1. Let’s talk about
Paul McNeil.
The Rivals.com No. 38 overall player in the class of 2024 got steered toward Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep this summer, and made that move from Rockingham (N.C.) Richmond County. He lasted about three months before realizing he would rather be at home.
Related link — This past Monday's The Run Down
McNeil made his Richmond County debut last weekend, and somewhere NC State coaches are doing a happy dance that he’s now able to unofficially visit whenever he wants. Ironically, Prolific Prep was supposed to play in the Outer Banks this weekend, and then the John Wall Holiday Invitational at Raleigh Broughton, but we cut out of both due to not wanting to play certain high schools. Instead, Camden (N.J.) High is rumored to be added to the field, and they have Kentucky-bound
Dajuan Wagner Jr. and
Aaron Bradshaw, who are both ranked in the top eight by Rivals.com in the class of 2023. So, that should spice up the Wall.
The slender 6-foot-5, 170-pound McNeil has long been NC State’s primary focus in the class of 2024. Others have joined him, but he’s the signature recruit coach
Kevin Keatts has been focused since offering Sept. 25, 2021. He was able to unofficially visit last summer, but the visits have been sporadic. With the change in assistant coaches, look for that to change.
McNeil also will probably welcome the spotlight that he’ll get in North Carolina. He wasn’t out of sight, out of mind in California, but it’s a different dynamic when leaving your home state across the country. His friends, Garner Road traveling teammates and built-in connections are in North Carolina.
If NC State has a smooth rest of the season and can get some momentum going, McNeil could be someone they could get the recruiting lead on and close out down the road. It’s much easier for that to happen compared to zig-zagging across the country with Prolific Prep.
As a player, McNeil knows how to create his own shot, especially with pull-up jumpers or three-pointers. He’s not a slasher or open court type, which is more his good friend junior wing
Rakease Passmore of Lincolnton (N.C.) Combine Academy.
2. The NC State hoops coaches will be out in force at the Lewisville (N.C.) Forsyth Country Day event Saturday that former NCSU and Butler point guard
Tyler Lewis is putting on. The
Phenom Hoop Report event is at Lewis’ old high school.
Lewis’ old traveling team coach, besides his father
Rick Lewis, is
Ty White of Richmond (Va.) John Marshall High and the Team Loaded organization.
The main attraction for NC State is senior signee
Dennis Parker of John Marshall High, who will play at 7:30 p.m. The 6-6 forward will play in front of NC State fans for the first time since committing.
Fellow signee
Treymane Parker, who I interviewed this week for a story Monday, will soon be playing with Overtime Elite at Raleigh Word of God at some point this winter. There could be so many mixtape crews to see Parker, Kentucky-bound
Robert Dillingham and Tennessee-bound
Freddie Dilione, it could fill up half the gym.
Dennis Parker isn’t the only elite prospect in attendance Saturday. At 3 p.m., junior power forward Kany Tchanda and Winston-Salem (N.C.) Christian will play Charlotte United Faith. At 4:30 p.m., Salisbury (N.C.) High and junior wing Juke Harris will be playing Calvary Day. A case could be made that Harris is right there with McNeal, the previously mentioned Pasmore, Pittsboro (N.C.) Seaforth power forward
Jarin Stevenson and Huntersville (N.C.) North Mecklenburg wing
Isaiah Evans as the major targets for NC State in the class of 2024.
Parker’s teammate, freshman post player
Latrell Allmond, already has an NC State offer, and he’s a no-brainer future top 50 prospect in the class of 2026, and is from Southern Pines, N.C. Allmond also is part of Team Loaded, and I can’t imagine a more important class of 2026 prospect emerging for the Wolfpack than him. Though, dual-sport freshman
Aiden Smalls of Raleigh Cardinals Gibbons, freshman
Faizon Brandon of Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley and freshman
Kendre’ Harrison of Reidsville, will certainly be major players to watch in football and basketball recruiting. Reidsville cornerback/point guard
Deante Neal had an astonishing 12 interceptions as a freshman this season, and is playing tonight for the chance to make the NCHSAA 2A state title game.
3. High school basketball is about to take off with holiday tournaments, but Raleigh Millbrook recently had an intriguing home game against Durham (N.C.) Jordan High.
Sophomore stretch four
Colt Langdon had 30 points in the win, and he did it around the basket, getting to the free-throw line and his trademark left three-point stroke. Langdon unofficially visited last summer and he’s obviously right down the block. NC State hasn’t offered yet, but he has offers from LSU, Illinois, Virginia Tech, Ole Miss, Richmond, Ohio, George Mason, Radford and NJIT.
NC State currently has a stretch four with
Jack Clark, who is taller than Langdon.
Pat Andree arrived to fill that role from Lehigh, but injuries and inconsistency hampered his senior year. Walking out of the gym, I couldn’t help but wonder if Langdon could end up being that Gary Clark scenario of “will the Wolfpack offer him or not?” That dynamic always plays out with a couple of players in each class. Langdon could easily be one of those players in the 2025 class. Like Clark, who attended Clayton High and eventually went to Cincinnati and made the NBA, there is a production element to respect. Clark always produced, except for when he played in front of former NCSU coach Mark Gottfried, which delayed his offer until July going into his senior year.
Langdon also produces though his bread and butter will always be that lefty three-point shot. He makes 3-4 of them a game, and it changes everything for him. Langdon is also more aggressive than his predecessor as a stretch four at Millbrook —
Eric van der Heijden, who did not get a Wolfpack offer. He ended up committing to Louisville, got dumped basically and ended up at Ole Miss. Now, he’s at North Carolina-Wilmington with former NC State player
Nick Farrar at power forward.
Langdon is also part of Team Loaded VA, where he played with
Jackson Keith of Southern Durham and Aiden Smalls.
