If NC State's basketball team was the Mighty Ducks

This year’s NC State basketball team is young, talented, full of characters and according to most of the experts, they are over-achieving.

Remind you of anyone? Maybe a pee-wee hockey team with a variety of personalities from Minnesota that defied the odds multiple times en route to multiple titles, one even being a Junior Goodwill Games title.

Now this State team hasn’t won any tournaments, and really doesn’t have many wins of value to speak of, but the parallels are undeniable. We might even see the Pack roll out the "Flying V" later on this season. Check it out!

The Roster

We have to start with the Captain. State’s on-court leader and point guard is Tyler Lewis. The under-sized, local kid is like a coach on the court for the Pack. Maybe involuntarily, he’s even given up some of his playing time to a new teammate. Tyler Lewis is Captain Duck, Charlie Conway.

Next we go with the Pack’s best player- T.J. Warren. Warren is the go-to guy for State this season, leading the team (and conference) in points per game. He missed one game with an ankle injury which he’s since played through in recent games. Warren’s father Tony, played for the Pack in the late 1970’s and was later selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 1979 NBA draft. Hmm, best player, played through injuries, and has a successful father? T.J. Warren is definitely Adam “Cake Eater” Banks.

NC State’s struggles from three-point land have been well documented this season, much like the Mighty Ducks’ inability to score on shots from long distance in the Junior Goodwill Games. So the Pack went out and got a newcomer who could shoot the long ball, that player is LSU-transfer Ralston Turner. Turner has more than twice as many made three-pointers as any other Wolfpack player. Turner’s awkward release reminds us another newcomer with an unorthodox shot that fueled the Ducks to a title, with a “knuckle-puck.” Ralston Turner is Russ Tyler.

When it comes to defense and shot-blocking, bigger is often better. No one portrays this better than BeeJay Anya. Arguably the team’s biggest goofball, Anya uses his wide body and long arms to deter opposing shots at an alarming rate. His rim-protecting reminds us of another outgoing, wide-bodied man that loves to protect the net: BeeJay Anya is Greg Goldberg.

Next we have a power forward tandem that does all of the dirty work for the Pack: Lennard Freeman and Kyle Washington. We'll start with Freeman, who is one of the Pack’s best rebounders, he also does the little things to intimidate the opponent. Lennard Freeman is Dean Portman.

Kyle Washington also uses his size to be a bully on both sides of the ball, and while more of a scorer than Freeman, he still lacks efficiency… say, one out of five or so?? Washington is the second Bash Brother, Fulton Reed.

A newcomer for the Pack that has provided a lift with his skills and athleticism is Anthony “Cat” Barber. Barber has been very productive for State, using his speed and quickness to get to the basket often. This one was easy, as the Ducks also had a new player who used their quick reactions to earn valuable minutes during games. Anthony “Cat” Barber is Julie “The Cat” Gaffney.

State is full of new guys who help them offensively. One of them is guard Desmond Lee. Lee is one of State’s best players at getting to the basket, but finishing once he gets there has been an issue for the junior college transfer. The Ducks also had a cross-country transfer who was great at getting to the basket, but like Lee, struggled to stay under control and finish. Dez Lee is smooth talking, and lightning fast, forward Luis Mendoza.

Jordan Vandenberg is the lone senior on the NC State’s roster. The 7-foot Australian is known to be a guy who helps keep things light in the locker room. Injuries have kept the center out of the line-up at times, including an ankle injury that sidelined him for the first four games of the season. The Ducks had an adventurous, original member who struggled with injuries as well. Jordan Vandenberg is Lester Averman.