WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina State University

Pack begins preparations for Spain

Jul 17, 2012

Raleigh, N.C. — The NC State men’s basketball team began preparations for its upcoming exhibition tour of Spain by working on fundamentals and conducting several offensive drills on Tuesday afternoon. The Pack will play five games against club and professional squads during its 10-day trip to Spain, which will run Aug. 5-15.

Head coach Mark Gottfried noted there were several positives that came out of the session, but there was still work ahead for his squad.

“Obviously, it’s July and we’re not anywhere near where I hope to be at later,” Gottfried said, “but there are some encouraging things. The veteran players have a year under their belt and you can tell. They understand our offense and our terminology.”

NC State returns starters Lorenzo Brown, Richard Howell, C.J. Leslie and Scott Wood from last year’s 24-13 Sweet Sixteen squad. Leslie led the Pack in scoring a year ago, averaging 14.7 points per game, while Brown handed out a team-best 234 assists. Wood is State’s top returning three-point threat, connecting on an ACC-best .409 from beyond the arc. Howell was the team’s top rebounder, pulling down 9.2 boards a game.

Gottfried was impressed by the effort shown by freshmen Tyler Lewis, Rodney Purvis and T.J. Warren and transfer Ralston Turner in their first practice session.

“I think they’re picking things up pretty quickly,” Gottfried said. “We’re throwing a lot at them. They aren’t going to learn it all in a day or a week, but that’s the advantage of having a summer tour is that they get to practice it and they get the games.”