Warren, Howell top NC State’s basketball all-decade team
By comparison to the 2000s, this decade was slightly better than the last for N.C. State.
The Wolfpack went to the NCAA tournament five times (same as the 2000s), made the Sweet 16 twice (one more time) and had a winning record in ACC play five times (one more time).
But by comparison to its neighbors, well, N.C. State is stuck in the ACC’s middle tier. The Wolfpack posted an overall record of 203-142 from the 2009-10 season through the 2018-19 season with a 78-96 mark in ACC play.
Then there’s the matter of the pending NCAA case for violations connected to former star guard Dennis Smith Jr.
NCAA issues at the end of the 1980s set the program back for two decades. The school is in better position to handle the NCAA this time around but you’d be hard-pressed to argue the juice was worth the squeeze for Smith.
His lone team went 4-14 in ACC play and finished with an overall losing record (15-17) and got coach Mark Gottfried fired before the end of the 2016-17 season.
Kevin Keatts, Gottfried’s replacement, has since picked up the pieces and has the program on track for its second NCAA bid in three years, but it has been a challenge.
N.C. State’s all-decade team:
T.J. Warren, 2012-14, F
The small forward from Durham just knew how to score. He’d make contested shots, he’d knock down a jumper and he was a master at loose change. He led the ACC in scoring (24.8 points per game) as a sophomore and was the ACC player of the year for the 2013-14 season.
He caught fire at the end of that season and had 36 in an epic home loss to UNC and then back-to-back 40-point games. David Thompson, back in 1974, was the last Wolfpack player to do that.
A lottery pick in 2014, Warren has spent the past six seasons in the NBA.
Richard Howell, 2009-13, F
“Big Rich” was known for rebounding, setting screens, sweating and picking up ticky-tack fouls.
He was arguably the hardest-working player in the program during the decade. He slimmed down after his sophomore season and became a rebounding machine.
He was able to learn to stay out of foul trouble as a senior in 2012-13 and led the ACC in rebounding (10.7 per game) and added a career-best 12.7 points per game. He was an All-ACC pick.
Lorenzo Brown, 2010-13, G
Brown came in the same recruiting class as Ryan Harrow, who was supposed to be the point guard of the future. Instead, Harrow left the program after a season and Brown was the floor leader for two years under Gottfried.
He nearly had a triple-double (17-9-8) in N.C. State’s opening-round win over sixth-seeded San Diego State in the 2012 NCAA tournament.
As a junior in 2012-13, he led the ACC in assists (7.2 per game) and turned in a masterful performance (20 points, 11 assists) in N.C. State’s home win over UNC.
Cat Barber, 2013-16, G
Noted for his dazzling ball-handling skills and related quotes (“Cat be Cat,” “scared money” and others), Barber had a memorable three-year run during Gottfried’s tenure.
His emergence during the second half of the 2014-15 season was one of the main reasons the Wolfpack reached the Sweet 16. He had a team-high 17 points in the first-round comeback win over LSU.
As a junior the next season, Barber led the ACC in scoring (23.5 points per game) and made the All-ACC team.
Scott Wood, 2009-2013, G
The way the game of basketball has changed, if you can shoot, there’s a spot for you. There’s a spot on this team for Wood. Nobody shot it better than the Marion, Ind. native did from the 3-point line.
As a senior he went 3-for-3 from the 3-point line in a home win over No. 1 Duke. He hit buzzer-beater to win at Clemson and then made seven 3s in an ACC tournament win over Virginia.
He holds the school career records for 3-pointers made (334), free-throw percentage (88.6) and starts (136).
In the team picture
What to do with stars who were only around for one season?
Smith was an All-ACC guard in 2016-17 and had two triple-doubles in ACC play but his most memorable moment was a dunk that didn’t count and the program atrophied around him.
Trevor Lacey (2014-15) was the best leader the program has had since the incomparable Julius Hodge in the mid-2000s. But Smith and Lacey each only played one season. In Lacey’s case, he led the Wolfpack to a road win at UNC and the Sweet 16.
Forward C.J. Leslie (2010-13) and forward Tracy Smith (2007-11) each had a turn as the hero in a home win over Duke.
If you need an extra 3-point shooter, guard Ralston Turner (2012-15) deserves a spot. Or if you need a little bit of everything, wing Torin Dorn (2015-19) is the next-best option.
This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 7:30 AM.
