North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: Painter, Vandenberg Front & Center
9/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sept. 12, 2010
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. - The only time DeShawn Painter and Jordan Vandenberg thought much about who will be NC State's starting center when the basketball season begins was during summer pick-up games, usually when former ACC Player of the Year Julius Hodge was involved and egging them on.
"One of you guys has to win this starting job," Hodge would yell.
It's not like they aren't trying. The two sophomores have spent the off-season preparing to make much bigger contributions than they did last year, when they were on the floor about seven minutes a game each and contributed a little over one point per game.
Generally, however, they saw only spot action behind Tracy Smith, who has played most of the last two seasons out of position at center instead of power forward.
Head coach Sidney Lowe has made it clear, however, that Smith will play power forward this year and that Painter and Vandenberg will compete at center. He's not asking for the two pivots to score a lot of points. Smith and other returning veterans like C.J. Williams, Scott Wood, Javi Gonzalez and Richard Howell can provide much of the Wolfpack's offensive firepower, not to mention newcomers C.J. Leslie, Ryan Harrow and Lorenzo Brown.
The coach just wants the two centers to provide strong rebounding and good defense.
"It's a great opportunity for them both," Lowe said during his summer press conference. "Hopefully, we'll have enough guys out on the floor with them that can help them along and score for us. We need them to rebound and defend."
The 6-foot-9 Painter is clearly excited about the opportunity. He worked out at least twice a day and sometimes three times a day throughout the summer, usually with basketball equipment manager Kirk Brown, to get stronger. Painter added 14 pounds of muscle to his frame and a little variety to his game.
He was hampered somewhat by a thumb injury that prevented him from playing in one of the summer pro-am leagues and limited some of his pickup action. But he'll be completely healed and ready to go when practice begins on Oct. 15.
His biggest adjustment has been learning to be a complementary player.
"What I have tried to work on is just being better at playing with other guys and putting my game in a system," Painter said. "Pretty much, my whole career, since I started playing in the eighth grade, I have been the man, in terms of scoring. I have to learn how to take my abilities and learn to put it with the team and learn a system.
"I was used to going up and down the court and scoring. I had to focus on getting stronger so I could rebound better. I wasn't used to that."
Painter played in 26 games last season, averaging 6.5 minutes, 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds off the bench. He also went significant stretches without playing. He played only one minute in the Wolfpack's five post-season games.
But it didn't get him down.
"Even when things weren't going my way, I stayed with it, stayed focused and kept going," Painter said. "I didn't let myself get defeated. When it was time for me to play, I was ready. I stayed positive."
So he's going to make sure he takes advantage of the opportunity for more playing time this season, which is why he spent so much time working out over the summer.
"I don't want to go through that [not playing] again," Painter said. "I could have been upset about not playing that much, but that's not who I am. I am a worker. You define what you are when people aren't watching."
Vandenberg also hopes to earn more playing time. The native of Melbourne, Australia, spent the summer in Raleigh trying to improve his skills. He missed working out with his personal trainer from home and going for longs runs on the sandy beaches. But he continued to work hard on his game.
"I know DeShawn is working on his game, so he will be ready when the season comes," Vandenberg said. "And so will I. Regardless of who is the starter, we are going to be good. It's not a big concern for me who starts, as long as we both play."
The 7-foot-1 Vandenberg saw action in 23 games, including a start against Arizona when Smith was out. He averaged 1.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in his 6.5 minutes of play, but his biggest contributions were on defense. He was fourth on the team with 18 blocked shots, a number that will surely rise if he is on the court more.
"Last year was a big learning experience for me," Vandenberg said. "I had to get used to the speed of the game over here. I had to get used to going from an offensive-minded player in Australia to being a defensive-minded player here.
"Most of last season was an eye-opening experience for me, especially getting that start against Arizona. Most of the year, I shut down the offensive side of my game, because Tracy had that covered. This year, I hope to bring some of that back and play even better defense."
Painter is clearly more polished offensively, but Vandenberg considers himself a stopper on defense. That combination could give the Wolfpack a solid post complement to Smith's proven scoring abilities. But the roommates, who shared an apartment with teammate Howell over the summer, want to make sure the competition for the starting job stays friendly.
"I don't really think about it in terms of DeShawn is working on this, so I should counter with that," Vandenberg said. "It only gets really riled up when Julius Hodge is in town. He likes to get us going. I'm always like `Julius, it's okay. We're still teammates.'
"When the season starts, we are going to complement each other, regardless of the rotation. If DeShawn starts, it's not going to bother me in the slightest, as long as I know I have tried my hardest. Both of us have complementing talents. If coach wants DeShawn to start, there is a reason for it. If he wants me to start, there is a reason for it. It's not because he thinks one is insanely better than the other."
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
