NC State Has A Quick Turn Around As They Host Charleston Southern Sunday
After getting his first win as the NC State head coach Friday Kevin Keatts will coach his second game on the sideline Sunday as NC State will host Charleston Southern.
The NC State men's basketball team returns to action Sunday afternoon inside PNC Arena when it hosts Charleston Southern at 4 p.m. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/11/mens-basketball-pack-back-in-action-sunday-afternoon-against-charleston-southern.aspx?path=mbball
The game will be televised on ACC Network Extra with Patrick Kinas and Pack All-American Chris Corchiani calling the action. Fans can also listen on the Wolfpack Sports Network with announcers Gary Hahn and Tony Haynes "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/11/mens-basketball-pack-back-in-action-sunday-afternoon-against-charleston-southern.aspx?path=mbball
Fans are encouraged to bring donations for the Inter-Faith Food Drive BackPack Buddies program. Volunteers will be collecting donations as fans enter the area on Sunday. This program provides food for underprivileged children in the area. A PDF detailing what types of donations are needed is at the top of the page. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/11/mens-basketball-pack-back-in-action-sunday-afternoon-against-charleston-southern.aspx?path=mbball
Pack Tracks
- NC State opened its 108th season of basketball with a 102-67 win over VMI on Friday night. The Pack had seven of its nine players reach double figures in scoring. Grad transfer Allerick Freeman led the Pack in his NC State debut with 17 points. He also tied for team-high honors in rebounding with eight.Torin Dorn finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Lennard Freeman scored a career-high 15 points in his return to the lineup after missing the 2016-17 season recovering from leg surgery. Markell Johnson set career-highs in points (14) and assists (9) and tied his career-high with four steals.
- The Pack finished the game with 18 assists and just nine turnovers, while also recording 10 steals on 21 VMI turnovers. NC State finished the game with a 56-24 advantage in points in the paint.
- Friday marked the first game at NC State for head coach Kevin Keatts was hired as the 20th head coach in NC State men's basketball program history on March 17. Keatts comes to the Pack after three successful seasons as head coach of UNC-Wilmington. Keatts took a Seahawks program that had finished seventh or worse in the Colonial Athletic Association seven of the previous eight seasons and won the regular season title in the CAA in each of his three seasons at UNCW. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/11/mens-basketball-pack-back-in-action-sunday-afternoon-against-charleston-southern.aspx?path=mbball
Senior forward Abdual Malik -Abu is NC State's leading returning scorer (11.8 ppg.) and rebounder (7.0 rpg.). The Boston, Mass., native has led NC State in rebounding the last two seasons and is aiming to be the first NC State player to lead the Pack in rebounding in three consecutive seasons since Todd Fuller did it from 1993-96. Abu suffered a Grade 2 MCL Sprain in October and did not play in last week's exhibition game against Mars Hill.
- Torin Dorn (18 starts) and Omeher Yurtseven (14 starts) also return for the Pack. Dorn averaged 9.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season as a sophomore, while Yurtseven added 5.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.
- NC State must replace its top three scorers from last season in Dennis Smith, Jr. (18.1), Terry Henderson (13.8) and Maverick Rowan (12.0). The Pack also lost the school's all-time shot block leader in BeeJay Anya (243 career blocks). Smith, Jr., was named the ACC Freshman of the Year, the first Pack player to accomplish this feat since Hawkeye Whitney in 1977. Smith was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the ninth pick of the NBA Draft. Henderson, after having his appeal denied to return to NC State, went through training camp with the Charlotte Hornets and is now on the Greensboro Swarm roster in the NBA G-League. Rowan was the third overall selection of the NBA G-League draft by the Lakeland Magic.
- NC State joins Florida State and Pittsburgh as the only ACC teams to lose its top three scorers from last season. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/11/mens-basketball-pack-back-in-action-sunday-afternoon-against-charleston-southern.aspx?path=mbball
NC State leads the all-time series with Charleston Southern, 7-0.
- The Pack won the last meeting between the two programs,86-50, on Dec. 12, 2014.
- NC State's margin of victory in the seven all-time meetings is 35.7 points.
- NC State defeated Charleston Southern, 135-80, on Nov. 28, 1990. It's the fourth-most points scored in a single game in NC State history. Pack All-American Chris Corchiani scored a career-high 36 points in the win.
NC State is seeking a 2-0 start for the second consecutive season and third time in the last four seasons. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/11/mens-basketball-pack-back-in-action-sunday-afternoon-against-charleston-southern.aspx?path=mbball
- With two players sitting out as transfers, freshman guard Braxton Beverly not cleared and senior forward Abdul Malik Abu and redshirt freshmen Spencer Newman out with injury, NC State will only dress nine players for the second consecutive game. On Friday night in the win over VMI, all nine players saw action and they all played at least 10 minutes.
- Forcing Opponent turnovers. With its constant defensive pressure, the Pack forced 21 VMI turnovers on Friday night. The Keydets' 21 turnovers is more than NC State forced in any game in the 2016-17 season."according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/11/mens-basketball-pack-back-in-action-sunday-afternoon-against-charleston-southern.aspx?path=mbball
NC State sophomore center Omer Yurtseven has been selected as one of 20 student-athletes to the preseason watch list for this year's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. Yurtseven was also on the preseason list that honors the nation's top center last season. A former five-star recruit, Yurtseven averaged 5.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last season."according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/11/mens-basketball-pack-back-in-action-sunday-afternoon-against-charleston-southern.aspx?path=mbball
The Wolfpack's 2017-18 roster features 14 players representing seven states, the District of Columbia and one player from outside the United State (Istanbul, Turkey).
- Six of the 14 players on the NC State roster hail from North Carolina. Alabama, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio and Washington, D.C. all have one.
- NC State has six players listed on the roster at 6'7" or taller. Omher Yurtseven is the tallest player at 7'0" and Braxton Beverly is the shortest at 6'0". "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/11/mens-basketball-pack-back-in-action-sunday-afternoon-against-charleston-southern.aspx?path=mbball
NC State signed four-star recruits Manny Bates, Saddiq Bey, Jericole Hellems and Ian Steere in the fall signing period. The four players will be freshmen on the 2018-19 NC State basketball team.
- Manny Bates is regarded as one of the best shot blockers in the 2018 class. He plays for Northwood Temple Academy in Fayetteville, N.C. where he is teammates with fellow signee Ian Steere.
- Saddiq Bey hails from Washington D.C., where he plays for Sidwell Friends School. He averaged 14.2 points per game as a junior to lead Sidwell Friends to a conference championship.
- Jericole Hellems is from Hazelwood, Mo., and plays for Chaminade High School. As a junior, he averaged 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one steal per game to lead Chaminade to a second consecutive Class 5 State Semifinal berth.
- Ian Steere from Sanford, N.C., plays with Bates at Northwood Temple Academy in Fayetteville. Steere is a physical player that helped lead his former school, Wesleyan Christian Academy, to a runner-up finish in the North Carolina 3A State Championship last season.
- Signing class is ranked 15th overall and 5th in the ACC by 247Sports.com. Ranked 17th overall and 6th in the ACC by Rivals.com. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/11/mens-basketball-pack-back-in-action-sunday-afternoon-against-charleston-southern.aspx?path=mbball
Tip-off is set for 4:00pm. The game will be televised on ACC Network Extra. "according to http://www.gopack.com/news/2017/11/11/mens-basketball-pack-back-in-action-sunday-afternoon-against-charleston-southern.aspx?path=mbball