Some Blog Love For the Wolfpack Frontcourt

07-08 Basketball General Rankings & Lists69

According to collegehoops.net, the Pack’s is the best in the land:

1. North Carolina State (Brandon Costner, Ben McCauley, Gavin Grant, J.J. Hickson, Tracy Smith): Just like Washington State in the backcourt section, it’s odd to see NC State at the top of any rankings. However, it’s tough to find a team that has a better combination at the wing, combo forward, and post positions. Swingman Grant is a versatile performer who can do a little bit of everything. He is not a great shooter, but he gets to the basket well and he crashes the offensive glass. Costner is one of the best forwards in the country that no one talks about. He can play both inside and outside, scoring in a variety of ways and rebounding well. McCauley is one of the most efficient shooters in the country, and finishes well around the basket. Furthermore, he is a good rebounder and a solid passer. Hickson was one of the highest-ranked big men recruits, and will enable Sidney Lowe to come up with several different line-ups as the season goes on.

We also like a blog that rates the UNC frontcourt way down at #6. It may be wishful thinking to rank the Heels that low, but it brings a smile to our face, regardless.

About BJD95

1995 NC State graduate, sufferer of Les and MOC during my entire student tenure. An equal-opportunity objective critic and analyst of Wolfpack sports.

07-08 Basketball General Rankings & Lists

69 Responses to Some Blog Love For the Wolfpack Frontcourt

  1. RabidWolf 10/04/2007 at 7:05 PM #

    Nice useage of odd characters and abbreviations in your curses, my friend.

    fckin’ a$$!!

  2. RabidWolf 10/04/2007 at 7:38 PM #

    Going back to my stamina comment….I was just watching a bit of the aforementioned game, and at the 17:30 mark of the FIRST half, Hopsbrough was already sucking wind…..my point is made. I am a 36 year old former smoker who loves to play hoops, and it takes my old ass longer than that to get winded. (and yes I play against and with much younger players who have never smoked)

  3. redfred2 10/04/2007 at 9:25 PM #

    roandaddy,

    I agree with your response to my earlier post. What get’s me is how all we heard was how ” ” was such a *great* recruiter, a *great* coach, and did all anyone could have expected for NC State *under those circumstances and considering the neighboring competition.”

    Now, here we are year TWO, one recruiting class, we finally receive some good press involving the PLAYERS and not the coach, like it should be, and these folks change horses in midstream. They suddenly forget all about their constant *defending*, and act as if they never have. Now they’re shoving people out of the way to jump on the bandwagon, and acting like they knew it from the first day Lowe was hired.

  4. redfred2 10/04/2007 at 9:33 PM #

    Actually, ^Rick summed it up more simply, and better, than I did.

  5. roandaddy 10/05/2007 at 12:47 AM #

    I remember the interview process.. Sid was the third pick and met with some groans. Once he started winning at the end.. no one could jump on his bandwagon fast enough, then throw in good recruits and its Jimmy V reincarnated in his red jacket.

    Sid is making the most of his opportunity and you have to give him credit. Personally I believe coaches can and do make a difference. Waiting 10 years hoping for something different to happen.. is well, crazy.

  6. EverettBeez 10/05/2007 at 12:49 AM #

    ShootingGuard – you are spot on about Saban, the fans do see him as a savior, and that he kept saying he wasn’t coming and then did only feed their ego – which they needed, they are still not of Fran leaving for Tx A&M. Talk about obsessed. Sports led with Fran’s last trouble. There will fireworks if he gets fired. And there is an excellent chance that Saban will build a great program. Bama fans do seem more patient then Auburn fans, who revolt at nearly everything Tubberville does or doesn’t do.

    NYCfan, thanks for bringing back up that just awesome tourny that Costner played. good times. good times.

    I sure wish, a whole basketball season later, we could just move on from Herb. I think he did some good things for us, I think he did his best, and I think it was time for him to move on. good luck to you former coach. We can’t change the past, time to start focusing on our future.

  7. redfred2 10/05/2007 at 1:19 PM #

    I’m not saying this just to point it out or to pat my ownself on the back, but I was estatic the very second that I first heard Lowe was going to be the new head coach at NC State. Whether he won quickly or not, based on what I had seen and knew about the man from years and years ago I knew that he was perfect choice and exactly what was needed for the program as well as the fanbase. I’m not at all discounting what Lowe has managed to do thus far, as a matter of fact I’m still in total disbelief as to how quickly he has managed to accomplish it. But with that in mind and more than ever, I say that the wheels were allowed to spin needlessly around here for much longer than they ever should have been.

    NC State is a national college basketball powerhouse that’s been poorly mismanaged and left waiting for the right person to come in and take charge again. That time is now.

