The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/896287
NOVEMBER 2017 ■ 53 BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2017-18 find yourself not really getting tired, and find your legs not really getting worn out,. Your shots aren't short. "When you are playing against some- body else and they're huffing and puff- ing, you're saying straight up, 'I'm good.' That's when you realize it's all paying off." Senior forward Abdul-Malik Abu noted that the team almost believes it is a track team with the amount of running it does. "I found out that I had a little bit more in me than I thought I did, and that's just the beauty of it," Abu said. "Going out there and pushing yourself, you may reach a new level and get somewhere you never thought you'd be." ■ Breaking Down The Roster During a podcast with The Wolfpacker at Amedeo's on Western Boulevard, NC State first- year strength coach Pat Murphy shared some of his thoughts on his current players: On who stood out in testing: "Everybody knows this, but Malik Abu and [junior forward] Shaun Kirk can jump … Malik Abu and Shaun Kirk can bounce. I tell you who can really lift is [sophomore guard] Markell Johnson. Markell can really get off the floor. He's pretty impressive. "A guy that really jumps off the page with well- rounded athleticism is [redshirt junior wing] Torin Dorn. Torin is a well-rounded jumper, and speed and agility guy. In the weight room him and [fifth- year senior post] Lennard [Freeman] are probably my two best guys … as far as having sound mechan - ics and moving some weight with it." On who would be the fastest in a 40-yard dash: "In a 40, my championship race would be [fresh- man guard] Lavar [Batts Jr.] versus Markell. … Torin would definitely be in the Final Four." On working with sophomore center Omer Yurtseven, who spent the summer with the Turkey National Team: "It's a challenge every day just simply because he's a very curious guy. He, not in a bad way at all, is going to ask a lot of questions. He's going to chal- lenge you everyday as to what purpose is this serv- ing, why am I doing it. We've definitely made some jumps in our relationship because of it. "His lower half is very strong, actually. His upper half has got to get stronger, and his feet definitely need to get quicker." On managing Lennard Freeman's workload after two leg surgeries: "Lennard gets it. He probably needed to lean out a little bit to run our system. He's done a good job of maintaining his strength and power. "He's a rare case for me, just really having to monitor how much he's pounding on the floor on that leg."