1. It is official visit season once again for football, mens’ basketball and women’s basketball.
In football, Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day senior cornerback Chris Peal will be making his long-awaited official visit Saturday and Sunday. Providence Day is hosting Concord (N.C.) Cabarrus tonight.
Peal came to NC State’s Alpha Wolf on July 29, and he attended the Louisville at NC State football game last year. Usually, he’s with his prep teammates on these visits, but this weekend, he’ll get the full attention of the NC State coaches. The only other official visitor is NC State cornerback commit Brandon Cisse, who should be a good recruiter of his own while hanging out with Peal. Cisse committed to the Wolfpack on June 14, and he also has a prep game tonight for Lakewood High in Sumter, S.C.
Peal has had Michigan rapidly emerge with the Wolverines also recruiting junior quarterback Jadyn Davis and junior wide receivers Jordan Shipp and Channing Goodwin. The quartet has worked it out where they’ll let Peal officially visit Michigan next week on his own so he can see what the program is like without the other three in his ear. Providence Day is also off next week, so it will be a true 2 1/2-day full official visit to Ann Arbor, Mich.
Georgia and South Carolina remain in the mix for Peal, and he just attended the Oregon vs. UGA game in Atlanta, Ga. He’ll officially visit the Gamecocks on Oct. 1.
Peal brings great versatility and size at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds. He plays running back, cornerback, catches the ball well and is a factor in the return game for Providence Day. What sets him apart is he has legit track speed. Peal and Charlotte Christian senior running back Kyron Jones battled each other in track and field last spring, and Peal usually won. However, Peal had a health condition that caused him to not compete at the NCISAA Division I state track meet. Jones went on to set the private school state record in the 100-meter dash.
Peal had a huge meet at the CISAA Championships, winning the 100 (10.78 seconds), second in the 200 (21.93), first in the long jump (21-feet, 6.25 inches) and third in the triple jump (43-0.50).
Jones, who will officially visit NC State next week, was third in the 100 and third in the 200 in that same meet for perspective.
NC State has been very patient with Peal, who isn’t into recruiting like his peers. The patience has allowed the Wolfpack to be there in the end. The big question looming is will some of his junior teammates pick Michigan before he’s ready to decide, and will that influence his decision. The other question is how much patience does Georgia still have? Odd are good that Peal will have his recruitment wrapped up by Halloween, and probably sooner.
2. On the men’s basketball front, combo guard Silas Demary Jr. of Raleigh and forward Dennis Parker of Richmond, Va., will be making their official visits to NC State this weekend.
Demary has been a pretty easy recruit to read — he is completely and totally enjoying the process right now and the new-found attention that has come his way.
The downside to that is some of the schools that were with him in the past, like a Tennessee, have moved on, and he was likely going to pick the Volunteers. That has opened up the door for NC State who jumped in late on the local product. Things that recruits definitely pay attention too is the timing of an offer. It was interesting that junior wing Drake Powell even wasn’t pleased that North Carolina waited until last July to offer him. He picked the Tar Heels this week with NC State coming in second.
Demary first gained noticed in leading Raleigh Millbrook High to the NCHSAA 4A state title his junior year. It was clear that he was an Atlantic 10/ACC kind of prospect back then.
However, Demary decided to repeat his junior year at Charlotte Liberty Heights and move into the class of 2023. There was some speculation that colleges would try to get him enrolled this summer and go back to 2022.
Demary was ranked in the 140-160 range for most of his reclassed junior year, and he played well with Team Curry. What set him apart was his play at the NBPA Camp in late June/early July in Orlando, Fla. That moved him up the rankings and had new schools jump in.
NC State offered him July 18, USC offered July 22 and Wake Forest offered him Aug. 17. He just officially visited the Trojans, and unless a Kansas were to jump in this next month, his recruitment could easily center around those three schools. VCU and Georgia are also in the mix.
NC State has the hometown hero card to sell, but truth be told, Demary had never really been to many events on campus until he did his unofficial visit this past August. That is something the new assistants have been trying to change and why there were so many unofficial visitors to NC State in June and early August before the Bahamas trip.
Now contrast Demary’s recruitment to Parker’s, and it’s a 180-degree difference. NC State got a super early jump on Parker his freshman year at John Marshall High due to two things — a long-standing relationship with coach Ty White and the Wolfpack were going after center Roosevelt Wheeler, who ended up picking Louisville. White runs the Team Loaded organization, which has been super Wolfpack friendly. NCSU offered Parker on July 19, 2020.
The recruitment of Parker had ebbed and flowed since his freshman year, and then all the assistant coaches at NC State that he knew his first three years of recruitment are no longer around. So, it was kind of a restart with Parker this summer.
Parker unofficially visited NC State for a second time this past June, and the Wolfpack watched him extensively with Team Loaded VA, where he played with senior small forward target Davin Cosby.
Parker has not had new schools jump into his recruitment like Demary has. His last offer came by the previous staff at Xavier on Dec. 29, 2021.
Parker’s family is familiar with the Triangle with his mother growing up in Kinston, N.C., and attending North Carolina. It appears to be a three-horse race among NC State, Georgetown and Oklahoma State, but the wild card has always been will Parker wait until the spring.