  8. nycfan 10/05/2007 at 3:10 PM #

    Rabid, I’m assuming you aren’t implying you are in better shape than Tyler Hansbrough. ;>)

    I disagree with you guys on the stamina issue in certain respects; there are certain ways you pace yourself depending on whether you are running a sprint, a mile or a 2-mile race (not to mention a marathon). The point of Roy’s substitution patterns, for better or for worse, is that you sprint during your time in the game — you ought to be putting in the kind of effort it takes to have you sucking wind in a relatively short time frame b/c there is some one lined up behind you to do the same. Hansbrough’s freshman year we did not have any depth and he played differently for more extended periods.

    I think the reverse being true for State last year, having to play the regular season games in marathon mode b/c you simply had no one else to play them, was a big part of the Pack’s inconsistency, especially in league play. In the ACC Tournament, I thought the team played with more of a mile-runner’s mentality, and was a far better team for it, but they simply could not have done that all season without completely wearing down the lot of them. With the depth you have in the post this year, I suspect you’ll see more of that sort of high level play in shorter bursts, with players rotating in and out more often, though guys like Costner will still be playing over 30 mpg.

    In any event, hoops practice starts in a week and I’m stoked. The Heels have a lot to replace in Wright, and frankly, given his talent, they won’t “replace” him so much as re-tool, but I also think there was a bit of oil & water in his and Hansbrough’s games that it will be interesting to see if the offense is more fluid on the whole now. A lot of guys have to step up their games for the team to meet the preseason hype, which is almost always true, which is one of the things I love about college sports.

  9. bTHEredterror 10/06/2007 at 1:49 AM #

    /\ I would disagree, I thought a go-get-it offensive rebounder and ace post defender like Wright complemented Hansbroughs back to the basket offense and defensive rebounding. He also freed Hansbrough from tougher defensive assigments. I think Stephenson who is also a low post offensive specialist will clash with Hansbrough more this year as they are the same type of player. I guess Thompson is the defensive presence but offers less offensive threat. Forgive me if I’ve confused Thompson and Stephenson. Wright ran the floor better than both as well, IMO. I’m glad he’s pro now.

  10. ShootingGuard 10/06/2007 at 4:28 PM #

    EverettBeez,

    Good analysis on the Saban situation, and thanks for an even keeled response…

    And for not calling me a “fckin’ a$$” like Rabid apparently felt so compelled to do.

    I only used the curses to emphasize Saban’s feelings about anyone who gives him a hard time or doesn’t agree with him.

    Sorry if that offended anyone…

    Well, I am sorry to all except one fckin’ a$$!!

  11. redfred2 10/07/2007 at 5:32 PM #

    New school way of thinking:

    Just like Washington State in the backcourt section, it’s odd to see NC State at the top of any rankings.

    Now the old school way:

    “Just like always, it would be odd NOT to see NC State at the top of any rankings. But ONCE AGAIN, they have THE PLAYERS, AND THE COACH.”

  12. packgrad93 10/08/2007 at 10:57 AM #

    “are you joking? who here has not had faith in SID?”
    plenty of folks here had concerns about Sid before last season started. Plenty picked them to be last in the acc & not go to the NIT. I stated that the team should definiately go to the NIT & was blasted, saying I had an agenda & wished the team to fail to meet expectations. Go back & check.

  13. packgrad93 10/08/2007 at 10:59 AM #

    “I sure wish, a whole basketball season later, we could just move on from Herb. ”

    me too. some can’t let it go.

  14. redfred2 10/09/2007 at 11:42 PM #

    ^After a whole decade of being told we didn’t know what we were talking about, and how great he was?

    Not me, no siree, I’m not forgetting that crap, or forgiving, after just one damn season.

  15. packgrad93 10/10/2007 at 10:39 AM #

    not surprised

  16. redfred2 10/14/2007 at 4:37 PM #

    I’m just reading back over old threads, but it’s good that you’re “not surprised” packgrad93, because I’m deadset on keeping your favorite “legacy” alive as long as I can.

    Or, are you already saying that you don’t want to be reminded and want that decade long chapter to just, *go away*, never to be mentioned again?

    Funny, but I’m…

    not surprised

  17. packgrad93 10/15/2007 at 10:25 AM #

    just not surprised you won’t let Herb go & keep bashing him. He did a lot for this program believe it or not.

  18. redfred2 10/16/2007 at 8:56 PM #

    ^Granted, ” ” kept the program “clean”, just like ALL the other coaches at EVERY other ACC university did during those same years of ” “‘s tenure. WOW!!!

    At the same time, and in just a decade, he improved the program so much over that of his predecessor, that we only battled for months trying to decide who left the best roster behind upon leaving. THE FACT is that it wasn’t until *AFTER* a season of BB, and *AFTER* Sidney Lowe took over ” “s players, that we finally had our answer.

    He is my hero.

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