January 17, 2012
NC STATE BASKETBALL
JP GIGLIO (N&O)
Back to normal for Leslie, Pack
N.C. State will go “back to normal” for Thursday’s game against Boston College, Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried said. That means a return to the starting lineup for sophomore forward C.J. Leslie.
Gottfried benched Leslie for disciplinary reasons, stemming from a practice incident last week, in Saturday’s 76-40 win at Wake Forest.
“I told him that was for one game and we’ll go back to normal,” Gottfried said Monday on the weekly ACC teleconference.
Leslie, who’s second on the Pack in scoring with 12.8 points per game, came off the bench Saturday and was scoreless in 17 minutes. He tweaked his left ankle in the second half of the blowout but is expected to make a full recovery by Boston College’s trip the RBC Center on Thursday.
Stephen Schramm (FayObserver.com)
Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried expects things to be back to normal with C.J. Leslie
In his place, DeShawn Painter played 28 minutes and tied his career high with 12 rebounds.
“There’s no question I was proud of DeShawn,†Gottfried said. “I told (Leslie) that that was for one game. We’ll go back to normal. I think it was a good confidence boost for DeShawn and we need DeShawn. And we need (Leslie). And we need everybody. My anticipation is that we’re right back to normal and let’s go work.â€
ACC BASKETBALL
Brett Friedlander (starnewsonline.com)
BEYOND THE ARC: The mighty have fallen … and fallen hard
5 POSITIVES
2. Message received: After his team fell flat in a damaging home loss to Georgia Tech, N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried publicly challenged his team to be better and more intense on defense. Three days later, the Wolfpack answered that challenge with a vengeance by holding Wake Forest to 29.1 percent shooting and forcing 17 turnovers in a dominating 76-40 road win.
5 NEGATIVES
1. Terrible Tar Heels: Coach Roy Williams worried that his UNC team had gotten complacent during a nine-game homestand, and his worst fears came true in a 90-57 loss to Florida State in Tallahassee on Saturday. The Tar Heels showed a lack of defense, poise and most of all, mental toughness in suffering the worst defeat of Williams’ nine seasons in Chapel Hill.
4. Now what Calvin?: Although the exact reason isn’t clear, N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried acknowledged that he didn’t start star forward C.J. Leslie Saturday against Wake Forest for disciplinary reasons. It’s at least the third time in his season-and-a-half that Leslie has been publicly punished by either a coach or the NCAA.
Barry Jacobs (accsports.com)
ACC In Flux
The ACC’s other new Mark has done well with a talented if thin roster largely inherited from overmatched Sidney Lowe. Some days Mark Gottfried has the Wolfpack playing like one of the conference’s better teams, particularly at the offensive end.
The play of Lorenzo Brown is a major reason for that prowess.
The sophomore has a tattoo on his upper left arm that proclaims, “Only God Can Judge Me Now.†Point taken. But the rest of us surely are free to evaluate, and what’s clear is Brown’s evolution into a formidable point guard, among the ACC’s most effective.
The 6-5 Brown has learned to run a team efficiently, if not yet with the elan of a true playmaker. His 2.3 assists for every turnover is third-best in the league. His distributing skills are reflected in five N.C. State players averaging at least 12 points per game.
The natural combination guard leads the Pack with 12.9 points per game although he’s still groping to strike a smooth personal balance between support and assertion. Brown managed well enough in a rout of spiritless Wake Forest at Winston-Salem, pacing both teams with 20 points, six assists, and four steals.
Meanwhile C.J. Leslie, N.C. State’s previous offensive leader, played less than half the game against Wake and failed to score.
Leslie has more growing up to do than many in his age group. He was benched to start the Wake game for unspecified disciplinary reasons according to Gottfried, who regularly calls the sophomore “Calvin†in a manner as much admonitory as affectionate.
The gifted forward, a creative offensive force, no longer mopes on the bench with a towel draped over his head, as he did last season. But Leslie is still learning to share the ball and to work harder at the defensive end. He rarely seems to incur a foul or make a mistake without complaining to an official.
Leslie’s stylistic opposite is teammate Scott Wood, a subtle presence who relies heavily on discipline and skill.
….
Andrew Skwara (accsports.com)
ACC Hoops Power Rankings, Jan. 16
6. N.C. State (13-5, 2-1)
Mark Gottfried’s plea for better defense clearly made the right impression. Three days after allowing Georgia Tech to shoot 51 percent in a loss at home, the Wolfpack held Wake Forest to 34 percent on its way to a 36-point win on the road.
