Anticipation is growing rapidly in Raleigh, and for once, Phillip Rivers has nothing to do with it. The N.C. State basketball team looks to take the first step toward improving on their 23-11 record and third-place finish in the ACC in the 2001-2002 season when it welcomes Mount St. Mary's to the Reynolds Coliseum Nov. 22.
Herb Sendek, in his seventh year at the helm in Raleigh, is very optimistic about his team.
"We will have a lot of experience this season -- we have a really good team and we are all looking forward to having a good year," Sendek said.
Despite the loss of guard Anthony Grundy and sharpshooter Archie Miller, the Wolfpack enter the season highly touted. These lofty expectations can be attributed to the return of sophomore guard Julius Hodge, junior forward Marcus Melvin and sophomore forward Ilian Evtimov.
In his freshman year, Hodge proved to be a spark, averaging 10.4 points per game for the Wolfpack. In the process, the New York native earned All-ACC freshman honors last season and already has a place on this year's preseason All-ACC 1st Team.
"Julius Hodge is a great player and he is going to be a leader this season," Sendek said.
Meanwhile, Melvin averaged 10.1 points per game and grabbed 5.5 rebounds per game and Evtimov added 7.1 points per contest in the 2001-2002 campaign.
"I like [Melvin's] versatility and his skill level," Sendek said. "He can do a number of things well."
Key to any Wolfpack success will be how the team rebounds from the loss of Grundy.
"The loss of Anthony is big, we have some big shoes to fill," Melvin said. "He was able to do a lot of different things, but we have players who can step up in Crawford and Sherrill."
The young Wolfpack players will look to junior guards Clifford Crawford and Scooter Sherrill for leadership this season.
"We are working hard to gel as a team.We are spending the preseason period trying to gel as a team and getting to know each other better," Crawford said. "We are all really excited about the season".
The Wolfpack also enter the season with a considerable size advantage.
"We can potentially have a very big lineup on the floor at times," Sendek said. "This is indeed an advantage for the Pack as 11 of their 14 players stand at 6-4 or taller."
N.C. State potentially could be a "sleeper team" that might surprise critics when tournament time arrives. The Wolfpack, currently not ranked in the top 25, bring a young yet experienced lineup to the court this season. Crawford is their only senior, but the squad has the pieces for what could lead to a prosperous future.
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