Our beloved Wolfpack may very well give all of us coronaries before this season ends, but one can’t say that they aren’t entertaining and fun to watch in the process?
I thought that this entry from Deadspin was a nice acknowledgement to the Pack and Mark Gottfried’s system that should be very attractive to talented high school recruits. (cough, cough, Julius Randle)
3. North Carolina State: Richard Howell isn’t built like a bruiser, but the forward’s core strength allows him to clear out a significant chunk of interior space. He has superior footwork, and he can outjump would-be defensive rebounders, all of which make him a box-out nightmare for opposing bigs (not to mention a vital part of the Wolfpack’s 1987-never-happened offense). Only four other high-major programs attempt fewer threes than the Wolfpack. When he isn’t converting those rebounds—Howell’s 1.28 points per put-back is fourth among D1 bigs—his team benefits from the additional possessions.
Let’s see, it’s only been a little more than 20 years since Les Robinson’s first season when he inherited Jim Valvano’s talent. I’d say that is the last time that any NC State basketball team would’ve even been a candidate for such a list.
