Mark Gottfried not afraid to call Dennis Smith best guard in the nation Posted Oct 29, 2016 North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried said unambiguously he believes freshman point guard Dennis Smith Jr. is the best guard in the nation. “I will stand here in front of you today and say I think Dennis Smith is the best guard in the in the country – period, hands down, that’s my opinion,” Gottfried told the media on Sept. 29 before the start of preseason practice. (Today's U)