The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1306549
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 ■ 27 "At that point in my career, I didn't care about that. I just wanted a home where I could play my game." When he got to NC State, Funderburk said that he just wanted to "try to kill everybody I played against, starting in practice." During his first year in Raleigh, Funderburk aver- aged 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while displaying considerable promise. Last season, Funderburk upped his pro- duction to 12.8 points and 6.1 boards — both totals tied for second on the squad — and he explored whether or not to pursue playing professionally, entering his name into the NBA Draft evaluation process. Funderburk was not dead certain on re- turning to Raleigh, but he also admitted that coming back for his senior season "wasn't a hard decision." Reflecting back, Funderburk knew when he was at the junior college that he was probably going to be the four-year college player that his old coach told him he was destined to become. However, that also means it is his time to lead the Pack. With Johnson and C.J. Bryce gone, Funderburk and fellow fifth-year se- nior Devon Daniels will be asked to step up as the marquee players in NC State's lineup. Being the veteran he has now become, Funderburk is not putting any pressure on himself to perform. "Say I wrote down on a piece of paper, I wanted to reach 20 points and 10 rebounds a game and be ACC Player of the Year — which is great, and I would definitely take all that," Funderburk noted. "But I don't want to go into every game thinking about getting 20 and 10 as opposed to doing what my team needs the most for us to win the game. "I don't put pressure on myself if I don't go in expecting something. I don't go in already assuming what I've got to do. I just go in and play." That's spoken like someone who now has the deep understanding of college basketball that comes through the experience he once doubted he would ever get. ■