This article was generously written by a friend of the site, Derek Medlin. You can read more from Derek at his site http://fourthdownandlong.wordpress.com/ or on his twitter feed @Derek_Medlin. Thanks a bunch to Derek for giving his thoughts on the Red Rally!
It's tough to tell much about any team from watching a 15-minute scrimmage, but if Friday's Red Rally is any indication of how NC State will play in 2010-2011, Wolfpack fans have much to look forward to. With the talented freshmen trio of Ryan Harrow, C.J. Leslie and Lorenzo Brown joining several solid returnees, NC State should be a contender in the ACC night in and night out. The three new faces bring a level of athleticism and play-making ability not seen in Raleigh in quite some time. Harrow and Brown both showed the ability to create offensively and both handled the ball very well in the open court. Leslie, while very raw offensively, is an extremely athletic player who can dominate defensively and make the "wow" plays in the open court on fast breaks and quick offensive sets. When those guys mix in with Javi Gonzalez, Tracy Smith, Scott Wood and other returning players, the Wolfpack should have success.
While Sidney Lowe has tried to reign in some of the preseason expectations from both the players and the Wolfpack faithful, there is no doubt that the 2010-2011 NC State team is talented enough to be an NCAA Tournament team. The interesting part will be to see how the team reacts to those expectations while also learning how to play with each other. Because of the infusion of very talented young players the rotation and figuring out who plays where and for how long will be a key early in the season. Lowe will have a tough job figuring out who to get on the court because, for the first time during his tenure, he will have plenty of guys who deserve to be out there. The Wolfpack should have 10 legitimate ACC level players this season, all of whom will deserve playing time. A tough non-conference schedule should help Lowe figure which lineups work best and which players will see most of the minutes come ACC season.
NC State fans should be excited, but not unrealistic. There will be three freshmen on the court a lot this season, so there will be times they take their lumps. But, as Lowe has said, they will do more good than bad and will certainly make NC State a contender in the upper half of the conference and a team with the potential to advance in the NCAA Tournament come March.
Video Courtesy PackInsider.com