Games This Week: Thursday vs. Boston College, Sunday at Miami
Previous Rank: No. 47. Miami (9-6, 0-2)
After opening up ACC play with road trips to Virginia and North Carolina, the Hurricanes get a seven-day break between games before a two-game homestand with Clemson and N.C. State. They may need to win both in order to turn their season around.
Games This Week: Wednesday vs. Clemson, Sunday vs. N.C. State
Previous Rank: No. 811. Boston College (7-10, 2-1)
So much for the Eagles getting embarrassed once ACC play started. The youth-laden team already has two ACC wins after edging Clemson (59-57) and Virginia Tech (61-59) at home. A visit from Wake on Saturday gives the Eagles a good chance at a third.
Next Game: Thursday at N.C. State, Saturday vs. Wake Forest
Previous Rank: No. 12
Robbi Pickeral (ESPN)
Conference Power Rankings: ACC
4. NC State: After coach Mark Gottfried challenged his team to play better defense than it did during its midweek loss to Georgia Tech, the Wolfpack responded, holding Wake Forest to 2-of-20 from 3-point range and 40 total points in a 76-40 win. All five NCSU starters continue to average double figures in scoring.
7. Miami: The Hurricanes, on paper, have the pieces to be a factor in the ever-shuffling ACC standings, but they still haven’t put it all together. They’ve had plenty of time to stew after their big loss at UNC last Tuesday, but they can’t afford to have guards Malcolm Grant and Durand Scott both shut down, as they were against the Tar Heels.
11. Boston College: Who’d have thunk it? The freshman-laden Eagles followed a two-point win over Clemson with a two-point win over Virginia Tech. You’ve got to respect what Steve Donahue is building in Chestnut Hill.
Bret Strelow (FayObserver.com)
ACC power rankings shaken up after UNC’s road loss
4. N.C. State (13-5, 2-1)
Scott Wood has seven blocks in last three games; he had four blocks in first 14 games7. Miami (9-6, 0-2)
Malcolm Grant has struggled while dealing with the recent death of his older brother, Sayeed12. Boston College (7-10, 2-1)
Eagles won home games against Clemson, Virginia Tech by two points apiece
UNC FALLOUT
Andrew Carter (N&O)
UNC coach Roy Williams didn’t mean to leave walk-ons stranded at Florida State, spokesman says
North Carolina coach Roy Williams did not intend to leave five players on the court for the final 14 seconds of the Tar Heels’ 90-57 loss at Florida State on Saturday, a UNC basketball team spokesman said on Monday.
“Roy thought that the walk-ons followed him [off the court], too,†said Steve Kirschner, the director of communications for the UNC athletic department.
With 14 seconds to play on Saturday and his team trailing by 33 points, Williams, approached Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton during a timeout. Williams said later he was concerned about his players’ safety during what he expected would be a wild postgame celebration on the court of the Donald L. Tucker Center.
According to Kirschner, Williams asked Hamilton if he would be offended if the game could be declared over with 14 seconds to play. Williams, according to Kirschner, believed that Hamilton had agreed to end the game early.
ESPN.com
Video: Van Pelt’s One Big Thing on UNC
Scott Van Pelt reacts to UNC’s 33-point loss to Florida State on Saturday.
RushTheCourt.com
ACC Morning Five: 01.16.12 Edition
Raleigh News & Observer: Speaking of the beatdown, the other story (or diversion, in my opinion) from Tallahassee was Roy Williams taking his players off the floor before the end of the game to avoid potential injuries during the court rushing. Leonard Hamilton says it was his idea. That left five walk-ons to face the masses of Seminole faithful streaming onto the court solo. Obviously the move drew a lot of criticism. It also drew this awesome photoshop.
Joe Ovies (WRALSportsfan.com)
No Tar Heel left behind (unless you’re a reserve)
Roy Williams repeatedly told reporters in Tallahassee that his decision to pull his team off the court, save the 5 members of the Blue Team and a couple of assistants, with 14.2 seconds left in the game shouldn’t take away from Florida State’s great win.
Considering Williams has been the center of various self-induced so-called “controversies,” he had to know the chances of that happening were slim. So let’s get the shiny object out of the way before tackling what went wrong against the Seminoles, shall we?
Williams is clearly sensitive to his bench environment. He infamously alerted Smith Center security to a Presbyterian fan who obtained a ticket to a limited section and heckled Tar Heels at the free throw line. Williams burned a week’s worth of media appearances after the UNLV loss talking about Rams Club members who sell their tickets and BB guns.
