CJ Leslie: Julius Hodge Has A Message For You (On Twitter)

Lest you ever start to think Julius Hodge's love for N.C. State has waned any in the years following his graduation, he's put that to rest in the last week or so with some timely tweets.

Regarding incoming stud point guard prospect Ryan Harrow:

I just saw the Ryan Harrow youtube mix...WOOOWWW! Yes very fine days ahead Wolfpack Fans! Forreal I still can't jump like that!N I'm 6'7!

His latest Tweet crusade? Landing Raleigh's CJ Leslie at State this spring. The day after his Harrow tweet, he had this to say:

where do "I" have to travel to convince CJ Leslie NC STATE is home?? we gotta get this kid PackNation!

He then followed that up with a flurry of four tweets tonight on what State had that appealed to him (with a nice dig at Matt Doherty thrown in for good measure):

You know what was the deciding point for me to go to State..besides the coaching, warm atmosphere, and Matt Doherty coming in lol..no but

...

Seriously..it was being able to start my own LEGACY. I had prestige programs and was offered EVERYTHING! But u can't buy what I wanted..

...

Only thing that would have made it icing on da cake is having my family within minutes away(CJ;)and having JP stay his junior year(dammit! )

...

Get back on board baby.. Believe me you won't be this loved/appreciated by the "people/fans"anywhr else I promise you that! Am I right?

Jules, I think I speak for Wolfpack Nation when I say this: Whenever you get done banking those Aussie dollars, the Pack has a place for you SOMEWHERE in the organization as a recruiting coordinator. I'm sure Sid would love to put you to work on the recruiting trails.

One final tweet, regarding his daughter:

Today I asked my daughter was she hungry and she replied" when I hungry I eat daddy" HAHAHAHA I couldn't have said it better myself!! lol!

Like father, like daughter...

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Red-Hot Pack On Two-Game Winning Streak

;)

NCAA Basketball

NCAA Basketball

Ok, so the title was a little tongue-in-cheek.

Nevertheless, State wins its second ACC game in a row, the first time State's won back-to-back conference games this season. That brings them to four conference wins, deadlocking the bottom of the conference in a three-way tie for 10th (Miami and UNC).

The win ensures that State, at 16-13, can finish no worse than .500 before postseason bids are handed out, and if the Pack can win one more game between now and the end of the ACC Tournament, a .500 record is guaranteed for the year. Not great, but better than most predicted this team to achieve this season.

As for the game itself, State rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit to claim the victory. CJ Williams played another solid game, Tracy Smith was his normal team-carrying self and despite some bad free throw shooting most of the game, the team hit the ones that counted down the stretch.

The Pack now heads to Cassel to take on an exhausted VT team coming off a double-overtime thriller against Maryland. The Pack may be catching the sagging Hokies at just the right time. VT will be desperate, however, trying to cling to its hopes of making the NCAA tournament.

With Boston College heading to Raleigh to wrap up the season, it's not ENTIRELY out of the question for the Pack to end the regular season on a four-game winning streak. Do that, then make some noise in the ACC Tournament and NIT...suddenly, 2010-2011 wouldn't be able to get here fast enough.

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Misery Loves Company...

So, how bad is it in Tar Heel land? Check out these portions of the opening post on the FSU game thread:



To "Drummy," first off, good call on reminding everyone right off the bat the Heels won the National Title last year. It's a valiant effort on your part. However, I'm guessing by the tone of the following phrase, "* PROFANITY OF ANY KIND (INCLUDING VEILED PROFANITY) WILL NOT BE TOLERATED AND IS GROUNDS FOR BANNING.
* PLAYER ATTACKS OF ANY KIND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED AND ARE GROUNDS FOR BANNING," conjuring happy thoughts of last season isn't getting the job done at the moment.



Remember...positive posts ONLY. And absolutely [...pause...] no meltdowns. After all, the mods are in a banning mood (judging from the all caps) and are just looking to break their backspace key off in someone.

