A couple of regional schools are hosting a junior day this weekend. Clemson has one, and among the players they will be hosting of interest to NC State are:
- Fredericksburg (Va.) Stafford OT Josh Ball
- Shelby (N.C.) High class of 2018 LB Dax Hollifield
- Shelby (N.C.) Crest High class of 2017 LB Justin Foster
- Virginia Beach (Va.) Landstown DE/LB LaRonde Liverpool
- Charlotte Ardrey Kell LB/DE Julian Okwara
- Woodbridge (Va.) C.D. Hylton class of 2018 RB Ricky Slade
All of these prospects, with the exception of the Shelby linebackers, have visited NC State and all have been offered by the Wolfpack.
Perhaps of more interest for NCSU fans will be the crowd attending the UNC-Duke basketball game, which the Tar Heels football staff is using as their showcase junior day. Carolina is reportedly expecting quite a crowd there this weekend.
Among the expected attendees on NCSU's radar:
- Durham (N.C.) Southern RB Jordon Brown
- Charlotte Mallard Creek DE/LB Josh Brown (soft Florida State commit)
- Woodbridge (Va.) Freedom DT Kyree Campbell
- Waxhaw (N.C.) Cuthbertson class of 2017 WR J.T. Cauthen
- Charlotte Independence DT Christian Colon
- Winston-Salem (N.C.) Mt. Tabor WR Divine Deablo
- Charlotte Vance ATH Myles Dorn
- Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill DE Tomon Fox
- Fayetteville (N.C.) Terry Sanford CB Mark Gilbert
- Wake Forest (N.C.) High DT Dexter Lawrence
- Arlington (Va.) Bishop O'Connell OT Jay Jay McCargo
- Lexington (N.C.) North Davidson RB Kennedy McKoy
- Greensboro (N.C.) Page WR Diondre Overton
- Laurinburg (N.C.) Scotland LB Jonathan Smith
- Fayetteville (N.C.) Terry Sanford S Isaiah Stallings
- Denver (N.C.) East Lincoln QB Chazz Surratt
- Jacksonville (N.C.) Southwest Onslow DE Jimmie Taylor
- Wilmington (N.C.) New Hanover TE Garrett Walston
- Chesapeake (Va.) Indian River LB Jaquan Yulee
We would not be shocked to see the Heels get a few pledges this weekend. Our understanding is they begin to put the squeeze on Surratt and other quarterbacks, for instance. Also, Dorn is a legacy recruit for UNC, and Deablo has not hid his fandom allegiance to the Heels in the past. The other development we will be watching is to see if they offer Gilbert.
***
Last year, Patrick Stevens gained some notoriety among NC State fans for being one of the few "bracketologists" to correctly pencil the Wolfpack into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team. The Pack of course ended up being the final team selected into the field.
We were able to catch up with Stevens along with CBS Sports' Jerry Palm for a story that ran in our electronic newsletter. Here though are more extensive highlights from our conversation with Stevens, who went into great depths to break down the Pack and the bubble heading into Saturday's game against Syracause at PNC Arena in Raleigh and next week's ACC Tournament being held at the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum.
Let's say NC State beats Syracuse. In your opinion does that put them in a position where they are playing for seeding at the ACC Tournament, or do they still have to worry about putting on a good show there?
"I think at that stage, a victory over Syracuse would be particularly helpful, it's a top 100 win. I would say, at that point they are probably going to play the 10 or the 11 [seed in ACC Tournament], they are probably safe at that point. It wouldn't hurt to win that first game [in the ACC Tournament] just so you are not stepping on a landmine, basically.
"I think based on how things have sorted out themselves out here, I think NC State, they are fairly safe at this stage. If you're the Wolfpack, you get the next two, that pretty much is going to keep you out of Dayton, and then you are just kind of playing for gravy beyond that. I certainly don't think that a loss to Duke or Notre Dame is going to hurt them, especially on a neutral floor.
