RALEIGH, N.C. -- For now, all North Carolina State freshman Omer Yurtseven can do is work on his game and be patient.With all the attention on possible one-and-done freshman Dennis Smith Jr., the Turkish 7-footer gives the Wolfpack a second five-star prospect on an overhauled and potential-filled roster. But hes still waiting for the NCAA to clear him as eligible to play as an amateur.Practice starts Friday and the opener is six weeks away.I cant control it so Im trying not to think about it, Yurtseven said Thursday during the teams preseason media day. Just think about education and basketball, to control as I said what you can. Because thats not in your hands, so if you think about it more, all Its going to get you is frustration. And I dont want that.Yurtseven, a native of Istanbul, had a professional contract offer with a European club team, but opted to play college basketball and committed to the Wolfpack in May. The 18-year-old also has international experience, is considered a potential one-and-done talent himself and even had a 91-point game in a Turkish Under-18 game this spring.He played overseas and he grew up playing the game the right way, junior forward Abdul-Malik Abu said, so hes very skilled and has a super high IQ.Smiths debut at the point guard after enrolling in January to rehab a serious knee injury has caused the biggest buzz for the Wolfpack. And sixth-year coach Mark Gottfried isnt shying away from fueling the hype about Smith, calling him Thursday the best guard in the country even while saying he will have a learning curve as he transitions to the college level.But Yurtsevens commitment was a big deal, too, and a key reason why the Wolfpack ranks No. 6 nationally in Scout.coms recruiting rankings.Gottfried said Thursday that nothing has happened in a negative way during the NCAAs review process of Yurtsevens amateur status, saying there is plenty of discussion but no timetable for a decision.Its not frustrating because quite honestly for us, theres really not a whole lot we can do about that, Gottfried said. Hes participated in every workout. Hes integrating himself with our team in a really positive way.Were approaching it with the hope he wont have to miss any games and move right in and play. If he does (have to sit out games), well deal with that, too.Yurtseven said he understands the evaluation process takes time.Youve just got to hope for the best, he said. I think that they should let me get cleared because I dont think I have done something wrong. But you know, theyre trying to do their part, so I cant do nothing but respect them. So thats what Im trying to do.While N.C. State has plenty of backcourt options, the Wolfpack sure could use Yurtseven up front. Abu (12.9 points, 8.8 rebounds) and 6-9 senior BeeJay Anya are back after offseason flirtations with the NBA draft, but Gottfried is leaning toward redshirting 6-9 senior Lennard Freeman to let him fully heal after an injury-plagued season following surgery to repair a fracture in his lower right leg in summer 2015.The opportunity is there, assuming Yurtseven suits up as planned.Its a new experience and its fun, he said. Im in a place that Ive never been in, a situation that I dont know if Ill live (through) ever again, a different situation than this. Im just trying to have fun, enjoy and hope for the best.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap and the APs college basketball site at http://collegebasketball.ap.org Sam Darnold Jets Jersey . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. C.J. Mosley Youth Jersey . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. http://www.jetsrookiestore.com/Jets-Wayne-Chrebet-Jersey/ .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Jachai Polite Jets Jersey . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Joe Klecko Womens Jersey . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. As a young gymnast growing up in Oklahoma in the 1980s, I had one idol: Mary Lou Retton, who vaulted her way to victory at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Mary Lou was peppy, compact and full of explosive power. As a gymnast I was nothing like her. All the same, I was determined to carry on her legacy: to go out and achieve excellence at every single competition, no matter what the circumstances.Mary Lous accomplishments followed me and my future Olympic teammates to dream throughout our childhoods, and they accompanied us as we marched into the Georgia Dome for our own Olympic moment when we won gold in July of 1996.Fast forward 20 years, and the Final Five -- Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Gabrielle Douglas, Madison Kocian and Laurie Hernandez -- are the undisputed queens of gymnastics. You cant really compare the victories: My teammates and I won Olympic gold by eight-tenths of a point in a close duel with the Russians. The Final Five stormed the Rio Olympic Arena and landed eight whole points above the nearest competition (still Russia). They are that good.No one word does this team justice, but when I think about it I keep coming back to the word strong. All gymnasts are physically strong, and behind every flawless routine is half a lifetime of work. But the mental strength displayed by these five young women surpasses age, natural talent, and even the assurance that springs from outstanding past results.It was an open secret that the American women were going to win the team gold medal in Rio, barring a stranger-than-fiction catastrophe. It was so clear they were the best that they didnt even need to do everything they were capable of to lock down that medal. They could have chosen to simplify their routines. To play it safe. To protect the gold. They could have accepted winning by seven points, or six, or five -- and it still wwould have been glorious.ddddddddddddBut they refused to go easy. They gave everything they had, performing to the maximum of their abilities. And they executed flawlessly, turning in the most dominant performance of any womens gymnastics team ever.We say its easier to be the hunter than the hunted. I always felt it was simpler to be the underdog, because when there are no expectations, whatever you do is going to be great. But when youre the team thats supposed to win -- when youve been splashed across the media and everyone is saying that you cant possibly lose this -- it can throw you off balance. What I love about the Final Five is that each of these young women was actually able to thrive on that pressure. They understood that they were walking in as the best and they were determined to maintain that. To be able to cross the finish line, to fight for every tenth of a point as though everything were riding on it, is as hard as most of the gymnastics they did so well in Rio.What better example could be set for all the little girls who were glued to their TV or computer screens watching them this s