RALEIGH – The first regular-season game of the Will Wade era managed to perfectly blend the history and tradition of the NC State program that fans so adore with a dominant on-floor product that looked like the present and future of the game.
The Wolfpack wore throwback jerseys, the vintage red-and-white State ones the program wore during its national championship glory days. They brought the old noise meter out of Reynolds Coliseum. In a pregame video, Wade posed just like Jim Valvano, the last Wolfpack coach to win a men’s basketball national championship and still a revered figure for NC State faithful.
And then NC State unleashed a decidedly modern version of basketball on NC Central, unloading a barrage of 3-pointers from each position – and tied a school record with 19 3-pointers – while collecting more than a dozen steals in a 114-66 rout of the Eagles.
It was the first sellout for an NC State season opener since 1999, the first game in the arena.
“We’re not going to wear those jerseys every home game, but I think it’s important that we do wear them, and our guys understand,” said Wade, who convened regular meetings with NC State staff since his arrival to coordinate year-round basketball marketing. “We’ve had somebody from each different era, the last month, speak to our team every week to talk about the history of NC State basketball, what NC State basketball is all about, and I think it’s important to have an understanding of that.
“I tell our guys all the time, we drink from a good well, but don’t forget there’s a lot of people that dug it. There’s a lot of hard work that went into making this program what it is, a lot of our people that dug that well, and we’re drinking pretty good water right now. So let’s not forget that. Let’s tie into the past. Shoot, we won a lot of championships in the past. I don’t know why we wouldn’t want to bring those memories back.”
It’ll take a few months before we’ll know if Wade will deliver on his promised reckoning and restore the Wolfpack to the upper rung of the league standings. But, as has been the case since his introductory press conference seven months ago, Wade hit all the right notes Monday.
And, as importantly, his team appears more than capable of backing up his grandiose talk. NC State went on a 13-0 run midway through the first half to take command and extended its lead to as many as 58 points late in the second half.
Seven players scored in double figures, led by Darrion Williams (19 points). Five players made multiple 3-pointers. Four players had multiple steals. Wade’s first team lacks dominant height – zero blocks against NC Central – but appears capable of doing just about everything else.
“They got so many pieces,” said NC Central coach Levelle Moton, pointing to the difference in rosters in college athletics name, image and likeness era.
Moton said NC State has a $12-million roster and his is zero. NC Central didn’t opt into revenue sharing under the House settlement, which allows schools to share up to $20.5 million with athletes.
Wade assembled an almost completely new roster – nine transfers, four freshmen and two holdovers. Many of the transfers came from winning programs.
“Winning DNA,” Moton said.
Williams, a transfer from Texas Tech and the ACC preseason player of the year, had eight assists and four rebounds. He made four 3-pointers. He scored 11 of the team’s first 13 points to set the tone – or “the thermostat,” as Williams said Wade instructed him.
Paul McNeil Jr., a rare holdover from Kevin Keatts’ roster, had 16 points and four 3s. Tre Holloman, a transfer from Michigan State, had 15 points, four 3-pointers and three steals.
Quadir Copeland, who came with Wade from McNeese State, had 15 points and made his only 3-point attempt. Freshman Matt Able had 14 points (three 3-pointers), six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Jerry Deng, a Florida State transfer, had 12 points, including two 3-pointers. Ven-Allen Lubin, a transfer from North Carolina, had 10 points, including the first two of the Wade era on a dunk.
NC Central’s decision to play zone left the Wolfpack open for many 3s. But the team is likely to average more than 30 per game, Wade said. Last year’s team made 6.7 3-pointers per game (286h in the nation), shot 21 per game (254th in the nation) and made just 32.2% (286th in the nation).
“We got good shooters,” Wade said. “We’re going to let that thing fly. If they’re open, man, we don’t want any hesitation. Let it fly.”
Wade, who was on the officials from the opening tip, got a technical foul with his team up 53 points. Musa Sagnia, a freshman from The Gambia, picked up his fifth foul in just four minutes of gametime.
“The technical, as much as anything, was, look, I’m still fighting, I’m still here, I’m still paying attention to everything,” Wade said.
Though the crowd thinned out in the second half – perhaps fans were still recovering from Saturday’s football upset of previously unbeaten Georgia Tech across the parking lot at Carter-Finley Stadium – it was never louder than when the Eagles missed back-to-back free throws with just under eight minutes left in the second half.
Free chicken sandwiches for everybody.
And then Williams drained a 3 on the next possession.
“When they shoot this basketball like this,” Moton said, “it’s going be some long nights for a lot of teams, not only North Carolina Central.”
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