Obviously, NC State will need to have its coaching situation resolved one way or the other by late mid-to-late March to hold on to any November signings, but it’s easier to sell hope for the future when some players are signed.
In terms of playing abilities, both Demary and Parker are strong defensively. Parker is a good athlete and slasher, but needs to improve his jumper. Some like him as a small ball power forward in college.
Demary is a true combo guard, but is not the kind of guard aiming to score 20-plus points each game. He’s more well-rounded and at Combine Academy, he’ll be playing with three highly-ranked players in junior Rakease Passmore, junior Trentyn Flowers and senior Kaden Cooper. Combine Academy also got a young big man from Africa that just arrived, that they are bullish about.
Rivals.com has Cooper at No. 34 in the class of 2023, and Flowers is No. 14 overall in the class of 2024, with Passmore at No. 61. Combine Academy will be the most exciting team to watch in the state of North Carolina, and along with Raleigh Word of God, the most talented.
3. Edmond (Okla.) North senior wing Laci Steele is expected to officially visit this weekend in women’s basketball. ESPN.com’s HoopGurlz has her ranked No. 56 overall in the class of 2023.
NC State point guard commit Zoe Brooks of Saint John Vianney High in Holmdel, N.J., is ranked No. 33 and center commit Mallory Collier of Bartlett (Tenn.) High is ranked No. 44 in the country.
Steele narrowed her list to NC State, Northwestern, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech and USC. She unofficially visited NC State on June 20, and was offered by the Wolfpack on July 14.
Whether it has happened organically or not, it is interesting that she has some major cities on the list — Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta — and even Raleigh is good-sized.
The won-loss records for the five programs are also interesting:
• NC State — 32-4 overall, 17-1 ACC
• Georgia Tech — 21-11 overall, 11-7 ACC
• Northwestern — 17-12 overall, 8-8 Big Ten
• USC — 12-16 overall, 5-12 Pac-12
• Texas A&M — 14-15 overall, 4-12 SEC
That tells me this decision is driven by more than just playing for a Final Four berth one day. Steele has unofficially visited a lot of colleges over the years, so she knows what she’s looking for. This was one of the key things she told The Wolfpack Central after doing her unofficial visit and getting offered:
“I really like how they played and how hard they work,” Steele said. “I really liked Coach Moore’s coaching style from what I’ve seen. Meeting him was awesome and he has great personality. I was just interested in the winning culture and tradition that is there.
"Coach Moore has a lot of personality for sure and he's a funny guy. He's hilarious in my opinion."
In football, Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day senior cornerback Chris Peal will be making his long-awaited official visit Saturday and Sunday. Providence Day is hosting Concord (N.C.) Cabarrus tonight.
Peal came to NC State’s Alpha Wolf on July 29, and he attended the Louisville at NC State football game last year. Usually, he’s with his prep teammates on these visits, but this weekend, he’ll get the full attention of the NC State coaches. The only other official visitor is NC State cornerback commit Brandon Cisse, who should be a good recruiter of his own while hanging out with Peal. Cisse committed to the Wolfpack on June 14, and he also has a prep game tonight for Lakewood High in Sumter, S.C.
Peal has had Michigan rapidly emerge with the Wolverines also recruiting junior quarterback Jadyn Davis and junior wide receivers Jordan Shipp and Channing Goodwin. The quartet has worked it out where they’ll let Peal officially visit Michigan next week on his own so he can see what the program is like without the other three in his ear. Providence Day is also off next week, so it will be a true 2 1/2-day full official visit to Ann Arbor, Mich.
Georgia and South Carolina remain in the mix for Peal, and he just attended the Oregon vs. UGA game in Atlanta, Ga. He’ll officially visit the Gamecocks on Oct. 1.
Peal brings great versatility and size at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds. He plays running back, cornerback, catches the ball well and is a factor in the return game for Providence Day. What sets him apart is he has legit track speed. Peal and Charlotte Christian senior running back Kyron Jones battled each other in track and field last spring, and Peal usually won. However, Peal had a health condition that caused him to not compete at the NCISAA Division I state track meet. Jones went on to set the private school state record in the 100-meter dash.
Peal had a huge meet at the CISAA Championships, winning the 100 (10.78 seconds), second in the 200 (21.93), first in the long jump (21-feet, 6.25 inches) and third in the triple jump (43-0.50).
Jones, who will officially visit NC State next week, was third in the 100 and third in the 200 in that same meet for perspective.
NC State has been very patient with Peal, who isn’t into recruiting like his peers. The patience has allowed the Wolfpack to be there in the end. The big question looming is will some of his junior teammates pick Michigan before he’s ready to decide, and will that influence his decision. The other question is how much patience does Georgia still have? Odd are good that Peal will have his recruitment wrapped up by Halloween, and probably sooner.
2. On the men’s basketball front, combo guard Silas Demary Jr. of Raleigh and forward Dennis Parker of Richmond, Va., will be making their official visits to NC State this weekend.
Demary has been a pretty easy recruit to read — he is completely and totally enjoying the process right now and the new-found attention that has come his way.