"I think a win over Syracuse and in that first game would keep them out of Dayton, and frankly even a loss plus then a victory over Florida State or Pittsburgh in the 7/10 game, they are in the field. When you start looking at the teams that are kind of the borderline teams right now: Purdue, BYU, Boise State, Texas, Stanford, Davidson, Texas A&M; NC State's profile is better than them.
"They don't have a question of can you beat really good teams. They've done that. They don't have a question of can you beat really good teams on the road. They've done that. They are 5-6 away from home. They are 9-10 right now against the top 100. The strength of schedule is something that is going to help them out: top 30 nonconference, top 10 overall.
"Yes, they have a couple of crummy losses, but the Wake Forest isn't that bad, neither of the losses came at home as far as BC. I think at this stage it's just win one more and nobody is going to argue about that."
If NC State beats Syracuse and Miami beats Virginia Tech, making NCSU the seventh seed, would that almost be helpful so that the Pack could avoid the task of not losing to one of the bottom four seeds in the ACC Tournament?
"It depends on the team. Florida State, I don't think, is in the top 100. Playing Florida State or playing Wake Forest is frankly basically like playing the same team at this stage. If they got Pittsburgh and beat Pittsburgh, that would be kind of a useful victory, not overly useful, similar to beating Syracuse at this stage.
"That first game that they are going to play is preserving the status quo-type game for NC State."
Let's go the other direction, if they were to lose to Syracuse, would they be getting themselves into a tight spot where they need a win in the ACC Tournament?
"The fact that would be at home would probably ding them a little bit, but I think with that first game in the conference tournament, again it'll be, if they lose, against the 10 seed. That simply is take care of business and don't give a reason for anybody to throw your name out there. If you are NC State that is really the game you really need to kind of go win. Losing to Syracuse is not ideal, but it is not something going to severely damage you if you're NC State.
"Losing potentially to Florida State, a team outside the top 100, a team outside the top 100, that could hurt. Just win that game. I think overall the top of the profile with victories over Duke, Louisville and UNC, teams that they are getting compared to don't have that at the top. Boise State has held up pretty nicely, too. I think one more victory probably does the trick for them.
"The truth is there is only so much damage you can do over to two games to yourself. The one caveat that has to be thrown out there is there is always a possibility that there are a ton of wacky upsets. Let's say Gonzaga goes down in the West Coast Conference. Let's say somebody other than Wichita State or Northern Iowa wins the Missouri Valley, a random team wins the A-10, a random team wins the Pac 12. That can erode the field a little bit.
"I feel like if you're NC State, as things stack up right now, the overall profile is really, really solid. [It's] not overwhelmingly great, not the sure thing where you are going to sit there and say, 'Well this team is going to be a number seven seed.' It's certainly noticeably better than a lot of the other borderline teams. If you're NC State it's just don't give a reason for somebody to get left out."
***
NC State will get the chance to watch junior center Edrice Adebayo of Pinetown (N.C.) Northside and Kinston (N.C.) High senior small forward Brandon Ingram at Crown Arena in Fayetteville, N.C. Adebayo plays a quality Durham (N.C.) Voyager squad at 4 p.m. in NCHSAA 1A action, and Ingram plays Farmville Central at 8:30 p.m. in 2A. NC State has offered the 6-10, 242-pound Adebayo, and just watched him Monday.
Ingram will be deciding sometime in April and today is just an example of how coaches need to be "seen" by the prospects. Depending on if Northside and Kinston win tonight, that will affect either going to the Syracuse at NC State game at Noon on Saturday. The game could also affect whether the Wolfpack coaches will get the chance to be seen Saturday.
Ingram talked in December after passing on the fall evaluation period on how he'd like to unofficially visit Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA, but three months later, he elected to only watch the in-state programs. That could be foreshadowing for the future. Duke has been the perceived leader and NC State right there, and he has family hoping for North Carolina. Which players turn pro or transfer this spring could play a huge role in his decision, which is probably the most likely reason he waited for the April evaluation period.
