Feb. 7, 2008

By Bill Hass
theACC.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Call him a glue guy, call him a utility man or just call him a competitor.

By whatever name, good things happen when Ben McCauley is on the court for North Carolina State.

Preseason expectations ran high for the Wolfpack, which was picked third in the poll taken of the media during Operation Basketball in October. After a slow start, State has won three of its last four games to reach 4-4 in the conference. That gives the Pack a legitimate shot at finishing in one of the coveted top four spots, which means it wouldn't have to play the first day of the ACC Tournament.

"We have some momentum and we're ready to make some noise in the second half of the ACC season," said McCauley, a 6-foot-10 junior. "You want to get to that .500 mark and above as you try to boost yourself into that upper level.

"We had to play the first day last year and it's tough to play four days. We need to establish ourselves so we can have that first day to watch the other teams and then we can come out with full energy on the second day."

Finishing in the top four won't be easy. At the halfway point in the schedule, Duke and North Carolina are the favorites to capture the top two spots. Maryland, Clemson, Virginia Tech, NC State and Georgia Tech figure into the free-for-all for the other two byes. Wake Forest, Boston College and Florida State still have a shot with a strong second half.

Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe said he wasn't sure if he would call it momentum, but his team is playing better recently.

"Some of our players have made the adjustment to the changes we've made and the addition of new players," he said. "Our guys feel good about the fact we've won a few games and (they are) recognizing there are certain things we have to do to win and we have to do them on a consistent basis."

It's no coincidence that State's recent surge has come with McCauley back in the starting lineup. Last season he averaged 14.4 points and 6.9 rebounds while playing almost 35 minutes a game. He was part of a unit with Brandon Costner, Courtney Fells and Gavin Grant that averaged about 35 minutes apiece.

But with the addition of 6-9 freshman J.J. Hickson plus a trio of inexperienced point guards, State struggled to find last year's chemistry. McCauley started, then came off the bench, then started again. Finally, things seem to be meshing better, even with him moving from the post to the wing.

"It feels good being back as a starter," McCauley said. "It's a lot like last year, although it's a different position. I feel confident going out there at the tip and believe I can help give us the lead early.

"Starting is good for me because I bring energy and I can help us get going early. It's important to have energy right at the tip so you can be acting instead of reacting. We want to come out and put teams away early."

That's why Lowe inserted McCauley back in the starting lineup, to help cure the Pack's slow starts.

"He's probably the guy we have with the most intensity on our team and we thought it was important that we get him in there," Lowe said. "It's also his ability to communicate; he's the best at communicating on our team.

"He talks defensively, he can execute on the offensive end and he can score. He does a number of things for us and he's done a real nice job since he's been in there. Now we have to have everybody else do their jobs."

Although he played the wing some in his AAU days, McCauley has mostly been a post player through high school and his first two years of college ball. He still slides in there when Hickson goes out for a rest, but most of his time is spent on the wing, a different view of the game.

"Last year I really liked the (post position), but now I like a combination of the two," he said. "Posting up is what I've always done and what I know how to do, but playing the wing is good because that's what I'll probably do at the next level.

"I've worked on a 15- to 17-foot jumper and also worked on my ballhandling so I can create for my teammates. I have improved my jumper. I made two (against Virginia Tech) and that helps my confidence."

With averages of 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds, McCauley's role has changed to a more complementary one. He developed into a good passer last season and looks to get even better at getting the ball to teammates in position to score. He is also asked, depending on the particular game, to grab rebounds or to box out so his teammates can rebound. And he'll sometimes play the stopper on defense.

"The reason I like him really has nothing to do with the tangible things," said Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg. "He's an intangible guy to me. I mean, he's just tough, he's competitive, he doesn't mind taking a hit - I think he enjoys it. I think he's a really good player, he understands the game, he plays to win and I admire guys that play that way."

McCauley demonstrated how he plays to win against Wake Forest. With the game tied and five seconds left, he threw an inbounds pass to Gavin Grant, then sprinted the length of the court and slammed home the winning basket off the missed shot just before the buzzer.

"You know what, that kid, give him credit," said Wake coach Dino Gaudio. "He took the ball out of bounds, ran 94 feet and tip-dunked the game-winner. He made a heck of a basketball play. It was an effort play."

Lowe said he thought it was McCauley's mind-set from the moment he threw the ball in.

"It was just an unbelievable play of, I can't say not giving up, but just going to make something happen," Lowe said. "He wasn't going to accept the fact that maybe Gavin is going to make the shot. He wanted to put himself in the position that if the shot came off he was there. And that's what he did. You don't see a guy inbound the ball and then go down and dunk it on the other end. That just doesn't happen too often, not in that fashion."

The play is etched in McCauley's memory bank.

"I didn't know I could run the full length of the court in five seconds, so that's kind of amazing," he said with a laugh. "When I threw the ball in, I saw Gavin was open and the defense dropped back. I thought he might pull up and sure, enough, he took the shot. I saw all the Wake Forest players turn and look to the hoop, probably figuring that was the last shot of the game.

"There was still a decent amount of time left and when I got to the 3-point line, there was still no one blocking me out. I got a pretty easy bounce right in front of the rim and I grabbed the ball and threw it in. When the horn sounded, I tried to make sense of it all to be sure it really happened."

Although he said there's nothing more enjoyable than playing ACC basketball, there are other facets to McCauley's life. He has twice been named to the league's All-Academic team, and posted a 3.25 GPA for the fall semester.

"It's really important to do what you need to do in the classroom," he said. "You're representing your school (on the court) and getting an education, so hopefully I can keep that up. You're only here for four years, so you might as well take advantage of it."

McCauley is majoring in Sports Management and eventually hopes to get into golf course design or golf course management. He played golf four years in high school in West Newton, Pa., about 35 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Although he doesn't play during basketball season, in the summer he still enjoys picking up the clubs specially lengthened to compensate for his height.

"I'm not as good as I was in high school, but I can still put together a decent round," he said. "Being tall, you want to stay down on the ball. You tend to pull up, top the ball and hit it thin."

Thoughts of the golf course are far from McCauley's mind at the moment. The Wolfpack has road games at Maryland on Saturday and at Boston College on Feb. 14. If things run true to this season's ACC form, both will be close and could be decided on the final possession.

"They build confidence," McCauley said. "If you get into the NCAA Tournament, you're going to have close games. For us to be in them and win some of them, will help us do well in the NCAA because we know what it takes to win those games."

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Bill Hass is a long-time observer of ACC sports. His career at the Greensboro News & Record spanned 36 years, from 1969 until his retirement in March, 2006. He is now writing "Bill Hass on the ACC" for theACC.com. His weekly columns will keep fans plugged in to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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