Rather than keep making new threads every year, I figured we could just have one thread where we can discuss 2008, 2009, 2010 and so on recruits.

2010 commit C.J. Leslie played well in the GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational. Leslie and 2009 PG target John Wall helped lead Word of God over Dematha 64-62. Leslie sank 2 key free throws in the final seconds of the game to get the win.

http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/content.asp?cid=755404

Quote :

"Leslie, a class of 2010 commitment to NC State, was tremendous and was at his very best that we've seen from him. He scored a game high 26 points and did it was authority, scoring on the break, at the rim, with a nifty midrange shot and anything that required athleticism. His offense was impressive but his effort, attitude and shot-blocking ability really showed. Leslie said he "I'm settled down now," Leslie said. "I think I've finally found a place where I can be comfortable and play a really calm game." Playing with Wall doesn't hurt either. "Yeah, it's always nice to have a guy like him," Leslie said with a big smile. "It was his night to make people smile," Wall said of Leslie. "He got me tonight. But we both, no, our team, had a great time. This was worth (the price of admission.""

Photo gallery from the N&O.
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/preps/photos/story/852438.html

12/30/2007 3:31:41 PM

is there really such a thing as a 2010 commitment?

12/30/2007 3:35:42 PM

^ Verbal.

Amazing how young kids are now when they get offers. I think USC offered a 14 year old.

12/30/2007 3:37:27 PM

StateFans had a good post today that talked about the clusterfuck at point guard we could have in a few years:

Quote :

"I foresee a significant log jam at the point guard position in the future that can only be fixed by the transfer of more than one player currently on the team. During the year when we will be recruiting all-everything point guard, John Wall from Raleigh’s Word of God High School, the Wolfpack’s roster is projected to include FIVE (of 13) scholarship players who project to play the point: Trevor Ferguson (R-Jr); Marques Johnson (Jr); Farnold Degand (potentially a R-So); Javi Gonzalez (So); and Julius Mays (Fr). ===>For overall scholarship distribution and for the talent distribution of the point guard position while trying to recruit John Wall, I would expect that Trevor Ferguson has little to no future of playing time at NC State. Additionally, if Javi Gonzalez continues to project behind both Farnold Degand and Marques Johnson while NC State tries to land John Wall, then one has to wonder if Gonzalez will want to stick around Raleigh for all four years?"

Who wants to take bets as to how soon Fergie will transfer?

12/30/2007 3:42:28 PM

Fergie needs to concentrate on being a lights out SG from 3 pt range. That's what we need right now and would be the best way for him to get on the court. Besides he isn't really a PG. Last year he even said he was a SG but can handle the ball if Lowe asked him to, which is why we saw him bring the ball up a few times.

Other teams run 3 guards, why can't we?

12/30/2007 3:49:23 PM

we'll still have to make a new thread next year for 2009/10/11 recruits


what we're you doing this summer coach?

i spent it in florida hunting recruits

12/30/2007 3:58:34 PM

what we need is a dominant confident kid at the point

not all this 3 star bs

12/30/2007 4:16:48 PM

we had a certain european who was a 3 star

he worked out pretty well

12/30/2007 4:35:20 PM

Here's a list of 2009 kids on the Pack Pride recruiting board.

*'s Pos. Name Schools Interested
5* PG John Wall (Kentucky, Memphis, Miami (Fl), Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Arizona, Baylor, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina, North Carolina State)

5* SG Lorenzo Brown (Miami (Fl), North Carolina State, Auburn, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Tennessee, UAB, Virginia, Virginia Tech)

4* SG Noel Johnson (Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Memphis, Michigan State, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Texas, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest)

4* SF Richard Howell (Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech)

4* SG Naji Hibbert (Clemson, Marist, Marquette, Maryland, Miami (Fl), North Carolina State, Texas A&M, Xavier)

4* SG Earnest Ross (Clemson, North Carolina, North Carolina State, UNC-Wilmington, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest)

4* PF Mason Plumlee (Georgetown, Indiana, Iowa, Louisville, Miami (Fl), Michigan, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Stanford, UCLA)

3* SF Andre Marhold (Clemson, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, Winthrop)

3* SG Tamir Jackson (UAB, Miami (Fl), North Carolina State, Pennsylvania, Saint John's (NY), Virginia Tech)

3* SG Akeem Richmond (Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, UAB, Wake Forest)

3* SG Dee Giger (Charleston Southern, Clemson, Davidson, James Madison, North Carolina State, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Western Carolina, William & Mary, Xavier)

3* PF Ryan Kelly (Davidson, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Richmond, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech, William & Mary)

2* PF Matt Wilson (Clemson, College of Charleston, Florida, North Carolina State, Richmond, South Carolina, UNC-Wilmington, Vermont, Wake Forest)

2* SF Garrius Adams (East Carolina, High Point, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech)


John Wall and Ryan Kelly are the only ones we have offered so far. Lorenzo Brown is the only one that lists us as High Interest. I expect Sid to pull out all of the stops to land Wall who is considered either the #1 or #2 PG in the 2009 class depending on which website you look at. It would also be nice to land Brown who is the #4 ranked SG in the 2009 class. We land both Brown and Wall and we could potentially have the best backcourt in the nation. Of note is Richard Howell, the #9 SF in the 2009 class. Howell is attending Wheeler High School, the same school that JJ Hickson went to. Maybe we've got some in-roads there that will help us land him.

12/30/2007 4:44:38 PM

we will indeed potentially have a clusterfuck at pointguard. we'll see how it goes =X

12/30/2007 5:07:50 PM

You'd have a hard time convincing me that some of the point guards we have had over the last few years ever played in high school

12/30/2007 5:49:43 PM

Release whoever we need to in order to get Wall.

12/30/2007 6:00:57 PM

I heard that Ryan Kelly was really talented on the offensive side but needs to bulk up to play D at the 4 spot i think hes listed at 6'7 200. I heard he was impressive at the GSK this past weekend though. He would be good to get for '09 with Hickson prob gone by then and Ben will be gone as well.

12/30/2007 7:31:29 PM

Considering how much Ferguson has already moved around I seriously doubt he transfers and sits out yet another year. He played 5 years of high school ball and has already sat out an extra year in college. We should just take his scholly and give him an "academic" scholarship.

12/30/2007 7:44:40 PM

Personally I'd rather get Derrick Favors to replace Hickson. He's considered wide open right now.

http://northcarolinastate.scout.com/a.z?s=178&p=8&c=1&nid=2430550
http://ncstate.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=44563&sport=2

I know someone will say we don't have a chance in hell with him, but hey we got Hickson who was just as highly touted. Favors is considered the #1 C by Scout and #2 PF by Rivals. Hickson was the #3 C by Scout and #2 PF by Rivals.

If we got Favors I think we would have a great chance at landing Noel Johnson and/or Richard Howell. That could do wonders for us in landing Wall.

12/30/2007 7:59:48 PM

Scholarship situation (let me know if I made any mistakes)


07/08

SR
Gavin Grant

JR
Courtney Fells
Ben McCauley

SO
Brandon Costner*
Trevor Ferguson*
Farnold Degand*
Marques Johnson
Dennis Horner

FR
JJ Hickson
Tracy Smith
Javy Gonzalez
Johnny Thomas

Total: 12


-----------------------------------------


08/09

SR
Courtney Fells
Ben McCauley

JR
Brandon Costner*
Trevor Ferguson*
Farnold Degand* (maybe another redshirt???)
Marques Johnson
Dennis Horner

SO
JJ Hickson
Tracy Smith
Javy Gonzalez

FR
Johnny Thomas*
CJ Williams
Julius Mays

Total: 13

-----------------------------------------

09/10


SR
Brandon Costner*
Trevor Ferguson*
Farnold Degand* (maybe another redshirt???)
Marques Johnson
Dennis Horner

JR
JJ Hickson
Tracy Smith
Javy Gonzalez

SO
Johnny Thomas*
CJ Williams
Julius Mays

FR
2 spots assuming nobody leaves

12/30/2007 8:17:22 PM

I saw Ryan Kelly play earlier this year when Ravenscroft lost to N. Durham. He's a really good fundamental player, but it seemed to me that he lacked the athleticism and killer instinct. He also struggled to get his own shot at times. He could progress into a pretty solid player though, assuming he puts on some weight.

Favors is probably going to be a stretch for us...but we could only hope. He had 42 pts, 20 rebs, and 12 blocks in a game at the Bojangles Shootout a few days ago.

12/30/2007 10:15:16 PM

i think it's a given Hickson won't be here more than this year. We can hope, but not likely. And we may get Costner for another year, but I see him either getting better or being stupid and thinking he is better than he is and leaving early anyways.

12/30/2007 10:17:24 PM

if by getting better you mean more lazy on defense and fat with an attitude...then yes.

12/30/2007 10:23:12 PM

I don't see us keeping Hickson around for 4 years, but I'm not convinced it's a foregone conclusion that he is one and done.

12/30/2007 11:04:42 PM

okay what if he comes back for one more year, planning on entering the following NBA draft, tears his ACL during the season, redshirts and comes back for year 3!!

12/30/2007 11:13:29 PM

He has to dominate the ACC to be one and done. His hands aren't there yet. He still drops balls that should be dunks. I think he'll be here 2 years. Maybe 3.

12/30/2007 11:13:32 PM

Yeah I'm starting to think he'll be a two and through player instead of a one and done. We could be a really good team next year. Hickson will continue to dominate. Javi, Marques, and Farnold come back with experience and then you add in Julius Mays as well. Courtney and Ben come back to provide senior leadership. Costner comes back and when he's on he's one of the best SF/PF in the nation (hopefully he begins playing like it by Jan. 12th). Horner a gritty player that always plays hard comes back. Johnny Thomas and C.J. Williams will come in and try to fill in Gavin's shoes. Tracy will have a year in the system. And hopefully Trevor will get rid of the deer in headlights look and become productive off of the bench.

[Edited on December 30, 2007 at 11:16 PM. Reason : ]

12/30/2007 11:15:55 PM

PackPride has posted an update on John Wall. Wall is one of the top 25 players in the nation and is from Raleigh. We got permission to run this quote:

While he didn’t name leaders, Wall did mention three schools that are recruiting him hard.

“I think [NC] State is really coming after me hard… them, Virginia, and Memphis.”

NC State is the hometown team for Wall, who lives just minutes from the Wolfpack’s campus. His mother would like to see him play close to home but expect Wall to evaluate all of his options before making a decision.

“My mom, she really wants me to go to State,” said Wall. “That is the school she likes. It would be a good fit, but it’s just something I’d like to do. There’s nothing wrong with being here, but I’m just going to look at all my schools and see what I’ll do after that.”

1/3/2008 2:33:06 PM

i.e. which school will offer the greatest package under the table

[Edited on January 3, 2008 at 2:34 PM. Reason : 0]

1/3/2008 2:34:45 PM

Quote :

"Javi, Marques, and Farnold come back with experience and then you add in Julius Mays as well."

sounds more like a clusterfuck at pg than an advantage

1/3/2008 2:39:18 PM

I think Johnson gets moved to the 2, Javi stays on the bench pretty much all the time, and we possibly even run a 3 guard offense at times.

And theres no way we get that Favors kid.

1/3/2008 2:45:10 PM

I expect Javi will likely transfer. I don't see him getting any PT over Johnson and Degand. And I potentially see Mays moving over to SG if Johnson and Degand step up and claim the top 2 PG spots.

1/3/2008 2:48:16 PM

i dont get the hate for javi

the kid is a true freshman, plays better defense than any other guard we have on the team minus maybe fells and handles the ball well. granted, he has made some dumbass passes and plays, but so has every other player on our team including the other true freshman with significant minutes that everyone is on their knees for every game.

1/3/2008 2:57:24 PM

ditto that.

1/3/2008 3:10:39 PM

I dont mind Javi, but i just dont think hes better than Johnson or Farnold when he was healthy. The one thing Javi is better at then those two is defense. Javi has very quick hands on D and gets some steals that Johnson and Farnold wouldnt. But, Javi cannot shot at all, and isnt a very good passer (based on my somewhat limited basketball knowledge) and he just doenst seem comfortable with the ball at times (he stands near the half court line and picks up his dribble alot). Hopefully he will progress and provide good comp for pg next year.

1/3/2008 3:13:37 PM

Javi's defense is some of the best the team has, granted thats not saying much at times. His shot is off, but he did have the wrist issue, im pretty sure that was on his shooting had, so thats gonna effect his shot and his ball handling skills. As far as picking up his dribble at midcourt, Grant was doing that last year and he was a junior, not a true freshman playing PG. gotta give the man a break, if he sucks it up after this year, then he can transfer or ride the pine a la Fergie.

1/3/2008 3:33:47 PM

The Destination: The NIT and the recruiting trail. The NCAA Tournament is a stretch based on the way NC State has played, but it is not out of the question. The problem is the ACC schedule, which did NC State no favors.

1/3/2008 4:32:03 PM

we need John Wall bad to come here and run point

1/3/2008 5:47:48 PM

does anyone know anything about reggie bullock?

1/3/2008 11:30:42 PM

Reggie is a 6'5 2 guard from Kinston High, just moved up to 5 stars on scouts a couple weeks ago and just got an offer from unc ( my friend tells me reggie is a big tar heel fan). Hear that he can handle the ball really well and is a great slasher and really mature on the court. tOSU, Wake, and IU are also going hard for him.

1/4/2008 5:48:26 PM

Here's an article about one of Bullock's teammates, Bo Ingram, who is apparently a huge State fan. I dont' think he's good enough for us to offer him a scholarship, but he does have an offer from ECU. Wonder if he'd be interested in being a walk-on?

Quote :

"Although he’s been offered a scholarship by East Carolina and a few other mid-major pro-grams, Ingram’s lifetime dream is to play for N.C. State. His room is Wolfpack red and he said he’s been a State fan since he knew about basketball. "

http://www.kinston.com/sports/ingram_43481___article.html/game_play.html

scout.com profile of him - http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=2281430

1/4/2008 7:05:19 PM

Quote :

"Reggie is a 6'5 2 guard from Kinston High"

Kinston High eh? Should fit in well with the rest of the thugs they've had at UNC.

1/4/2008 8:55:13 PM

^way to make alienate him from state even more. We're also recruiting him, just so you know. Ignorant fans like you are the reasons we lost to carolina for recruits.

1/5/2008 12:35:11 AM

I think it has more to do with Carolina and Duke dominating college basketball and us not doing shit in 20 years.

1/5/2008 12:37:28 AM

^WRONG

it's a well known fact that all of those McDonald's all americans UNC pulls in read tww before making their decision

1/5/2008 12:45:24 AM

^ lol, ftw.

1/5/2008 10:23:16 AM

do we have anyone coming in next season who is a pure outside shooter? If we had one of those this year then we would do ok.

1/6/2008 12:27:53 AM

^ lol, no

1/6/2008 12:31:37 AM

How long do you think it will take Degand to be 100% (or close to it) after he has his surgery?

Will he be able to play at the beginning of next seasons? ACC time?

[Edited on January 6, 2008 at 12:38 AM. Reason : .]

1/6/2008 12:36:13 AM

next season. I hear they're trying to get a medical redshirt.


Why don't they go in and redo is other ACL as well?

1/6/2008 12:37:09 AM

yeah i know it will be next season, but is an ACL injury recovery something that would cause him to miss any games at the start of next season?

1/6/2008 12:39:19 AM

No, he may be playable in March, but best not to test it. He'll be walking and running 6 weeks after surgery.

1/6/2008 12:40:05 AM

Quote :

"Ignorant fans like you are the reasons we lost to carolina for recruits."

which part of my statement are you claiming is ignorant? I can get stats on the thug status of Kinston High if you like

Besides, I think all the fans hating on our coach and players (like javi) would be more of a turn off.

[Edited on January 6, 2008 at 1:09 AM. Reason : .]

1/6/2008 1:08:41 AM

Quote :

"He has to dominate the ACC to be one and done. His hands aren't there yet. He still drops balls that should be dunks. I think he'll be here 2 years. Maybe 3."

Two words: Cedric Simmons.

1/6/2008 2:18:11 AM