Notebook: Jericole Hellems has career night in win over UW
NC State sophomore forward Jericole Hellems has been a more efficient player since coach Kevin Keatts challenged him two weeks ago.
Keatts talked to Hellems prior to the Arkansas-Little Rock game Nov. 23 on what was needed from him. He responded with seven points, six rebounds and his first six assists of the season in the win. Hellems followed up with 17 points in the 83-78 loss to Memphis on Thanksgiving Day in Brooklyn, N.Y.
That was the setup for Hellems, who scored 12 of his career-high 23 points in the second half to power NC State (6-2 overall) to an impressive 69-54 victory over Wisconsin (4-4) in front of 16,035 fans at PNC Arena.
“I’m just in a groove,” Hellems said.
To put in perspective on how things have changed for Hellems, just look at what happened last year between the two teams. Hellems scored two points in 10 minutes off the bench in NC State’s 79-75 at Wisconsin last year.
“For me, it’s nothing new because I’ve had it before,” said Hellems on playing well. “I’ve also gone through a lot of learning curves. There is a lot more to come.”
Hellems reached heat check status in going 8 of 13 from the field and 4 of 6 on three-point field goals, including a pair from the top of the key, which isn’t his usual shooting spot (he likes the corners). His plus/minus was a team-best 20 points.
“My teammates were finding me and I’ve been staying in the gym,” Hellems said. “Coaches have confidence in me. It’s just confidence.”
Keatts half-joked that he wanted Hellems to be even more aggressive offensively.
"I'm proud of Jericole because he's a guy that the last three games, he's played with a lot of energy," Keatts said. "He's done a lot of good things for it, and he has been rewarded for it."
NCSU redshirt junior center D.J. Funderburk said it was fun to watch Hellems get hot. Hellems and senior point guard Markell Johnson combined to go 13 of 28 from the field for 35 points. No other NC State player shot more than six times.
“That is my guy, but I don’t know what got into him,” Funderburk said. “He’s a great player. I’ve seen him put in countless hours in the gym.”
UW's Brad Davison Has Quiet Evening
Did NC State fans get into the head of Wisconsin junior shooting guard Brad Davison? Only Davison would know for sure, but he definitely wasn’t a factor in the rematch against NC State.
Davison went just 1 of 5 from the field, including 1 of 4 on three-pointers, and had three points and three rebounds in the loss. He also didn’t draw any offensive fouls on the Wolfpack players, unlike a year ago in the Badgers’ 79-75 comeback win in Madison, Wis.
Davison had 12 points and drew four chargers against NC State a year ago. Now that the game was over, Keatts let it be known he was happy that Davison’s expert flopping skills weren’t factor in the rematch.
"I was very happy with our crowd," Keatts said. "I was concerned coming in with a 9:15 tip. Our students were tremendous.
"[The media] did a tremendous job of making sure that our fan base knew this was the dude that took five flops [last year]. I can say flops now. Everybody knows that."
A segment of NC State fans booed Davison every time he touched the ball, and when he was on the bench down the stretch, the chant “We want Brad” echoed through PNC Arena. Johnson admitted that he didn’t think about last year’s game that much, but he respects Davison.
NC State actually did want Davison out of high school. The former Rivals.com top 100 recruit verbally committed to Wisconsin shortly after NCSU had offered him. He entered the game averaging 12.1 points per game.
“It was kind of funny to hear the crowd booing him,” Johnson said. “I feel like he shouldn’t have been booed. He was just doing his job last year.
“We weren’t really wasn’t too worried about what happened last year with Wisconsin.”
NC State Never Allowed Wisconsin Back Into Game
NC State junior guard Braxton Beverly scored three straight baskets to give the Wolfpack a comfortable 48-39 lead with 13:27 left in the game.
The Wolfpack took that momentum and built upon it to open a 14-point lead on Beverly’s three-pointer, and consciously wanted to ensure there was no Wisconsin comeback this season. The Badgers never got the score lower than a nine-point margin, something the Wolfpack players were proud about following the game. UW shot 5 of 23 on three-pointers and are on a 14 of 76 skid from beyond the arc over the last three games, all losses.
“We tend to let teams come back in,” Funderburk said. “We just made it an effort coming out of the locker room that we weren’t going to let them do it this time.”
Beverly finished with eight points in the game, but his play during that stretch was the catalyst. NC State hopes a likely Quad II win over Wisconsin will help the postseason resume.
“I think it’s real important and last year we took a loss to them,” Hellems said. “I think it was important for us to show teams and everybody that we are a good team and we can handle it with the best of them.”
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