Should Costner come back to State?
Mar 13, 2009
Maybe N.C. State's season is over, maybe it isn't. Maybe Brandon Costner's career at N.C. State is over. Maybe it isn't.
Costner to no surprise didn't have a final answer on if he will return to N.C. State next season for his final year of eligibility. The red-shirt junior is set to graduate this May, and he could choose to move on.
"No, I don't have a timetable," Costner said. "It all depends on certain things and sitting down with the coaches and my family and deciding what's best."
It was certainly not the finish to the season that was expected from Costner. He finished the season as the team leader with 13.3 point per game, but he wilted down the stretch. He averaged just 6.8 points per contest in the last six games of the season, including last night's loss to Maryland. The Wolfpack went 2-4 in that span.
The offensive output has been unacceptable down the stretch. The team's leading scorer is expected to give something on a consistent basis, especially in the final stretch of the season. He completely disappeared. Not only did he not score the ball, but he never had a double-digit rebounding game in that span either. In fact he only had more than 10 rebounds three times all season.
I know that Costner can knock down a 3-pointer here and there (36%), but I have always had a hard time dealing with a 6-9 231 pound frame not playing like it should. I envision a body-type like that and Pitt's DeJuan Blair pops into my mind. I think of a bruiser that will use his weight to his ultimate advantage and not be beaten down low.
I personally can't imagine why he would not come back and take advantage of playing another season of ACC basketball. I don't see him on any mock draft boards. And he certainly hasn't helped raise his stock with his performances down the stretch.
If Costner comes back for another season of basketball he will have a chance to mold his game into a style that will entice some scouts. Whether he can do that is the question. The next question I ask to Costner will be, "Do you want to play basketball anymore, period?" With the way he has played down the stretch, I can't think of any other reason for passing up a senior season in the ACC.
If it were me, I would want to come back next year and maybe end my college career with a couple ACC Tournament wins and an NCAA berth. I certainly wouldn't walk away after going 16-14, passing on a chance to do better. But hey, it's not me with the decision to make. It's Brandon Costner.
"Alot of things go into it, you know I'm graduating, and how I would help the team, how I wouldn't," Costner said after the loss to Maryland. "You know a lot of things go into it and it's going to be a tough decision."
