Tudor: Gonzalez makes a good showing

07-08 Basketball NCS Basketball86

But there was a winner on the opposite team, too. It was beleaguered Wolfpack point guard Javier Gonzalez, a freshman with such a maligned background that he spent part of Thursday afternoon begging for a reprieve in State coach Sidney Lowe’s office.So bad was Gonzalez’s performance in the Wolfpack’s 72-62 home loss to Florida State on Wednesday that he felt his role as a regular in the lineup was in jeopardy.

“I wanted Coach to know that I could still help this team,” Gonzalez said. “I just went to him, and asked him not to give up on me. I’m capable of being better. I didn’t want him to lose confidence in me.”

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07-08 Basketball NCS Basketball

86 Responses to Tudor: Gonzalez makes a good showing

  1. Noah 03/03/2008 at 11:06 AM #

    “NC State can be one of them.”

    CAN be…but isn’t.

    On Mays and Williams, I’ve never seen either play, but passing on info from someone I trust who has, neither are expected to be a player of any consequence next year.

    But they could be wrong…

  2. packgrad93 03/03/2008 at 11:06 AM #

    I liked Sid starting JJ & Tracy together, then putting Ben & Brandon in together. Of course, next season might have Ben & Tracy starting together if JJ & Brandon leave. rev looks legit. MJ, not so much.

  3. packgrad93 03/03/2008 at 11:12 AM #

    “On Mays and Williams, I’ve never seen either play, but passing on info from someone I trust who has, neither are expected to be a player of any consequence next year.”

    I trust Sid & his staff who have seen them play a lot. They might see spot duty next season, but I feel they’ll contribute sooner than later.

    PG: Javi, Farnold, Mayes, MJ
    2G: Trever, CJ Williams
    SF: Fells, Thomas, Horner
    PF: Costner, Smith
    C: JJ?, Ben

  4. Par Shooter 03/03/2008 at 12:06 PM #

    I think you have to be pretty careful about taking a freshman’s improvement during their first year and then projecting it out over 4 years. The roadside is littered with NC State players who made a lot of progress during their 1st year and then played the rest of their career at more of less the level they attained at the end of their fr year.

    Hell, look no further than Horner. He seemed pretty lost at the start of last year and figured it out as the season went on. He was fairly reliable by the end of last year and we couldn’t wait to see his game once he worked all summer, weight training, blah, blah, blah. And he hasn’t shown any inclination to be the player he was at the end of last year yet. Maybe he’ll improve during his jr year and get back to where he was as a frosh. Maybe not. I can think of probably 25 guys I can say this about since the beginning of the Les era. Mark Davis and Osh Benjamin were going to be first team all-acc by the time they were done. So to Kenny Inge and Justin Gainey. Most of these guys played about the same at the end of their sr year as they did the end of their fr year. I’m guessing what you see now from Javi is what you’ll get for the next 3 years.

  5. haze 03/03/2008 at 12:06 PM #

    As for the NBA draft policy, I’d be fine to have a HS+3yr rule but I also believe that there are genuinely gifted kids (e.g. Beasley, Lebron, Oden) for whom 3 years is far too long. For those guys, all clearly NBA-ready players right from HS, a 3yr rule would constitute an unfair injury risk. You have to give an out for the super-high level prospects. If other idiots try to take that out as well, so be it. This isn’t an issue in football b/c NFL-ready HS players are just unheard of (though I have a sneaking suspicion that Jim Brown was NFL ready in 8th grade).

    As for our guards, Mays has to be considered more of a 2G than a point. From his press, it seems unlikely that he can unseat both Javi and Farnold, both of whom come back with experience and some talent. However, with Fells inevitably headed for more time at the 3, Fergie is the only other option at 2G. Thus, there is a lot of opportunity for Mays to contribute there (much like Javi at PG this year). Likewise, there is room for CJ to get time at 2 or 3, especially if JJ doesn’t come back, making Horner more of a small 4 than a 3. I’m guessing that CJ and Thomas have to be considered about equal probability for meaningful contribution next year.

  6. redfred2 03/03/2008 at 12:52 PM #

    packgrad93, I was looking over your lineup for next season and I was wondering where the name Gavin Grant was. Oh yeah, that’s right. GG’s been a fixture around here for so long that I almost forgot that this is it, he will be moving on. I will surely miss his presence in a Wolfpack uniform, both on the court, and in front of the media.

  7. Noah 03/03/2008 at 2:45 PM #

    “As for the NBA draft policy, I’d be fine to have a HS+3yr rule but I also believe that there are genuinely gifted kids (e.g. Beasley, Lebron, Oden) for whom 3 years is far too long. ”

    Which is why the MLB rule makes so much sense. Let the guys who have no interest in college go ahead and go pro. But make sure the guys who do go to college invest fully in their time there.

    I’d even go as far as to adopt the MLB “window” rule. You don’t declare, you can be drafted right out of HS, after your junior and after your senior year. After that, you’re considered a free agent, open to all suitors.

    That way, you wouldn’t have to test any waters. If you like your draft status, go! If not, stay!

  8. choppack1 03/03/2008 at 4:13 PM #

    That makes to much sense for the NBA to do. Of course, UNC and Duke would be even harder to beat in that case. So selfishly, I don’t know how I feel about it.

  9. Astral Rain 03/03/2008 at 8:58 PM #

    Javi- I love the kid already, but I can’t see him being an ACC-caliber starting PG yet. He’s definitely a worthy backup though, and a credit to the program, he just is being forced into more minutes then he should be playing.

    There are massive chemistry issues- hopefully Sid’s getting it all done at once so next year he can clear the air and do it right. If he doesn’t, we need to look at getting someone else- Nolan Richardson’s avaliable, and he’ll take any job (he’s looking at Arkansas State right now)

  10. redfred2 03/03/2008 at 9:04 PM #

    “Every NBA scout would tell you that you are wrong.”

    Is that a FACT?

    So noah, since you brought up Tim Duncan, was he wrong for staying in college longer than just the very minimum “necessary” to be drafted into the NBA? Also, if he had played at NC State, I’m convinced that you, along with many others who post on this site, would be using phrases like “He’d be foolish not to”, or the always popular, “He could blow out a knee”, if he had decided to go further with his college basketball career after receiving the slightest interest from the NBA.

    Duncan wasn’t at a perenial college BB powerhouse, was he a “foolish” person to stay in college when he already had an NBA career in the bag? Did he loose money while doing so?

    And please, don’t come back at me with another of those “Who said that, I never said that, you’re making this all up”, responses. Because you’re own previous post on this subject are “who said that” and also that the “take the very first check option and run with it” thinking is the only “smart” decision that a college basketball player could ever make.

  11. MrPlywood 03/03/2008 at 11:31 PM #

    Re; the “blowing out a knee” argument

    I had heard about potential high draft picks buying disability insurance while in their college years to cover them should they sustain a career ending injury, but I didn’t know much about the nuts and bolts. This article does a nice job of explaining:

    http://www.brianbrohmonline.com/BrianBrohmNews–20070423.php

    It’s very interesting to note that only 1 in 100 players that are insured ever file a claim.

    As far as JJ goes, he doesn’t seem to be very high on the list these days. I would think that he’s going to come back.

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