People have made a big deal that his traveling team coach Jerry Stackhouse and prep coach Perry Tyndall would push Ingram toward UNC, but that hasn't been the case at all. They've been professional and played it down the middle. The underlying secret among most prep coaches is that no coach wants to have their players come back later and blame them if the college experience doesn't work out.
NC State and North Carolina could be way out in front with Adebayo. He isn't the type of personality where he's going to relish the publicity that goes with the recruiting process. He lets his mom and mentor handle much of the interaction with college coaches. At the same time, after getting to know Adebayo since the eighth grade when we first brought him up as a prospect to watch, he isn't going to like saying "no" to colleges either. That is a trait both he and Ingram share.
The more we watch of Adebayo and with his increased weight and strength, the more he could be validly compared to former NBA star Shawn Kemp. The latter might have been a more athletic dunker, but they share many similarities, right down to being all arms and legs at such a young age.
Adebayo and High Point (N.C.) Wesleyan junior power forward Harry Giles have always been compared to each other. Some in Adebayo's camp have bristled at Giles being ranked higher, but Adebayo has never shared that sentiment. Truth be told, they are very different players from each other, which is why it would be downright scary if they ever ended up at the same college.
Adebayo is becoming a true center, who can step out and hit the mid-range jumper, rebounds great and is an unselfish passer. He probably has 20 pounds on Giles physically. Giles' trademark is advanced basketball IQ and he is trending toward being a capable 17-21-foot jump shooter, but has good moves in the post. Adebayo is still searching for a go-to move down low, while Giles favors the half-hook.
Rivals.com has Giles No. 2, Fayetteville (N.C.) Trinity Christian junior point guard Dennis Smith Jr. No. 4 and Adebayo No. 6 nationally in the class of 2016. This state has never had three players ranked this high before in the same class, dating back to when James Worthy was in Gastonia and Dominique Wilkins played in Washington in the class of 2016. It's a special group, regardless of future college decisions.
***
The sleeper that could emerge this weekend is Voyager junior power forward Jay Huff. He has offers from East Carolina and Wofford, but that could change in an instant with a good showing against Adebayo. The winner will most likely face Beaufort (N.C.) East Carteret High on Saturday, who has been dominant this season.
Huff is a skilled inside-outside player, who shows a beautiful jump shot well out to the three-point line. He's long and bouncy, and is capable of bringing a post player out and then using a good first step to drive to the basket. He's just really skinny at 6-10 and 180-pounds (or so). NC State hasn't had a post player such as Huff since perhaps Dennis Horner, who at 6-8 could stretch a defense with his three-point jumper (35.8 percent on three-pointers at NCSU). Huff won't be for every kind of college coach, and we actually view him as a 2017 recruit because he could easily end up redshirting his first year of college.
Huff does like NC State and he grew up a Duke fan. He'd like to go to college within the region, and favors the ACC schools. Wake Forest and Virginia have already done a lot of early work with Huff and his dad, who is also his prep coach. This is a huge opportunity for him and it will be fascinating to see how he responds. Adebayo has played against the best of the best at various camps and Nike-sponsored events in the offseason, but Huff hasn't yet. He is still an unknown.
***
Speaking of Stackhouse, the former NBA and North Carolina star will continue to be involved in traveling basketball, but in an unorthodox manner. The Kinston native now lives in the Atlanta area, and he's going to have a 15s squad based in North Carolina, a 16s team in Canada and 17s team in Georgia. The safe assumption is all three will be sponsored by adidas.
***
As mentioned on The State of Basketball message board, NC State continues to recruit Jackson (Miss.) Callaway senior combo guard Malik Newman hard. Assistant coach Orlando Early went to go see him this week. The original hope was to have Newman officially visit this weekend, but that fell by the wayside with his high school team winning in the playoffs. Kentucky, Kansas, LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss appear to be NC State's main competition. Even without a game to attend, NC State will need to get Newman for an official visit to have any chance.
Outside of Ingram and Newman, there aren't any obvious spring targets. The next wave will come when coaches get fired and players become free from the schools they signed with. Some Europeans will be figuring out in the next two months if a.) they can qualify for U.S. colleges; or b.) Do they want to pass up on making money right away playing professionally overseas.