The downside to that is some of the schools that were with him in the past, like a Tennessee, have moved on, and he was likely going to pick the Volunteers. That has opened up the door for NC State who jumped in late on the local product. Things that recruits definitely pay attention too is the timing of an offer. It was interesting that junior wing Drake Powell even wasn’t pleased that North Carolina waited until last July to offer him. He picked the Tar Heels this week with NC State coming in second.
Demary first gained noticed in leading Raleigh Millbrook High to the NCHSAA 4A state title his junior year. It was clear that he was an Atlantic 10/ACC kind of prospect back then.
However, Demary decided to repeat his junior year at Charlotte Liberty Heights and move into the class of 2023. There was some speculation that colleges would try to get him enrolled this summer and go back to 2022.
Demary was ranked in the 140-160 range for most of his reclassed junior year, and he played well with Team Curry. What set him apart was his play at the NBPA Camp in late June/early July in Orlando, Fla. That moved him up the rankings and had new schools jump in.
NC State offered him July 18, USC offered July 22 and Wake Forest offered him Aug. 17. He just officially visited the Trojans, and unless a Kansas were to jump in this next month, his recruitment could easily center around those three schools. VCU and Georgia are also in the mix.
NC State has the hometown hero card to sell, but truth be told, Demary had never really been to many events on campus until he did his unofficial visit this past August. That is something the new assistants have been trying to change and why there were so many unofficial visitors to NC State in June and early August before the Bahamas trip.
Now contrast Demary’s recruitment to Parker’s, and it’s a 180-degree difference. NC State got a super early jump on Parker his freshman year at John Marshall High due to two things — a long-standing relationship with coach Ty White and the Wolfpack were going after center Roosevelt Wheeler, who ended up picking Louisville. White runs the Team Loaded organization, which has been super Wolfpack friendly. NCSU offered Parker on July 19, 2020.
The recruitment of Parker had ebbed and flowed since his freshman year, and then all the assistant coaches at NC State that he knew his first three years of recruitment are no longer around. So, it was kind of a restart with Parker this summer.
Parker unofficially visited NC State for a second time this past June, and the Wolfpack watched him extensively with Team Loaded VA, where he played with senior small forward target Davin Cosby.
Parker has not had new schools jump into his recruitment like Demary has. His last offer came by the previous staff at Xavier on Dec. 29, 2021.
Parker’s family is familiar with the Triangle with his mother growing up in Kinston, N.C., and attending North Carolina. It appears to be a three-horse race among NC State, Georgetown and Oklahoma State, but the wild card has always been will Parker wait until the spring.
Obviously, NC State will need to have its coaching situation resolved one way or the other by late mid-to-late March to hold on to any November signings, but it’s easier to sell hope for the future when some players are signed.
In terms of playing abilities, both Demary and Parker are strong defensively. Parker is a good athlete and slasher, but needs to improve his jumper. Some like him as a small ball power forward in college.
Demary is a true combo guard, but is not the kind of guard aiming to score 20-plus points each game. He’s more well-rounded and at Combine Academy, he’ll be playing with three highly-ranked players in junior Rakease Passmore, junior Trentyn Flowers and senior Kaden Cooper. Combine Academy also got a young big man from Africa that just arrived, that they are bullish about.
Rivals.com has Cooper at No. 34 in the class of 2023, and Flowers is No. 14 overall in the class of 2024, with Passmore at No. 61. Combine Academy will be the most exciting team to watch in the state of North Carolina, and along with Raleigh Word of God, the most talented.
3. Edmond (Okla.) North senior wing Laci Steele is expected to officially visit this weekend in women’s basketball. ESPN.com’s HoopGurlz has her ranked No. 56 overall in the class of 2023.
NC State point guard commit Zoe Brooks of Saint John Vianney High in Holmdel, N.J., is ranked No. 33 and center commit Mallory Collier of Bartlett (Tenn.) High is ranked No. 44 in the country.
Steele narrowed her list to NC State, Northwestern, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech and USC. She unofficially visited NC State on June 20, and was offered by the Wolfpack on July 14.
Whether it has happened organically or not, it is interesting that she has some major cities on the list — Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta — and even Raleigh is good-sized.
The won-loss records for the five programs are also interesting:
• NC State — 32-4 overall, 17-1 ACC
• Georgia Tech — 21-11 overall, 11-7 ACC
• Northwestern — 17-12 overall, 8-8 Big Ten
• USC — 12-16 overall, 5-12 Pac-12
• Texas A&M — 14-15 overall, 4-12 SEC
That tells me this decision is driven by more than just playing for a Final Four berth one day. Steele has unofficially visited a lot of colleges over the years, so she knows what she’s looking for. This was one of the key things she told The Wolfpack Central after doing her unofficial visit and getting offered:
“I really like how they played and how hard they work,” Steele said. “I really liked Coach Moore’s coaching style from what I’ve seen. Meeting him was awesome and he has great personality. I was just interested in the winning culture and tradition that is there.
"Coach Moore has a lot of personality for sure and he's a funny guy. He's hilarious in my opinion."
