand can now indentify with those sentiments.
"Guys before said your seasons are going to fly by and it's going to be your senior day," Horner said. "This year has been like that and the season has gone by quick."
Sunday's B.C. Game: Pregame coverage on the Wolfpack Sports Network will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. The 30-minute pregame show will feature interviews with Dennis Horner and former NC State star Julius Hodge, who will be honored with ex Pack great Kenny Carr to commemorate 100 years of NC State basketball.
