The last 2 years have been the most successful 2-year period for NC State basketball since the days of Jim Valvano in the early 90s. Last years Wolfpack team was 18-13 overall, 9-7 in the ACC, competed in their 2nd straight NCAA tournament, made the ACC tournament championship game for the 2nd straight year, and beat hated rival North Carolina for the 4th straight time. But there is still a sense in Raleigh that head coach Herb Sendeks job is once again on the line during the 2003-2004 season. There seemed to be a sign of discontent in the program when star Julius Hodge questioned coaching decisions made late in the game of the Packs 1st round NCAA loss to California. When starting center Josh Powell decided to enter the NBA draft, there was additional speculation that things were not rosy in the NC State basketball program. The 2003-2004 season may very well go a long way in determining the future fate of the NC State basketball program and coach Herb Sendek.
There are reasons to be optimistic about the coming season for Pack fans. The return of All-ACC guard Julius Hodge (17.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.8 APG) for his junior year is a big positive for the Wolfpack. Hodge is the emotional leader and the primary ballhandler for NC State, and he should compete for ACC and national honors this season. The Pack also returns starters 6-3 senior guard Scooter Sherrill (10.5 PPG) and 6-8 forward Marcus Melvin (12.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG). Those 3 returnees should provide a solid nucleus for this edition of the Wolfpack.
The Pack backcourt appears to be in excellent shape with Hodge, Sherrill, and 6-4 sophomore Cam Bennerman providing most of the minutes. Also, expect to see 6-4 freshman Engin Atsur from Turkey to challenge for lots of playing time in the backcourt. Atsur is an experienced European player who has point guard skills and has a very good long-range shooting stroke. He should be able to help out Hodge quite a lot with the ballhandling chores in the backcourt.
The frontcourt is where there appears to be a lot of question marks for the Pack this season. The loss of Powell to the NBA and the academic problems of 6-10 Jordan Collins leaves a gaping hole in the middle for Sendeks Wolfpack. Collins has returned to school this semester, but isn't expected to join the Pack roster until December, if at all. If he returns it should help the lack of size issue in time for the meat of the ACC schedule. Melvin and 6-7 junior Levi Watkins (5.6 PPG) are the only returning frontcourt players who saw major minutes last year. Watkins will likely be called on to log big minutes in the front court and will need to help on the boards & provide some inside scoring punch. However, the return of 6-7 sophomore Ilian Evtimov from an ACL injury should be a huge lift for the Pack. Evtimov demonstrated great skills as a freshman during the 2002 season. He averaged 7.1 PPG, showed good ballhandling and passing skills, and an excellent perimeter shooting touch as a freshman. If he is 100% recovered from his injury, he will be a major addition to the Pack this season. But the problem for the frontcourt is going to be in finding a post presence. The only post player on the roster is 7-0 redshirt-freshman Adam Simon, but he is considered a project and it is doubtful that he will be the answer inside for this team. It remains to be seen how Sendek will be able to deal with his teams lack of size and experience in the post this year.
This edition of the NC State Wolfpack has the potential to make a 3rd straight NCAA appearance if Sendek can find a way to hide their weakness inside. That will be a tall order though, because the entire roster is composed of perimeter-oriented players. A middle-of-the-pack finish in the ACC and a possible NCAA bid are probably the best that Pack fans can hope for this season.
