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#53 North Carolina
State Wolfpack
Atlantic Coast
Conference
2004-05: 21-14, 7-9, 6th
2004-05 postseason:
NCAA
By
Joel Welser
Julius Hodge led
North Carolina State to the NCAAs last year. With his absence, a
myriad of roleplayers will have to step up and carry the load.
Coach Herb Sendek has plenty of proven players with Ilian
Evtimov, Cameron Bennerman, Engin Atsur, Tony Bethel and Andrew
Brackman. The question is how long will it take to forget about
Julius Hodge.
Who’s Out:
Julius Hodge took most of the shots and led the squad in all
major categories, with 17.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.8
assists. Those won’t be easy numbers to replace. Adding more
problems is the absence of big men Jordan Collins, Levi Watkins
and Will Roach. Collins started 20 contests, averaging 6.6
points, 2.4 boards and 1.0 blocks. Watkins earned the starting
nod in 14 games, putting up 3.9 points and 1.4 rebounds per
outing. Roach, a walk-on, only saw action in two games.
Who’s In:
The Wolfpack could use some
frontcourt depth behind Ilian Evtimov, Andrew Brackman and
Cedric Simmons. Incoming freshmen Brandon Costner and Ben
McCauley are talented enough not to spend too much time behind
anybody on the depth chart. Costner, a 6-8 230 pound power
forward, is the most talented of the duo and should see his fair
share of minutes from day one. The lefty prefers to face the
basket from mid-range but can handle battling in the paint,
especially on the defensive end. McCauley, also is a nice big
man with perimeter skills. The 6-9, 235 pounder averaged 28.8
points and 16.5 rebounds last year as a senior at Yough High
School in Herminie, Pennsylvania. The perimeter will receive
some quality depth with the addition of Courtney Fells. The 6-5
shooting guard averaged 23.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3
assists last year en route to earning the Mississippi Gatorade
State Player of the Year accolades.
Who to Watch:
Three returning players averaged
between nine and ten points per game last year. They all will be
asked to lead this year, but much of the scoring load could fall
on the shoulders of Cameron Bennerman. The 6-5 wing didn’t see
much action at all until an injury to Scooter Sherrill pressed
him into action late in the 2003-2004 campaign. Bennerman
performed well and continued to improve for last season, earning
ten starts and averaging 9.6 points per game. As a senior
Bennerman will see more playing time and, if he continues to
develop as he has over the past two seasons, will be a major
player in the ACC.
Projected
Conference Rank:
You don’t lose a player of Julius
Hodge’s caliber and improve. Still there is a lot of talent on
this team that went under the radar while Hodge was stealing the
headlines. The ACC, as usual, is tough and an 8th
place finish for the Pack won’t be enough for a trip the NCAAs.
This squad still has the potential to beat some of the big boys
in the conference and if the newcomers perform as well as
expected, NC State will be a very dangerous team.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
NIT
Projected Starting
Five:
Tony Bethel, Senior,
Guard, 8.0 points per game
Engin Atsur, Junior,
Guard, 9.4 points per game
Cameron Bennerman,
Senior, Guard, 9.6 points per game
Andrew Brackman,
Sophomore, Forward, 7.4 points per game
Ilian Evtimov, Senior,
Forward, 9.8 points per game
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