Some notes and major points that Mark Gottfried made at today's media day press conference. We'll have audio, video, story up later but this should hold everybody over until then. These are exact quotes, just the general gist of what Coach was saying:
Gottfried opened up by saying they have to replace three of last year's top four scores, which means NC State is a team with a lot of question marks and a lot of guys that need to step forward. He noted a lot of young guys are anxious for opportunities and they're going to get them this season.
Inside, Anya, Abu and Freeman combined for 11 points per game last year..."we're going to need a lot more from that group this year."
He thinks NC State could be picked 9th, 10th or 11th in the ACC preseason poll, but isn't concerned about that. "It's about how we finish." He said the ACC could have 8-10 NCAA Tournament teams and that it should separate itself as the dominant conference in the country. He broke down the league and said nobody will be deeper or more talented than Carolina. Noted Duke, Virginia and Louisville are still going to be good, as is Notre Dame; Florida State and Miami return a lot of players, Pitt is always good.
He's confident in the schedule and expects it to be one of the toughest in the country again. "I don't care how good we are in October and November, it's about how you play at the end of the year...we're the type of team that can get a lot better and finish strong."
NC State has good shooters on the team (Barber, Rowan, Henderson), but they haven't done it yet in college. Again, they'll get the chance to prove themselves.
More on Henderson: Gottfried said he is well-coached, especially on defense coming from Bob Huggins' WVU squad, and does a lot of things well. Gottfried admitted he "botched that recruitment" and said he liked Henderson from day one, but tried to get back into it too late. He is glad to have Henderson now. He expressed a similar sentiment on Torrin Dorn, that he liked him coming out of high school.
He was asked about if they'll use a different system, but noted they won't change a lot.
The coaching staff has higher expectations for sophomore Abdul-Malik Abu. Gottfried said it took about half of last year for Abu tosettle in and learn, but he really took off last season and has improved offensively by taking higher percentage shots and using the backboard more.
Had a great analogy about figuring out the rotation in the post and likened it to a Rubik's cube, where you keep turning it and working it until you figure it out.
Freeman has been cleared for some activity, but is not a full-go yet. Gottfried said he is limited right now and would be fine if it was that way for another month. Players are always in a hurry to get back, but he wants to slow it down so that when he comes back, there are no setbacks.
Joked that Cat Barber better get used to playing 40 minutes. Said Barber will play a lot, but he can handle it.
In terms of backup PG, he called it the biggest question mark on the team and it is something that still needs to be figured out. He mentioned Terry Henderson and Cody Martin as candidates.
Gottfried opened up by saying they have to replace three of last year's top four scores, which means NC State is a team with a lot of question marks and a lot of guys that need to step forward. He noted a lot of young guys are anxious for opportunities and they're going to get them this season.
Inside, Anya, Abu and Freeman combined for 11 points per game last year..."we're going to need a lot more from that group this year."
He thinks NC State could be picked 9th, 10th or 11th in the ACC preseason poll, but isn't concerned about that. "It's about how we finish." He said the ACC could have 8-10 NCAA Tournament teams and that it should separate itself as the dominant conference in the country. He broke down the league and said nobody will be deeper or more talented than Carolina. Noted Duke, Virginia and Louisville are still going to be good, as is Notre Dame; Florida State and Miami return a lot of players, Pitt is always good.
He's confident in the schedule and expects it to be one of the toughest in the country again. "I don't care how good we are in October and November, it's about how you play at the end of the year...we're the type of team that can get a lot better and finish strong."
NC State has good shooters on the team (Barber, Rowan, Henderson), but they haven't done it yet in college. Again, they'll get the chance to prove themselves.
More on Henderson: Gottfried said he is well-coached, especially on defense coming from Bob Huggins' WVU squad, and does a lot of things well. Gottfried admitted he "botched that recruitment" and said he liked Henderson from day one, but tried to get back into it too late. He is glad to have Henderson now. He expressed a similar sentiment on Torrin Dorn, that he liked him coming out of high school.
He was asked about if they'll use a different system, but noted they won't change a lot.
The coaching staff has higher expectations for sophomore Abdul-Malik Abu. Gottfried said it took about half of last year for Abu tosettle in and learn, but he really took off last season and has improved offensively by taking higher percentage shots and using the backboard more.
Had a great analogy about figuring out the rotation in the post and likened it to a Rubik's cube, where you keep turning it and working it until you figure it out.
Freeman has been cleared for some activity, but is not a full-go yet. Gottfried said he is limited right now and would be fine if it was that way for another month. Players are always in a hurry to get back, but he wants to slow it down so that when he comes back, there are no setbacks.
Joked that Cat Barber better get used to playing 40 minutes. Said Barber will play a lot, but he can handle it.
In terms of backup PG, he called it the biggest question mark on the team and it is something that still needs to be figured out. He mentioned Terry Henderson and Cody Martin as candidates.
