NC State’s men’s basketball team defeated Torrejon on Tuesday by a score of 83-76. The Wolfpack will play the same team today at noon. Unless another entry hits SFN prior to tip-off then I suggest we use this entry for in-game discussions.
I think the decision to play Lorenzo Brown was the absolute correct one. The best information I have been able to gather is that not-playing Brown will do nothing/little to help him heal, and that his participation does not impose any additional threat of injury than would exist in any normal situation; Brown’s risk of injury is no greater than any other player on the team at this point. So, if you would want to sit Brown for fear of injury then you could make the case that every key player on the team should be sat. With that said, why make the trip to Spain or even practice at all for fear of injury?
Lorenzo Brown wasn’t supposed to play against CB Torrejon on Tuesday. The Spanish pro team probably wishes the junior point guard didn’t. Brown scored 25 points to lead the Wolfpack to an 83-76 win over Torrejon in the first of five games on their 10-day trip to Spain.
Brown had minor knee surgery on June 26 and coach Mark Gottfried said before the trip they would be “cautious” with Brown.
Brown came off the bench to score a team-best 25 points. His dunk at the end of the third quarter gave the Pack a 72-57 lead.
State led by six at the half, and by as many as 15 in the fourth quarter, before the Spanish pro club cut the score to 80-74 in the final minute.
TJ Warren has been getting a lot of buzz around West Raleigh the last couple of weeks…and his performance yesterday showed why. His ability to get us ‘free points’ that we haven’t had at that position on the floor or off the bench is going to go a long way to improving our game-by-game ‘margin of error’.
Gottfried praised the play of freshmen Tyler Lewis and T.J. Warren, who both started — along with Scott Wood, Thomas de Thaey and Jordan Vandenberg.
Warren had 20 points, including seven of the team’s first nine, while Wood, a senior, added 21.
“He has a nose for the ball and finds ways to get the ball in the basket,” Gottfried said of Warren, the 6-8 forward from Durham.
Clearly, Rodney Purvis‘ status has not yet changed or we would have all heard about it. Something about this issue just doesn’t scare me very much at this point. There doesn’t seem to be much concern that Purvis’ eligibility will actually be threatened in this process, so I am not going to worry until there is a change in the tone of the situation. Coach Gottfried’s comments in the afore-linked article certainly doesn’t ring the bells of alarm:
Gottfried said also commented on the absence of freshman guard Rodney Purvis, who has not been cleared academically by the NCAA.
“I hate that he’s not here, I just feel terrible for him because he’s a young guy that I think has worked really hard,” Gottfried said. “Academically, he has done everything that he has been asked to do.”
Purvis’ high school, the Upper Room Christian Academy in Raleigh, is under an extended review by the NCAA. Gottfried said the decision was in the hands of the NCAA.
“Our staff at N.C. State has done a great job, I think the high school is doing a great job,” Gottfried said. “I think now, you’re just at a point where they have to sort through everything and make a determination.”
Nonetheless, it is nice to Tweet with the thought of #FreeRodneyPurvis until Purvis is clear.
Scott Wood has garnered some media attention the last few days for the work he has put into his game in the off-season. (Link to a good discussion)
In more good news for Mark Gottfried’s basketball program, State’s November 27th game in the Big 10 Challenge at Michigan has been slated for a 7:30 tip time on ESPN. (You read that correctly. There is no ‘2’ or ‘U’ behind that ‘ESPN’.) You can see all of the match-ups by clicking here.
