If you see this State football player…

NCSU JuCo transfer Clem Johnson, see this TSW exclusive I wrote back on February 7, added the UNC BASKETBALL FANS application to his facebook page!!! So, if you happen to see him around give him hell! He’s from up north, so maybe he doesn’t realize what he’s doing yet, but we better see that thing down come August. I’m sure other State players will find out about it eventually and things will get handled, but it’s still disturbing to see a recruit/player supporting UNC in any sport.

TSW Exclusive: Clem Johnson

As noted in my National Signing Day entry, a few of the players coming on board are from the Junior College (JuCo) ranks. One of the four this season is Clem Johnson. He’s a 5′11″ 190lb Cornerback from Valley Forge Military College in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Some former VFMC players include Julian Peterson (‘98) of the Seattle Seahawks, Larry Fitzgerald (‘02) of the Arizona Cardinals, and Karl Hankton (‘90) of our Carolina Panthers.

Clem was “Offensive Player of the Year” both his freshman and sophomore years at VFMC. He told me that he “had offers from Arkansas, West Virginia, Central Michigan, Temple and Akron.” He even committed to Temple last summer, but changed his commitment within the past month. Clem was slated to play tailback for the Owls.

Hey Coach Grant, I mean Gavin!

Hahahaha. I nearly lost it when I saw this write up on BetUS.com

NC State will be a tough team to handle, mainly because they return almost everyone. Are they good enough to beat North Carolina or Duke? Their coach, Gavin Grant, certainly thinks so. He’s been making bold predictions all summer. They are a talented bunch that made it all the way to the ACC Tournament Finals last year and, if anything, they can make some waves in the ultra-tough ACC. Of course, then again, they could just fall flat on their faces. Time will tell if their ACC tourney run from last year was a fluke or not.

Nice limp prediction from a sports betting site. What morons.

Boston Herald article wrong on STATEment

I was reading some TOB material and came across this article at the Boston Herald. Here is the first 2 paragraphs:

If anything was a hallmark of Tom O’Brien’s teams it was discipline. And if there is anything his new football team at N.C. State could use, it’s a little of that discipline.
But in Raleigh, N.C., O’Brien is in a situation unlike any other he has encountered. In his previous three stops – as an assistant coach at Navy and Virginia and as the head coach at Boston College – he had the opportunity to work with some of the best student-athletes in the country. This is his first foray into coaching at a state school, but O’Brien believes his form of discipline will work.

I don’t mean to nit-pick, but UVa is a state school! It doesn’t take much research to figure that one out. It’s not like Pembroke, where someone might need to look it up. UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA. It’s in the name idiot.

Also, what’s with the backhanded remark “he had the opportunity to work with some of the best student-athletes in the country”? Why not just say ‘Now he has to deal with a bunch of morons that couldn’t get into private school like Virginia’ (note sarcasm).

I’m guessing once Steve Conroy at the BH gets wind of my post he will make a correction, just remember, you saw it here first!

UPDATE: I contacted Mr. Conroy, the writer of the article. His repsonse, “You got my point, however incorrectly I worded it.”

Inside the Locker Room: Marcus Jones

To say I am excited is an understatement. Though I’ve never met him, Marcus Jones is one of my favorite NC State baseball players. I remember seeing him pinch-run, pinch-hit, and get some late game innings last year. This year it was good to see him get in the line up, and even better to see him have so many productive games. Like I wrote a few days ago in “Jones takes UNC to the Slammer” and several weeks ago in “Season Outlook“, Marcus is a proverbial cornerstone to this squad. Solid defense, and efficient offense from the back of the line-up, Jones is having a solid sophomore year. The future for this former HS All-American out of ‘The District’ looks bright, very bright.

Marcus was kind enough to share with me his thoughts on this year’s team, their progress, and the team’s expectations for this post-season. After the Pack’s disappointing, yet promising, series against the Tarholes, here’s what the starting CF had to say: