Main event: One of the sections of last week’s The Run Down was how Concord (N.C.) Cannon School junior guard Austin Swartz would do against a loaded Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep.
NC State coach Kevin Keatts and assistant coaches Levi Watkins and Kareem Richardson also must have felt the same way. They came back to the John Wall Holiday Invitational for this particular game.
For one half, Swartz killed it with deep jumpers, a few drives and oodles of confidence. He had 19 points at halftime and kept Cannon School in the game.
Swartz cooled off in the second half to finish with 24 points. He needed 24 shots to do it, but it didn’t feel like he was shot-jacking in the 83-65 Prolific Prep win.
NC State never offered Charlotte guards Aden Holloway (Auburn signee) or Trey Green (Xavier), who form the backcourt for Prolific Prep. They are why it was big for Swartz and to a lessor extent sophomore guard Isaiah Henry to handle their business Wednesday. Green and Holloway combined for 40 points, 15 assists and eight three-pointers.
Should NC State throw the “O” for Swartz? Offering Swartz would be a good move. All those jumpers that current redshirt junior wing Casey Morsell is currently getting, Swartz would also knock down. He’s a gifted three-point shooter, and just needs to create space.
Henry also battled fiercely and had 22 points and nine rebounds. It’s the best I’ve seen him play. His recruitment will be interesting because he’s the younger brother of Clemson defensive end K.J. Henry and his father is a long-time college football assistant. Isaiah will probably have a text-book recruitment.
NC State’s top target in event plays well: Junior wing Rakease Passmore and Lincolnton (N.C.) Combine Academy rolled to an easy 81-42 win over Wilson (N.C.) Greenfield School.
Keatts, Watkins and Richardson arrived for that game, and then came back later to see Cannon School and Prolific Prep.
Passmore was efficient and didn’t try anything he wasn’t capable of doing. He shot the three-pointer well and had his one big dunk, which was an alley-oop. He finished 7 of 11 from the field and 2 of 4 on three-pointers for 16 points, plus five rebounds.
On the recruiting front, Passmore knows the Wolfpack were there from day one and he likes Keatts. However, his head is swimming with all these new schools and he wants to see as many as the “name” schools that he can. I think the Wolfpack are in good shape, as is Tennessee.
Like a lot of the games, this one featured ghosts of NC State recruiting past with senior point guard Silas Demary Jr. of Combine Academy, who picked NC State with VCU second and NC State third.
Turned free a bit: Raleigh Word of God reclassed sophomore wing Zion Collins didn’t get in when I watched the Holy Rams play in November.
The Durham, N.C., native who unofficially visited NC State this past summer, came off the bench for 19:05 and went 6 of 6 for 12 points in a 71-58 win over Raleigh Christian.
Collins is an elite athlete and mercurial on the court. He’s the classic recruit who could look like a top 50 recruit at times.
College of Charleston senior signee Mayar Wol had arguably the dunk of the day in the win, and finished with 18 points. Former target Freddie Dilione was steady with 15 points and seven assists, but fellow former target Davin Crosby struggle with six points. Dilione picked Tennessee and Crosby selected Alabama.
Chatter from Morganton, N.C.: Morganton (N.C.) Freedom had a top sophomores Zymicah Wilkins of Rutherfordton-Spindale Central High in Rutherfordton, N.C., and Amore Connelly of Freedom High played tonight, but not against each other.
Wilkins had 44 points in his game against West Caldwell, and Connelly had 24 points in his contest against Enka.
Joel Justus in Columbia, S.C.: NC State assistant coach Joel Justus was watching junior power forward Jarin Stevenson of Pittsboro (N.C.) Seaforth. NC State, North Carolina and Virginia have clearly worked the Stevenson recruitment harder than any schools the last two years. Rivals.com ranks Stevenson No. 20 overall in the class of 2024.
NC State coach Kevin Keatts and assistant coaches Levi Watkins and Kareem Richardson also must have felt the same way. They came back to the John Wall Holiday Invitational for this particular game.
For one half, Swartz killed it with deep jumpers, a few drives and oodles of confidence. He had 19 points at halftime and kept Cannon School in the game.
Swartz cooled off in the second half to finish with 24 points. He needed 24 shots to do it, but it didn’t feel like he was shot-jacking in the 83-65 Prolific Prep win.
NC State never offered Charlotte guards Aden Holloway (Auburn signee) or Trey Green (Xavier), who form the backcourt for Prolific Prep. They are why it was big for Swartz and to a lessor extent sophomore guard Isaiah Henry to handle their business Wednesday. Green and Holloway combined for 40 points, 15 assists and eight three-pointers.
Should NC State throw the “O” for Swartz? Offering Swartz would be a good move. All those jumpers that current redshirt junior wing Casey Morsell is currently getting, Swartz would also knock down. He’s a gifted three-point shooter, and just needs to create space.
Henry also battled fiercely and had 22 points and nine rebounds. It’s the best I’ve seen him play. His recruitment will be interesting because he’s the younger brother of Clemson defensive end K.J. Henry and his father is a long-time college football assistant. Isaiah will probably have a text-book recruitment.
NC State’s top target in event plays well: Junior wing Rakease Passmore and Lincolnton (N.C.) Combine Academy rolled to an easy 81-42 win over Wilson (N.C.) Greenfield School.
Keatts, Watkins and Richardson arrived for that game, and then came back later to see Cannon School and Prolific Prep.
Passmore was efficient and didn’t try anything he wasn’t capable of doing. He shot the three-pointer well and had his one big dunk, which was an alley-oop. He finished 7 of 11 from the field and 2 of 4 on three-pointers for 16 points, plus five rebounds.
On the recruiting front, Passmore knows the Wolfpack were there from day one and he likes Keatts. However, his head is swimming with all these new schools and he wants to see as many as the “name” schools that he can. I think the Wolfpack are in good shape, as is Tennessee.
Like a lot of the games, this one featured ghosts of NC State recruiting past with senior point guard Silas Demary Jr. of Combine Academy, who picked NC State with VCU second and NC State third.
Turned free a bit: Raleigh Word of God reclassed sophomore wing Zion Collins didn’t get in when I watched the Holy Rams play in November.
The Durham, N.C., native who unofficially visited NC State this past summer, came off the bench for 19:05 and went 6 of 6 for 12 points in a 71-58 win over Raleigh Christian.
Collins is an elite athlete and mercurial on the court. He’s the classic recruit who could look like a top 50 recruit at times.
College of Charleston senior signee Mayar Wol had arguably the dunk of the day in the win, and finished with 18 points. Former target Freddie Dilione was steady with 15 points and seven assists, but fellow former target Davin Crosby struggle with six points. Dilione picked Tennessee and Crosby selected Alabama.
Chatter from Morganton, N.C.: Morganton (N.C.) Freedom had a top sophomores Zymicah Wilkins of Rutherfordton-Spindale Central High in Rutherfordton, N.C., and Amore Connelly of Freedom High played tonight, but not against each other.
Wilkins had 44 points in his game against West Caldwell, and Connelly had 24 points in his contest against Enka.
Joel Justus in Columbia, S.C.: NC State assistant coach Joel Justus was watching junior power forward Jarin Stevenson of Pittsboro (N.C.) Seaforth. NC State, North Carolina and Virginia have clearly worked the Stevenson recruitment harder than any schools the last two years. Rivals.com ranks Stevenson No. 20 overall in the class of 2024.
