DURHAM -- As the first half ended Thursday night, N.C. State senior forward Tracy Smith walked toward the bench with an arm around freshman teammate C.J. Leslie.
He pointed toward the court and spoke in the McDonald's All-American's ear, as Leslie sipped his Gatorade and nodded his head. It's only July, but Wolfpack players young and old are getting a head start on ironing out some kinks playing together in the S.J.G. Greater NC Pro Am summer league at N.C. Central.
The league, which draws area college players, NBA players with Triangle ties and top high school recruits, continues tonight at 6 with four games at NCCU's McLendon-McDougald Gymnasium.
"The league is just another time for us to make sure we jell together," Leslie said at their team's summer league opener last week.
For a Wolfpack team looking to insert three incoming freshmen - Leslie and guards Ryan Harrow and Lorenzo Brown - who arrive in Raleigh with the expectation to help end State's four-year absence from the NCAA tournament, the summer league could be an opportunity to build a comfort level
"You have to really know each other and feel connected," Smith said. "It is a great chance to work on chemistry, especially with the three new guys."
While Leslie and Smith worked on their connection, Wolfpack rising junior forward C.J. Williams found himself sharing an NC Pro Am team with some Chapel Hill rivals. Williams is playing for Team Stackhouse, named after league founder and former UNC star Jerry Stackhouse, and Williams admitted being a bit concerned with what he has witnessed from his Tar Heels "teammates."
"Oh, they're good. I'm a little nervous about that," Williams said. "They have a lot of guys that can go."
On several occasions Thursday night, Williams fed incoming UNC freshmen Harrison Barnes and Reggie Bullock for easy dunks, including one out-of-bounds alley-oop pass to Bullock. It is a connection that will surely end come September, but the summer league is still a great time to get better, Williams said.
Williams said he ended up on a different summer league team than Smith and State's three incoming freshmen because he said there were not enough State players to play together exclusively as their own team. (The Pack's Scott Wood, Jordan Vandenberg, Richard Howell and Kendall Smith also play on different teams.)
Williams also joked that Stackhouse selected him to play for his squad because Williams played on the league's championship team last summer.
"It may not seem like it, but a lot of the guys are playing tough defense, because they don't want to get showed up and end up being on the highlight tape," Williams said. "It's a chance to play against some of the best talent in the country."
The State guys aren't the only ones looking to get a head start in the summer league.
In addition to Barnes and Bullock, Team Stackhouse also includes North Carolina's Dexter Strickland, John Henson and Justin Watts.
Duke players are scattered across the league, with Kyle Singler and incoming Kyrie Irving on one team, Nolan Smith and Mason Plumlee on another, Andre Dawkins and Ryan Kelly listed on the roster of a third, and Seth Curry, Josh Hairston and Miles Plumlee on a fourth.
Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe remains a bit wary, though, of the benefits to be gained from playing in a casual summer-league setting where players are cheered for dunks and circus-style shots, not a well-set pick.
When Lowe was a point guard at N.C. State, he said, he played in a total of four summer league games in two years. He thought it was a better use of his time, Lowe said, to "work on his game."
He lets his players participate, however, with one caveat.
"Don't go pick up bad habits," Lowe said. "You pretty much play the same way. I know it's going to be a little looser than normal, but don't go out there and pick up bad habits."
With 30 seconds left in Thursday's game and Team McGladrey down by one point, Leslie had the ball on the left wing. Smith posted on the block and called for the ball. Leslie said, "I got you," and zipped a pass to Smith, who was fouled.
"You have to know everything about your teammates," Smith said. "College is very different than high school. On this level, chemistry is very important."
At least Lowe won't have to worry about getting name tags for his players for the first day of practice.