It doesn't appear NC State is hot and heavy with any junior college prospects, but graduate transfers are always a likely option. Obviously, if NC State has any attrition, that will speed up getting a player this spring.
This post was edited on 3/6 4:14 PM by VanillaTice
- Fredericksburg (Va.) Stafford OT Josh Ball
- Shelby (N.C.) High class of 2018 LB Dax Hollifield
- Shelby (N.C.) Crest High class of 2017 LB Justin Foster
- Virginia Beach (Va.) Landstown DE/LB LaRonde Liverpool
- Charlotte Ardrey Kell LB/DE Julian Okwara
- Woodbridge (Va.) C.D. Hylton class of 2018 RB Ricky Slade
All of these prospects, with the exception of the Shelby linebackers, have visited NC State and all have been offered by the Wolfpack.
Perhaps of more interest for NCSU fans will be the crowd attending the UNC-Duke basketball game, which the Tar Heels football staff is using as their showcase junior day. Carolina is reportedly expecting quite a crowd there this weekend.
Among the expected attendees on NCSU's radar:
- Durham (N.C.) Southern RB Jordon Brown
- Charlotte Mallard Creek DE/LB Josh Brown (soft Florida State commit)
- Woodbridge (Va.) Freedom DT Kyree Campbell
- Waxhaw (N.C.) Cuthbertson class of 2017 WR J.T. Cauthen
- Charlotte Independence DT Christian Colon
- Winston-Salem (N.C.) Mt. Tabor WR Divine Deablo
- Charlotte Vance ATH Myles Dorn
- Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill DE Tomon Fox
- Fayetteville (N.C.) Terry Sanford CB Mark Gilbert
- Wake Forest (N.C.) High DT Dexter Lawrence
- Arlington (Va.) Bishop O'Connell OT Jay Jay McCargo
- Lexington (N.C.) North Davidson RB Kennedy McKoy
- Greensboro (N.C.) Page WR Diondre Overton
- Laurinburg (N.C.) Scotland LB Jonathan Smith
- Fayetteville (N.C.) Terry Sanford S Isaiah Stallings
- Denver (N.C.) East Lincoln QB Chazz Surratt
- Jacksonville (N.C.) Southwest Onslow DE Jimmie Taylor
- Wilmington (N.C.) New Hanover TE Garrett Walston
- Chesapeake (Va.) Indian River LB Jaquan Yulee
We would not be shocked to see the Heels get a few pledges this weekend. Our understanding is they begin to put the squeeze on Surratt and other quarterbacks, for instance. Also, Dorn is a legacy recruit for UNC, and Deablo has not hid his fandom allegiance to the Heels in the past. The other development we will be watching is to see if they offer Gilbert.
***
Last year, Patrick Stevens gained some notoriety among NC State fans for being one of the few "bracketologists" to correctly pencil the Wolfpack into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team. The Pack of course ended up being the final team selected into the field.
We were able to catch up with Stevens along with CBS Sports' Jerry Palm for a story that ran in our electronic newsletter. Here though are more extensive highlights from our conversation with Stevens, who went into great depths to break down the Pack and the bubble heading into Saturday's game against Syracause at PNC Arena in Raleigh and next week's ACC Tournament being held at the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum.
Let's say NC State beats Syracuse. In your opinion does that put them in a position where they are playing for seeding at the ACC Tournament, or do they still have to worry about putting on a good show there?
"I think at that stage, a victory over Syracuse would be particularly helpful, it's a top 100 win. I would say, at that point they are probably going to play the 10 or the 11 [seed in ACC Tournament], they are probably safe at that point. It wouldn't hurt to win that first game [in the ACC Tournament] just so you are not stepping on a landmine, basically.
"I think based on how things have sorted out themselves out here, I think NC State, they are fairly safe at this stage. If you're the Wolfpack, you get the next two, that pretty much is going to keep you out of Dayton, and then you are just kind of playing for gravy beyond that. I certainly don't think that a loss to Duke or Notre Dame is going to hurt them, especially on a neutral floor.
