2011-12 NC State Wolfpack Basketball Preview

NC State Season Preview

Projected Statistics (Returning Players Only)

Things to Watch

NC State enters the 2011-2012 season with new life and a breath of fresh air thanks to new head coach Mark Gottfried, who replaced Sidney Lowe in April. The Wolfpack brings back a good bit of talent from a team that finished 10th in the league last season, but some of those pieces will be shifting around in Gottfried's high-post offense. Most notably, Lorenzo Brown will be making the transition from a combo guard to a full-time, 35-minute a night point guard. He'll be the key for State. Let's take a look at the roster and what to expect from the Pack in the first year of the Gottfried era.

The Backcourt

The biggest question heading into the season is how the team as a whole will respond to Gottfried's approach, style and assistant coaches, but the biggest question with regards to wins and losses is probably how Lorenzo Brown will handle the transition to point guard. He's big, athletic and was a playmaker at times during his first season, but can he hold up night in and night out as the floor leader, distributor and guy that has to lead the Pack? If the answer to those questions is yes the majority of the time, NC State has a chance to surprise some people. If it's half and half or more often no, 2011-2012 will be a long one.

There other backcourt pieces are very much in flux headed into the year, mostly due to Gottfried's high-post offense. He's said he'll play with a point guard, two wings and two big men, but he hasn't offered much explanation of what that means for specific players.

Part of the early season feeling out time period will almost certainly be dedicated to finding those two wings that will start and see most of the minutes. C.J. Williams and Scott Wood seem to be the most likely candidates, but freshmen Jaqawn Raymond and Tyler Harris will also be in the mix.

The other backcourt piece that will probably be much more important than people realize is backup point guard Alex Johnson, a graduate student who transferred from Cal State-Bakersfield late in the spring. Johnson, who averaged 13 points and two assists last season for CSB, has already entrenched himself within the team and will have a place in the rotation.

Losing both Javi Gonzalez (graduation) and Ryan Harrow (transfer) will hurt the Wolfpack early on, but by season's end expect the backcourt to be just fine. Led by Brown, it could end up being a pleasant surprise as opposed to a liability.

The Frontcourt

With four guys with major experience returning, this appears to be the strength of the team headed into the season. Deshawn Painter, Jordan Vandenberg, Richard Howell and C.J. Leslie have all played meaningful minutes. The major question with those guys is how will they respond to the new offensive system? Leslie and Howell definitely look like they could benefit in the high-post, especially with Howell's weight loss and passing ability and Leslie's ability to put the ball on the floor. Vandenberg and Painter seem less suited to succeed initially, but could be key for the Wolfpack, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

The newcomer to watch is Belgian Thomas de Thaey, a 20-year-old freshman who signed in late spring. He's a big body (6'8", 240) who could definitely help inside but he's also got the ability to step out and knock down three-pointers. Plus, at 20, he's more mature than your average college freshman. Those things could allow de Thaey to step in right away and contribute. He could create some matchup issues for small forwards and power forwards because of his athleticism and size. He's one to watch in 2011-2012, for sure.

Losing Tracy Smith will obviously impact the Wolfpack inside, but with a new system built on motion and reads, the style of play Smith provided likely won't be missed.

It's going to be interesting to see how Leslie and Howell respond early in the season. If they can have some success in the first few games and see that this offense does work, it could be huge for those two once ACC play arrives. A confident and motivated C.J. Leslie coupled with a trimmed down Richard Howell could be very exciting to watch.

Season Outlook

Expectations are tempered in Raleigh for the first year of the Mark Gottfried era, and they probably should be. NC State's players will be learning an entire new system and style and face a sneaky good schedule early in the season. The 8th place pre-season prediction for the Wolfpack by the ACC media is probably about right. If State can finish between 6th and 8th you'd have to call the season a success. That would also likely put them on bubble watch, something folks in Raleigh haven't seen in quite some time. There will be growing pains in 2011-2012, but the Wolfpack could surprise some people.

by Derek Medlin - @DerekMedlin on Twitter

Fantasy Player to Watch

While C.J. Leslie certainly deserves some consideration here, Lorenzo Brown is the fantasy stud on this team. He's going to be asked to distribute and score for the Wolfpack. Most importantly, he's going to play 35 minutes a night so he'll have plenty of time to put up impressive numbers. With his size, he's also a good bet to pull down more rebounds than you might think.

Last Year's Player Statistics

Team Stats

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