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RALEIGH (AP) — Richard Howell remembers times last year when he had to decide whether he could get off the floor quickly enough to dunk or if he'd have to go for a layup. Now 20 pounds lighter, the N.C. State junior feels differently.

"This year, when I need to dunk, I do dunk it," he said.

Howell's slimmed-down physique is one of the most obvious products of the arrival of new coach Mark Gottfried, who pushed the 6-foot-8 forward to get into better shape almost from the moment he took the job in the spring. Howell was listed at 266 pounds as a freshman and was around 270 in April, but he's down to about 250 after taking on a workout and diet plan in the offseason. During the Wolfpack's preseason media day Wednesday, Howell looked like a different player from his first two seasons.

"It shows me Richard's very dedicated," Gottfried said. "He wants to make a difference. It's going to help his conditioning, his stamina. I think last year, the few games I watched, it seemed to me he was out of shape, overweight and couldn't be the player I think he can be. This is the first step: getting your body ready to where you can be a good, solid player."

To get there, Howell began working to improve his conditioning with strength coach Bob Alejo and a nutritionist to choose better foods instead of his favorites.

"I love bacon and fried chicken," he said with a chuckle. "Apparently that's not the best thing for you when you're an athlete."

His teammates are noticing the changes, too, with senior C.J. Williams saying he's observed Howell eating better while looking "quicker" and "stronger" in pickup games.

Howell averaged 7.4 points and 6.5 rebounds last season, mostly as a reserve. He has shown flashes of the ability to score and rebound, including scoring 18 points on 9-for-11 shooting last year at Duke, but has never managed to string a series of strong performances together in his career. Howell is hoping the weight loss will help change that under Gottfried, who wants to run a faster-paced offense than the set-heavy calls from the past five seasons under Sidney Lowe.

At least he'll be ready to run.

"I feel a lot better," Howell said. "I'm more excited. I know I can run faster. I can jump higher. It's all exciting just to know I've made that type of progress."