Not trying to pile on, Heels fans, but it's worth reminding everyone outside of the message board world that yes, even Carolina has message board wackos. Apparently, LOTS of them. And they've been very vocal lately. Very, very vocal.

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Finishing Strong

After a disappointing season, it goes without saying that this stretch run of Miami, BC and Virginia Tech is critical.

There are several reasons why, of course.

One, you need to set a positive tone for next season. Every team wants to close strong, but for Sidney Lowe heading into year five after three disappointing seasons, setting the table for next year will be critical.

Two, the NIT is still in play at this point. Finishing with a 2-1 or 3-0 mark would ensure a winning record regardless of what happens in the ACC Tournament, meaning the Pack would be eligible for an NIT bid. Given where State was during the seven-game losing streak, postseason play is a nice goal for this team to shoot for.

And finally, I believe the team needs it. They've heard for so long now, "Just wait until next year when Harrow and Brown get here." If I'm a guy suiting up, I'm encouraged that there's help on the way, but I want to conclude the season in a way that doesn't feel like the year was wasted, spent biding time until the reinforcements come.

There aren't many preseason goals left that can be accomplished, but if I'm Dennis Horner or Farnold Degand, I want to feel like we still set the table for a dramatic improvement the following year. Winning two or three of these final conference games will likely ensure the Pack finishes out of dead last where the media projected the Pack to finish. That secures a place in the ACC/Big 10 challenge next season, which is a modest goal but one worth striving for.

Earlier this month, I posted a picture of an envelope, stating I felt like the team was just mailing it in. But I was wrong; they're still fighting, and the win against Wake is proof of that.

If the Pack can take down Miami and BC in winnable games, and maybe steal one on the road against Virginia Tech, the tone of the season will take a decided turn toward the positive.

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So I Head To Atlanta And This Is What Happens? State 68, Wake 54

NCAA Basketball

NCAA Basketball

Maybe I should take off for Atlanta more often. Or maybe State needs to face more ranked conference opponents.

After all, State's three conference wins this season have all come against teams ranked in the top 25 at the time. Perhaps Sid can slip a few greenbacks to the guys in the producer truck next game to slap up a faux number beside our opponent's name. Maybe that'll fire the guys up.

In a game that looked to be unfolding too similar to the Maryland game for anyone's taste (another 10-point lead at the half), State did what it could not do the game prior and closed the deal this time.

C.J. Williams played out of his mind Saturday, pouring in timely threes but also contributing with some key blocks on the defensive end, including a nice stuff against three-inch-taller Al Faruq Aminu.

Farnold Degand chipped in with two monster threes right when Wake was making their push.

Wake had cut it to seven with 6:21 to go on a L.D. Williams free throw but missed the second, and after snagging the miss, Dennis Horner found Degand for a look at the top of the key that Farnold drained. Following the aforementioned block on Aminu, C.J. found Javier Gonzalez for a three to push the lead to 13. Wake scored on the following possession, but Farnold dropped the second dagger in response to score points 55, 56 and 57, all State would need for the night.

It's tough to look past the rebounding numbers and not see all the warts...at one point in the game, the Deacs had more offensive rebounds than State had total.

But maybe Sidney's right...it really is simple when guys actually make their open shots. The Pack hit five of their seven three-point attempts in the second half and shot 52% overall in the back frame when it mattered. This, against a good defensive team in Wake that typically makes it tough on perimeter shooters.

Ironically, Wake Forest didn't hit a single three, just 10 days after State pulled off the same dubious feat against Virginia Tech.

It wasn't all shooting, though. State turned the Deacs over a ton, too. While Wake got back a lot of their misses, they still had a great deal of empty possessions. Wake turned the ball over 15 times in the first half alone, and finished the game with 23 to State's 15.

Another solid win to go along with a fistful of tough losses in a baffling season thus far. The good news? With games against Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech, State still has a decent chance to make a play for the NIT, which--had you offered it last week--most State fans would've leapt at.

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