The North Carolina state basketball team tips off its season in exactly a month when it faces a local team, Queens University of Charlotte on their home court at PNC Arena. But today, the Wolfpack was closer to the New York version of Queens, as they visited Rucker Park in Harlem. The squad not only shot around on the court, but learned about its history from the Entertainers Basketball Classic Commissioner, Greg Marius.
The trip was part of the team’s five day educational trip to New York City while the University is on fall break. It will also include a visit for the 9/11 memorial, the Apollo Theater, the Empire State building, the New York Stock Exchange, the Museum of National History, see a show on Broadway and run around Central Park.
NC State is entering its 4th year under Coach Mark Gottfried in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Last year they finished 22-14 on the season and 9-9 in the ACC. This led them to a 12th seed in the NCAA tournament, but their trip was cut short when they lost to St. Louis by just three points in the second round. This season, they will be without TJ Warren, who led the ACC last year with an average of 24.9 points per game. He will be taking his talents to the Phoenix Suns after being selected 14th in the NBA draft, and NC State will need to fill the huge offensive gap.
There is not a single player that will be able to do so on this team- it will have to be a balanced effort. The squad will look to returning players Ralston Turner, who was the second leading scorer behind Warren last year, and Desmond Lee, who was inconsistent at times last year but scored 13 points off the bench in the Wolfpack’s NCAA tournament game. The team also has high expectations for Trevor Lacey, a red shirt junior who transferred from Alabama and sat out last season.