Kaydee Gawlik
Nyheim Hines, a freshman wide receiver prepares to catch a punt from Clemson. NC State lost to the Tigers by a final score of 56-41.
Despite up-and-down seasons, both the NC State football and men’s basketball teams featured standout athletes.
Football
MVP: Matt Dayes
Dayes was on pace for a 1,000-yard rushing season before a toe injury cut his junior campaign short with a month remaining in the season. Despite missing five total games, he still led the team in rushing with 865 yards, 495 more than the Pack’s second-leading rusher. In the eight games in which he appeared, Dayes scored 12 total touchdowns — one of the NCAA leaders before his injury — averaged 108.1 yards a game and 6.5 yards per carry.
Most Improved: Jaylen Samuels
After picking up just 239 all-purpose yards in his freshman season, Samuels’ production skyrocketed to the tune of 965 yards combined rushing and receiving in 2015. In his hybrid, do-it-all role, consisting of playing full back and tight end, Samuels made first-team All-ACC in his sophomore campaign. Despite not being a wide receiver, Samuels led all Wolfpack players in receiving yards with 597 and catches with 65. Samuels was the team’s third-leading rusher behind only Dayes and quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
Breakout Player Next Season: Nyheim Hines
Hines had a solid freshman year, playing both running back and receiver and earning All-ACC honorable mention. He had 243 rushing yards, 256 receiving yards and was a significant impact player as a kick returner.
Hines will likely see improvement in his speed on the football field after competing with the Wolfpack outdoor track and field team this spring, earning All-American honors in the 100-meter relay. New offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz brings his prolific offense to the Wolfpack, a system in which Hines is likely to thrive.
Basketball
MVP: Cat Barber
With former guard Trevor Lacey leaving a year earlier than anticipated and redshirt junior guard Terry Henderson going down with a season-ending injury minutes into the home opener, Barber became the lone ball handler on the roster. The responsibility to create a majority of the offense fell on Barber’s shoulders, and he certainly delivered.
Barber emerged as one the best scorers in the nation and led the ACC with 23.6 PPG and in 30-plus point games with eight. On top of playing 38.7 MPG, Barber started every game for the Wolfpack and failed to reach double figures in scoring only twice despite probable fatigue.
Most Improved: Abdul-Malik Abu
With Kyle Washington’s early departure, Abu showed significant improvement in his game by becoming NC State’s only reliable scoring option down-low. The big man not only scored the ball and provided highlight-reel dunks, but consistently controlled the backboards as well, as evidenced by his 14 double-doubles.
Abu averaged 12.9 PPG and 8.8 RPG, a major jump from his freshman year where he averaged 6.4 PPG and 4.8 RPG. Being the only scoring option in the paint this year, Abu was heavily targeted by opposing team’s big men, making his production even more impressive.
Breakout Player Next Season: Dennis Smith Jr.
With Cat Barber moving on to the NBA, the keys to Wolfpack basketball have been handed over to none other than Dennis Smith Jr., a five-star commit and widely considered one of the best recruits NC State has ever landed. The 2014-2015 Gatorade Player of the Year in North Carolina led Trinity Christian School to the 1A high school state semifinals.
While obviously not as experienced as Barber, nobody questions his one-and-done level talent, as he is currently projected to go No. 3 in the latest version of NBADraft.net’s 2017 Mock Draft. With his level of talent, it’s hard to imagine Smith not leading the Wolfpack in scoring and assists this upcoming season.