Comparisons to Wolfpack Past

Fresh off Sidney Lowe’s first Raleigh Caravan, our blogging minds have turned back to basketball – particularly, Wolfpack retro. As a fun off-season exercise, a few of us brainstormed about rough comparisons of the 2007-08 roster to Wolfpackers of the past. Please share your own comps and thoughts in the comments section below. Our memories are very sketchy before the early 80s, so we are counting on the collective wisdom of our readership to cover prior decades.

– Degand = Cliff Crawford, Kelsey Weems
– Fells = Ernie Myers, Cam Bennerman, Scooter Sherrill
– Grant = Ishua Benjamin, Ernie Myers, Brian Howard, Jeremy Hyatt
– Horner = Walker Lambiotte, Andy Kennedy, Ilian Evtimov
– Smith = Brian Howard, Levi Watkins, Lorenzo Charles
– Costner = Thurl Bailey, Kenny Carr, Tom Gugliotta
– McCauley = Chucky Brown, Kevin Thompson, Evtimov/Todd Fuller hybrid (passing and low-post moves)
– Hickson = Chris Washburn (without the negative off-court baggage), Charles Shackleford (ditto)
– Johnson = Nate McMillan, Mickey Hinnant, Kenny Matthews, CC Harrison
– Javi = Curtis Marshall, Lakista McCuller
– Thomas = Cam Bennerman, smaller Kenny Carr, Brian Howard

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121 Responses to Comparisons to Wolfpack Past

  1. BJD95 05/09/2007 at 12:12 PM #

    I considered listing QJ as a possible comp for Javi. I don’t see Sid or Towe in any of our currrent players, though.

  2. lush 05/09/2007 at 12:20 PM #

    skywalker,

    i remember ivan wagner had 29 points in his first game, i dont remember ishua “most defineatly” benjamin doing that. i was really unhappy when ivan transfered to memphis(i think), i thought he was going to be a great player for us.

  3. Anthony Grundy 05/09/2007 at 12:27 PM #

    What about Anthony Grundy? He led the team in points, rebounds, steals, and assists his senior year. Grundy was the best player and most determined player the last two decades of basketball at NC state. Hopefully one of our new 1 or 2 gaurds will turn out to be the next grundy…..

  4. Big Worm 05/09/2007 at 12:27 PM #

    Wags transferred to Texas.

    Osh’s first game in a State uniform was also his highest-scoring. He hit for almost 30.

  5. BillyTheKid 05/09/2007 at 12:29 PM #

    Ishua had 29 points in the first game of the 95 -96 season, Nov. 26th 1995. Wagner went on to play for Texas.

  6. BillyTheKid 05/09/2007 at 12:32 PM #

    Ishua also had 22 and 20 points in the Kansas and UCLA games at the start of his Freshman season.

  7. Texpack 05/09/2007 at 12:33 PM #

    Courtney Fells = Al Green. A better athlete than a basketball player.

    McCauley is very similar to Lorenzo Charles. A down on the blocks, drop step oriented, can finish with either hand, classic low post guy who is under 6’10”.

  8. PapaJohn 05/09/2007 at 12:37 PM #

    Ivan Wagner – I had forgotten about him. I can’t remember what his career ended up looking like, but the kid could fly. Another interesting discussion would be reviewing all of the “if he’d stayed …” players like Ivan, and the “If we could only have sealed the deal” players like Stackhouse, etc. Cool concept, hope the new kids live up to the old.

    SFN: Wagner ended up as an all-conference point guard playing for Rick Barnes and won a Big 12 Championship in Barnes’ first season (when he took over a scandal-ridden program that only had 6 scholarship players).

    (sarcasm) So glad that Herb ran off Wagner so that we could recruit the likes of Rhouldra Thomas.

  9. BoKnowsNCS71 05/09/2007 at 12:45 PM #

    I just hope a PG one day compares to either Terry Gannon, Monte Towe or Sid Lowe.

  10. BillyTheKid 05/09/2007 at 12:57 PM #

    I thought Terry Gannon was a 2?

    SFN: Terry Gannon was most definitely a two-guard. Perhaps the previous poster was trying to refer to Vinny Del Negro.

  11. lush 05/09/2007 at 1:07 PM #

    if they had stayed all stars….

    mike bell, ivan wagner, dominic mejia, adam harrington, damien wilkins, who else, i know there is more.

    mike bell was unbeleivable in high school, i went to enloe and graduated in his same class. watching him and wilcox play every week, i thought bell was the sure NBA prospect. he was like a poor mans kevin durant, awesome to watch, incredible passer, dribbler, and shooter for a 6’9″ guy. i never understood why he got no pt under herb. then again i didnt understand much about herb.

  12. CedarGroveWolf 05/09/2007 at 2:01 PM #

    ^ big difference between HS & ACC

  13. lush 05/09/2007 at 2:12 PM #

    ^ fair enough,

    however i do remember hearing that he transferred to some division II or III school and averaged close to 30ppg

  14. BillyTheKid 05/09/2007 at 2:17 PM #

    How big a difference is there between HS & ACC? Is it bigger than between ACC & NBA, or Jr. College & ACC? Just wondering??

  15. lush 05/09/2007 at 2:30 PM #

    ^ good question.

    seems to me like wilcox was given an oppurtunity to play and he turned it into a millon dollar career. i bet mike wishes he had the same oppurtunity, since he was better in HS, and hates herb more than anyone here can possibly imagine.

  16. redfred2 05/09/2007 at 2:31 PM #

    ^Yep, that’s right, you get to play “in” HS.

    But not “for” HS.

  17. Andy 05/09/2007 at 2:35 PM #

    Osh scored 29 on Prairie View A&M I believe. I also think that was during their record losing streak. Mike Bell had chronic knee problems and then transferred to Florida A&M maybe and won that conference player of the year award.

  18. CedarGroveWolf 05/09/2007 at 2:52 PM #

    “however i do remember hearing that he transferred to some division II or III school and averaged close to 30ppg”

    where is he now?

  19. lush 05/09/2007 at 2:56 PM #

    i remember the knee problems, tendenitis i think, but didnt he get a medical redshirt? i could have sworn he was sitting on the bench with two perfectly fine knees his second year

  20. lush 05/09/2007 at 2:57 PM #

    i have no idea where he is now, cedar. my guess would be europe.

  21. Dr. BadgerPack 05/09/2007 at 3:41 PM #

    Mike Bell went to Florida Atlantic and was Atlantic Sun Player of the Year in 2004-05. Had over 1000 points and 500 boards in his two years. After the 04-05 season, he signed w/ a team in Turkey. His career averages at FAU were 18.5ppg/9.5rpg.

  22. zahadum 05/09/2007 at 3:41 PM #

    He, (Mike Bell), was playing in Turkey, but don’t know if that’s still the case.

  23. noah 05/09/2007 at 3:46 PM #

    Bell finished his college career at Florida Atlantic…which is almost as bad as D-II.

    He averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds as a senior. Played for Sidney Green, I think.

  24. Dr. BadgerPack 05/09/2007 at 3:49 PM #

    As for currently, it looks like Bell last played for a team in Spain. No way in hell am I paying for premium access to this site though .

    http://www.eurobasket.com/team.asp?Cntry=TUR&team=1048&option=Tuborg%20Izmir%20%20(TUR-D3)&Cntr=TUR&logo=troy.gif

    Long link, I don’t feel like taking 15 seconds to go to tinurl, and I doubt many will want to look at a long euroroster anyway; but for those who do it is above.

  25. lush 05/09/2007 at 4:02 PM #

    wow you guys are thorough. i tried to google it, i could only find his florida atlantic points and bords per game.

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