Andrew Brackman Update
NC State fans will forever wonder "What If" regarding Andrew Brackman's decision to drop basketball to concentrate only on baseball. Who knows whether he might have developed into a real NBA capable player with Sidney Lowe at the helm. You have to believe given Lowe's offensive coaching ability, he would have found a way to help Andrew shine. At a minimum, I believe Brackman would have developed into a fine college player and have received lots of love from the Wolfpack fan base. Brackman along with NC State's returning stars and a great incoming class might have been looking at a top 10 preseason ranking.
BUT, I don't think anyone begrudges his decision. From all accounts he loves both games, and no question, he has a much better chance of the big payday in Major League Baseball.
His outings for the Pack haven't been stellar.
A.J. Carr of the N&O write:
Dwindling velocity, uneven performances plaguing bulked-up pitcher
To become a bigger, better basketball player, Andrew Brackman figured he needed to bulk up. Now the N.C. State baseball star believes excessive weightlifting has adversely affected his pitching this spring.If the year hasn't been perfect, it doesn't seem to mean that his prospects aren't bright. Keith Law rates the top 80 MLB Draft prospects for ESPN:Regarded as a top major-league prospect, Brackman -- who will be on the mound Saturday at Georgia Tech -- has a 6-3 record and a 3.67 earned run average and has seen some of the zip slip off his fastball.
"It hurt my velocity,'' said Brackman, who was humming 99 mph pitches last summer but is throwing in the low 90s now. "I've got to cut back on the weightlifting. I feel I'm muscling the ball instead of having that whip action. I've got to concentrate on keeping the arm flexible."
Brackman, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound junior who played basketball for the Wolfpack as a freshman and sophomore, decided to play baseball full-time this year in preparation for the June draft. More...
1. Matt Wieters, C, Georgia Tech
2. David Price, LHP, Vanderbilt
3. Andrew Brackman, RHP, North Carolina State
4. Rick Porcello, RHP, Seton Hall Prep, West Orange, N.J.
5. Josh Vitters, 3B, Cypress (Calif.) High School
6. Phillippe Aumont, RHP, Ecole Secondary Du Versant, Gatineau, Quebec
7. Matt Harvey, RHP, Fitch High School, Groton, Conn.
8. Jason Heyward, OF/1B, Henry County High School, McDonough, Ga.
9. Jarrod Parker, RHP, Norwell (Ind.) High School
10. Ross Detwiler, LHP, Missouri State
And, if things don't work out and they figure that out soon, he's still got a year of hoops eligibility, right?
3 comments:
I think he still has 2 years of hoops left
But isn't there some kind of rule that you have 5 years to complete your 4 years eligibility? Otherwise, why would you only be able to redshirt kids for 1 year. Exceptions to this for military service and religious missions I think.
He only played 2 years of hoops right? I think the 5 to play 4 rule is per sport and not all sports combined. So, let's say he decides basketball is his sport after all. He still has 2 years of hoops left.
Realistically though, I think his hoops career is over. Once he signs with a baseball team after the this year's or next year's draft, I doubt the baseball team would let him play basketball. If he decides not to sign and comes back for his sr year of baseball, he could play basketball next year, but would he? I'm sure he would want to focus on baseball again.
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