With all the hype surrounding the highly touted incoming freshman class, it’s easy to forget about veteran players. Especially after three years of mediocrity where the most successful season ended in a second-round NIT loss. Senior forward Tracy Smith has garnered a significant amount of national attention, being dubbed preseason All-ACC, and named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch list, but freshmen Lorenzo Brown, C.J. Leslie and Ryan Harrow have been the focal point of Wolfpack basketball during the off-season.

However, analysts and fans seem to be forgetting one, pivotal piece of the puzzle – the bilingual baller from Carolina, Puerto Rico, senior guard Javier Gonzalez. Gonzalez is by far the most seasoned veteran, seeing the court in 15 more games than Smith, the only other senior on the team.

As a freshman, Gonzalez played in all 31 games, the only underclassman to do so other than current NBA star J.J. Hickson. Critics may doubt the importance of that, citing the Pack’s four ACC wins en route to a 15-16 overall during the 2007-08 season. But, overlooking the mediocrity of the team as a whole, Gonzalez proved himself, by starting 15 games at point guard and registering a 1.46 assist/turnover ratio against conference opponents, ranking ninth in the ACC, and first among all freshmen in that category.

With the introduction of five star prospect, Ryan Harrow, who is a top ten point guard recruit, and ridiculously talented, the senior leader is not threatened that his incumbent role as starting point guard is in jeopardy, but has a bigger picture in focus.

“I try to help Ryan [Harrow]… The thing I see this year is that it’s not about competition for a position, it’s about trying to win,” Gonzalez told GoPack.com’s Tim Peeler during an interview earlier this month. “Nobody cares who’s on the court at all as long as we win.”

Gonzalez may be the strongest asset to the three newcomers, especially Brown and Harrow, who will play alongside him in the backcourt. Javi, as he affectionately known by teammates coaches and fans, knows what it’s like being a freshman playing in the nation’s best basketball conference, and being expected to contribute immediately. Even if he doesn’t lead the Pack in scoring on a nightly basis, I guarantee he will lead his young teammates both on and off the court.

Gonzalez is undoubtedly State’s best perimeter defender. Javi led the team in steals during both his junior and freshman seasons, and was second during his sophomore year, amassing a total of 97 steals over three seasons.

One of the biggest liabilities with the young freshman class is the ability to deal with the physicality of college basketball, especially for Harrow, who is listed at a slightly embellished 6-foot-1, 160 pounds. In the season opener, Harrow was having a difficult time fighting off high screens, but the size and experience of Gonzalez make him a much more effective on-the-ball defender.

Despite plenty of criticism throughout his career, Javi has proven himself as a leader and a point guard. His 266 career assists rank 19th in school history, and has dramatically increased his three-point shooting percentage by almost 12% since his freshman year.

In the process of improving his shooting and consistency of play, Gonzalez has a knack for playing well in big games. As a freshman, he scored 18 points against Duke at home and tallied nine assists against Carolina. During his sophomore campaign, he led the team in scoring with 18 points in Chapel Hill against the Tar Heels. And who can forget last year’s upset victory over then No. 7 and eventual National Champions Duke in Raleigh? Javi put up a deep three-pointer as the shot clock expired to give the Pack an eleven point lead with under four minutes to play, essentially driving the nail into the coffin for Duke.

Sure, if that shot didn’t fall everyone would wonder what the hell he was thinking. But the shot did fall, as have countless others in his career. He is a clutch performer.

I’m not saying that Javier Gonzalez is the most talented player for the Pack, he’s probably not even top four in terms of natural ability, but he brings something special to the team. His leadership, his experience, his scrappy defensive play, and his aptitude to perform in big games are going to lead this team. Javi may or may not put up the most impressive numbers on the stat sheet game in and game out, that’s still to be determined, but one thing Pack Nation can count on is Gonzalez having a tremendous impact on this teams success. No te olvides. Don’t forget about Javi.