"I think a win over Syracuse and in that first game would keep them out of Dayton, and frankly even a loss plus then a victory over Florida State or Pittsburgh in the 7/10 game, they are in the field. When you start looking at the teams that are kind of the borderline teams right now: Purdue, BYU, Boise State, Texas, Stanford, Davidson, Texas A&M; NC State's profile is better than them.
"They don't have a question of can you beat really good teams. They've done that. They don't have a question of can you beat really good teams on the road. They've done that. They are 5-6 away from home. They are 9-10 right now against the top 100. The strength of schedule is something that is going to help them out: top 30 nonconference, top 10 overall.
"Yes, they have a couple of crummy losses, but the Wake Forest isn't that bad, neither of the losses came at home as far as BC. I think at this stage it's just win one more and nobody is going to argue about that."
If NC State beats Syracuse and Miami beats Virginia Tech, making NCSU the seventh seed, would that almost be helpful so that the Pack could avoid the task of not losing to one of the bottom four seeds in the ACC Tournament?
"It depends on the team. Florida State, I don't think, is in the top 100. Playing Florida State or playing Wake Forest is frankly basically like playing the same team at this stage. If they got Pittsburgh and beat Pittsburgh, that would be kind of a useful victory, not overly useful, similar to beating Syracuse at this stage.
"That first game that they are going to play is preserving the status quo-type game for NC State."
Let's go the other direction, if they were to lose to Syracuse, would they be getting themselves into a tight spot where they need a win in the ACC Tournament?
"The fact that would be at home would probably ding them a little bit, but I think with that first game in the conference tournament, again it'll be, if they lose, against the 10 seed. That simply is take care of business and don't give a reason for anybody to throw your name out there. If you are NC State that is really the game you really need to kind of go win. Losing to Syracuse is not ideal, but it is not something going to severely damage you if you're NC State.
"Losing potentially to Florida State, a team outside the top 100, a team outside the top 100, that could hurt. Just win that game. I think overall the top of the profile with victories over Duke, Louisville and UNC, teams that they are getting compared to don't have that at the top. Boise State has held up pretty nicely, too. I think one more victory probably does the trick for them.
"The truth is there is only so much damage you can do over to two games to yourself. The one caveat that has to be thrown out there is there is always a possibility that there are a ton of wacky upsets. Let's say Gonzaga goes down in the West Coast Conference. Let's say somebody other than Wichita State or Northern Iowa wins the Missouri Valley, a random team wins the A-10, a random team wins the Pac 12. That can erode the field a little bit.
"I feel like if you're NC State, as things stack up right now, the overall profile is really, really solid. [It's] not overwhelmingly great, not the sure thing where you are going to sit there and say, 'Well this team is going to be a number seven seed.' It's certainly noticeably better than a lot of the other borderline teams. If you're NC State it's just don't give a reason for somebody to get left out."
***
NC State will get the chance to watch junior center Edrice Adebayo of Pinetown (N.C.) Northside and Kinston (N.C.) High senior small forward Brandon Ingram at Crown Arena in Fayetteville, N.C. Adebayo plays a quality Durham (N.C.) Voyager squad at 4 p.m. in NCHSAA 1A action, and Ingram plays Farmville Central at 8:30 p.m. in 2A. NC State has offered the 6-10, 242-pound Adebayo, and just watched him Monday.
Ingram will be deciding sometime in April and today is just an example of how coaches need to be "seen" by the prospects. Depending on if Northside and Kinston win tonight, that will affect either going to the Syracuse at NC State game at Noon on Saturday. The game could also affect whether the Wolfpack coaches will get the chance to be seen Saturday.
Ingram talked in December after passing on the fall evaluation period on how he'd like to unofficially visit Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA, but three months later, he elected to only watch the in-state programs. That could be foreshadowing for the future. Duke has been the perceived leader and NC State right there, and he has family hoping for North Carolina. Which players turn pro or transfer this spring could play a huge role in his decision, which is probably the most likely reason he waited for the April evaluation period.
