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Coaches, some players leave PNC Arena for last time

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NC State fifth-year senior shooting guard Terry Henderson could try to get a sixth year of eligibility.
NC State fifth-year senior shooting guard Terry Henderson could try to get a sixth year of eligibility. (Ken Martin/TheWolfpacker.com)
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NC State coaches and some players said their last good-byes to PNC Arena on Saturday.

NCSU head coach Mark Gottfried and his assistants, plus seniors BeeJay Anya and Chris Brickhouse, and freshman Dennis Smith Jr. made their last appearances at the venue in a 70-55 loss to Virginia in front of 16,718 fans. Fifth-year senior shooting guard Terry Henderson is hopeful in applying for a sixth year of eligibility, but joined Anya and Brickhouse for Senior Day activities.

NC State hoops will be going through a metamorphosis over the next 3-4 months, with the first step hiring a coach to replace Gottfried, then stabilizing the roster while trying to recruit players to fill the sizable holes left by the departures.

Trying to upset Virginia, which had been on a four-game losing streak, seemed feasible in the first half when both teams were struggling to score. The Cavaliers broke the tug of war open with a 15-0 run, highlighted by four three-pointers, including two from reserve freshman shooting guard Kyle Guy.

Virginia’s lead surged to as many as 19 points early in the second half, but NC State showed emotion in battling back. Seldom-used sophomore small forward Shaun Kirk buried a three-pointer from the right corner and Henderson made a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 59-51 with 5:29 remaining. It proved to be the closest the Wolfpack could get.

NCSU fell to 15-15 overall and 4-13 in the ACC, and plays at Clemson in the regular-season finale.

Gottfried wasn’t one to be sentimental about his last appearance, although he did decide to start Anya.

“I don’t really think about that honestly,” he said about walking off the home court for the final time as the Pack's coach. “I just wanted us to win today. We got to play at Clemson on Wednesday and then we have the [ACC] Tournament. Who knows, great things could still happen for us.”

Gottfried was fired Feb. 16 — effective at the end of the season after he asked to finish it out — but has handled what could have been a terribly awkward situation smoothly. He thanked the NC State fans for creating a graceful exit.

“Our fans have been great,” Gottfried said. “Everywhere in town where I go, it has been great. People have been so positive and appreciative. I just hope that we can somehow do some more positive things like we did in Atlanta [vs. Georgia Tech in a 71-69 win] a couple of nights ago.”

Smith played a lot off the ball with fellow freshman Markell Johnson starting at point guard. Smith went 4 of 14 from the field for a team-high 13 points in his first and only meeting against Virginia’s vaunted defense. Smith is projected to be a top-10 NBA Draft pick in June.

“We aren’t done yet, though I know we are done in this building, but I think he’s had a marvelous freshman year,” Gottfried said. “Sometimes expectations are so high and I’m as guilty as anybody in putting them on him, as we all are. Sometimes you don’t appreciate how good somebody is every night.

“He is a freshman who missed a season of competition last year with a torn ACL. Those guys sometimes takes a while to come back.”

The next coach will be in charge of stabilizing the roster, but the emotions were high for the people who knew for sure the end had come in Raleigh. Anya grew up with sisters, but feels he now has brothers. He half-joked that senior Lennard Freeman, who is redshirting, might have cried more than he did before the game.

“It has been great being with them for four years and that friendship,” said Anya, who didn’t expect to start. “Our brotherhood will last a lifetime.”

Virginia wings come up big

Virginia had struggled mightily from long range the last five games (21 of 87 for 24.1 percent), but especially the last two contests. UVa shot a combined 5 of 32 on three-pointers in losses against UNC and Miami.

The story of NC State’s season has been for teams to exceed shooting averages, and Virginia was no different.

Guy came off the bench and scored 19 points — one shy of his career high — and went 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. NC State was no stranger to Guy’s ability to shoot, since former Wolfpack assistant coach Rob Moxley had offered him a scholarship his junior year. The former McDonald’s All-American helped juice up the Cavaliers offense with his ability to run off of screens, and catch and shoot.

“He is a good player,” Henderson said. “They know how to utilize him, and he does the right things for them. He is always ready to shoot.”

Senior point guard London Perrantes had one of his better games of late with 16 points, 10 assists and one assist, and junior wing Devon Hall had a career-high 18 points and nine rebounds.

UVa finished 11 of 16 on three-pointers, while NC State struggled to go 7 of 27.

“Our inability to hit an open shot — and they are obviously a very good defensive team — but we had a ton of wide open shots that we couldn’t make,” Gottfried said. “That makes the game really hard, especially a game with fewer possessions.”

NC State played the majority of the game with four perimeter players on the court. Smith, Henderson and sophomore Maverick Rowan went a combined 6 for 30 from the field, and Rowan was held without a field goal. The one-two punch of Hall and Guy proved to be the difference.

“They do a good job of helping each other out on defense,” Henderson said. “When the offense is standing, they do a good job of making sure everybody is in their gaps and where they should be. They are well coached.”

NCSU shot 32.1 percent from the field, but Gottfried insisted he liked the looks his team had.

“We had more wide open shots than they did, trust me,” Gottfried said.

Terry Henderson hoping for sixth-year option

Henderson said after the game that he’d like to pursue a sixth year of college, or at least have the option.

Henderson willingly gave up a year to redshirt after he made the move from West Virginia to NC State. He then suffered a season-ending injury last year seven minutes into the season opener. There is at least one previous case that is very similar to Henderson’s scenario.

Oregon sixth-year senior guard Dylan Ennis also willingly gave up a year when he left Rice for Villanova. He then graduated from Villanova and transferred to Oregon last year, but was injured and missed the season. He was granted a sixth year by the NCAA for this season.

“I’m going to still apply for my sixth year,” Henderson said. “I still want the option of having that in my possession.

“When the decision comes, it will be a well thought out plan and I’ll attack it.”

Henderson, who graduated this past December, was joined by his parents for Senior Night, but left the door open to enjoy a second Senior Night in the future.

“It was a great moment, and I’m proud of NC State and proud to be her, to be an alumni,” said Henderson, who finished with 10 points but struggled with his shooting (2 of 11). “I’m going to have that forever.”

Henderson, a Raleigh native, was able to reunite with good friend and former NC State star T.J. Warren last weekend. Warren, who plays for the Phoenix Suns, had all-star weekend off and attended the Notre Dame at NCSU game a week ago.

“It was fun and felt like old times,” Henderson said. “We ran around the city. I just treated him as being on the sideline when we play pickup.”

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