WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

Freshman Myers Leads N.C. State Past Ga. Tech

By Tim Peeler, GoPack.com

Jan 15, 2008

Raleigh, N.C. — If this is what N.C. State basketball will look in 1983 A.D. – After Dereck – then maybe Wolfpack fans shouldn’t be so depressed.

In a downcast Reynolds Coliseum, where fans held signs that read “We miss you Whitt” and “Win it for Dereck” to injured senior guard Dereck Whittenburg, the Wolfpack found a new go-to guard in freshman Ernie Myers.

The slashing scorer from the Bronx, N.Y., tied the N.C. State freshman record with 27 points in an 81-61 victory over Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon. Senior Thurl Bailey threw in an additional 20 points and the Wolfpack seemed to rebound from its most depressing day of the season.

That was four days ago, when Whittenburg suffered a broken bone in his right foot when he landed on Virginia guard Othell Wilson’s foot on a jumpshot from the corner. Whittenburg was diagnosed with a broken foot and will likely miss the rest of the season.

Myers, inserted into Whittenburg’s starting spot, felt comfortable in the friendly confines of the Wolfpack’s home arena, though he hated the reason he was in the lineup.

“This is my first start in the No. 2 spot,” said Myers, who started one game previously this season, “but I feel a little bad about it. I didn’t want to get to start this way. Dereck’s a super player.

“I wasn’t nervous because I’ve played in every game. But I had a purpose. People were saying that without Dereck, we’d be down. I wanted to show them that we could still win without the great player Dereck was.”