Lost in the laughs over Photoshop work featuring Williams dressed up as Ralphie from “A Christmas Story” was the fact a female North Carolina manager was knocked to the ground by a drunk Runnin’ Rebels fan. Clearly Williams hasn’t forgotten the incident and he wanted to avoid a similar situation before Florida State fans created bedlam on the court.
Joe Ovies (WRALSportsfan.com)
A quick followup to “No Tar Heel Left Behind”
On Monday, North Carolina associate athletic director for communications Steve Kirschner called 99.9 The Fan to offer some explanation as to why head coach Roy Williams wanted to leave the floor before Florida State fans could storm the court and that Williams didn’t realize the final 14.2 seconds of the game had actually been played.
We openly questioned the explanation on the air, which is our right to do, but apparently that didn’t sit well with the coach. During his radio show later in the evening, Williams was displeased with our characterization that what Kirschner said was untrue. “You’ve got to handle a lot of things in life, but you’re not going to call me a liar,” sad Williams.
Except that nobody called anybody a liar. Only that the explanation was rather odd and that it would be fair for people to question it. Semantics? Perhaps. But here are some quick thoughts to put a wrap on this and move on.
Stephen Schramm (FayObserver.com)
The Rebound: Storming the court edition
The word for the week is: Safety.
Look, far be it for me to criticize Williams for pulling his team off the floor for the final seconds of Saturday’s blowout loss to Florida State. He’s got a collection of college-age celebrities with lucrative futures. The last thing he needs to do is risk anything by exposing them to a swift tide of fired up strangers.
Would anything bad have happened had he left them out there? Probably not. But let’s be honest, all it takes is one yahoo doing something stupid in one of these situations to change the whole debate for good.
So if Roy wants to protect his guys, fine. I’m not going to begrudge him.
But, let’s not forget that storming a court is part of college basketball. When done right, it can be a natural, zesty enterprise. It’s the confluence of youthful exuberance and college basketball’s ability to provide delightfully unexpected moments.
Bret Strelow (FayObserver.com)
Name-calling, mistaken identities and a reference to Hades: Roy Williams’ explanation for the FSU mishap
North Carolina coach Roy Williams said he didn’t realize until Monday, when he was watching tape of the Tar Heels’ 90-57 loss at Florida State, that five reserves had remained on the court for the final 14.2 seconds.
Most members of the team, including Williams, left the court early to avoid the rush of floor-storming FSU fans. Williams, citing miscommunication with assistant coach Joe Holladay as the reason why not everyone departed, said on his weekly radio show that he apologized Monday to the five players: Stilman White, Jackson Simmons, David Dupont, Patrick Crouch and Stewart Cooper.
Of all the variables in play, the fact that they were left behind upset fans of the Tar Heels’ rivals as well as UNC supporters.
► Before Williams’ show aired Monday night, UNC spokesman Steve Kirschner was an afternoon guest on Raleigh radio station 99.9 The Fan to offer Williams’ side of the story.
Williams was bothered by the notion that some people might be skeptical of Kirschner’s explanation, saying, “I told him the exact truth. The exact truth.â€
Williams also said, “You’ve got to handle a lot of things in life, but you’re not going to call me a liar.”
NC STATE FOOTBALL
PackPride.com
REPORT: Sands To South Carolina
According to South Carolina’s official site, NC State running backs coach Everette Sands has accepted the same position at the University of South Carolina.
Ryan Tice (TheWolfpacker.com)
Corey Edmund excited to return to Raleigh
Before the head strength and conditioning coach position for the NC State football team opened up this winter, it had been quite some time since former four-year letterwinner Corey Edmond had been back to Raleigh.
In fact, it had been since 2003, when the Murphy Center opened, that Edmond was on campus last, so he was taken aback by how much things have changed during his absence.
“It’s great to come back to NC State, it’s a great feeling,” he said. “I’ve been gone a while so it will take some getting used to. When I came back and walked the facility, I was just floored by the changes – the facility itself and the whole stadium have transformed over the years. It isn’t just the stadium or the athletics buildings, though, the whole campus has changed and grown so it’s an exciting time.
“I was very excited when I heard about the opening, it was a great opportunity. I couldn’t have asked for anything better than this situation. I’ve been out in this profession for 20 years and now I am getting the opportunity to invest in the lives of players at a place that is so dear to my heart.”
MULTIMEDIA/PODCASTS
GoPack.com
Watch the Mark Gottfried TV Show
In this week’s episode, Head basketball coach Mark Gottfried discusses the Wake Forest and Georgia Tech games with host Tony Haynes. Mark Thomas visits with junior forward Richard Howell.