People have made a big deal that his traveling team coach Jerry Stackhouse and prep coach Perry Tyndall would push Ingram toward UNC, but that hasn't been the case at all. They've been professional and played it down the middle. The underlying secret among most prep coaches is that no coach wants to have their players come back later and blame them if the college experience doesn't work out.
NC State and North Carolina could be way out in front with Adebayo. He isn't the type of personality where he's going to relish the publicity that goes with the recruiting process. He lets his mom and mentor handle much of the interaction with college coaches. At the same time, after getting to know Adebayo since the eighth grade when we first brought him up as a prospect to watch, he isn't going to like saying "no" to colleges either. That is a trait both he and Ingram share.
The more we watch of Adebayo and with his increased weight and strength, the more he could be validly compared to former NBA star Shawn Kemp. The latter might have been a more athletic dunker, but they share many similarities, right down to being all arms and legs at such a young age.
Adebayo and High Point (N.C.) Wesleyan junior power forward Harry Giles have always been compared to each other. Some in Adebayo's camp have bristled at Giles being ranked higher, but Adebayo has never shared that sentiment. Truth be told, they are very different players from each other, which is why it would be downright scary if they ever ended up at the same college.
Adebayo is becoming a true center, who can step out and hit the mid-range jumper, rebounds great and is an unselfish passer. He probably has 20 pounds on Giles physically. Giles' trademark is advanced basketball IQ and he is trending toward being a capable 17-21-foot jump shooter, but has good moves in the post. Adebayo is still searching for a go-to move down low, while Giles favors the half-hook.
Rivals.com has Giles No. 2, Fayetteville (N.C.) Trinity Christian junior point guard Dennis Smith Jr. No. 4 and Adebayo No. 6 nationally in the class of 2016. This state has never had three players ranked this high before in the same class, dating back to when James Worthy was in Gastonia and Dominique Wilkins played in Washington in the class of 2016. It's a special group, regardless of future college decisions.
***
The sleeper that could emerge this weekend is Voyager junior power forward Jay Huff. He has offers from East Carolina and Wofford, but that could change in an instant with a good showing against Adebayo. The winner will most likely face Beaufort (N.C.) East Carteret High on Saturday, who has been dominant this season.
Huff is a skilled inside-outside player, who shows a beautiful jump shot well out to the three-point line. He's long and bouncy, and is capable of bringing a post player out and then using a good first step to drive to the basket. He's just really skinny at 6-10 and 180-pounds (or so). NC State hasn't had a post player such as Huff since perhaps Dennis Horner, who at 6-8 could stretch a defense with his three-point jumper (35.8 percent on three-pointers at NCSU). Huff won't be for every kind of college coach, and we actually view him as a 2017 recruit because he could easily end up redshirting his first year of college.
Huff does like NC State and he grew up a Duke fan. He'd like to go to college within the region, and favors the ACC schools. Wake Forest and Virginia have already done a lot of early work with Huff and his dad, who is also his prep coach. This is a huge opportunity for him and it will be fascinating to see how he responds. Adebayo has played against the best of the best at various camps and Nike-sponsored events in the offseason, but Huff hasn't yet. He is still an unknown.
***
Speaking of Stackhouse, the former NBA and North Carolina star will continue to be involved in traveling basketball, but in an unorthodox manner. The Kinston native now lives in the Atlanta area, and he's going to have a 15s squad based in North Carolina, a 16s team in Canada and 17s team in Georgia. The safe assumption is all three will be sponsored by adidas.
***
As mentioned on The State of Basketball message board, NC State continues to recruit Jackson (Miss.) Callaway senior combo guard Malik Newman hard. Assistant coach Orlando Early went to go see him this week. The original hope was to have Newman officially visit this weekend, but that fell by the wayside with his high school team winning in the playoffs. Kentucky, Kansas, LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss appear to be NC State's main competition. Even without a game to attend, NC State will need to get Newman for an official visit to have any chance.
Outside of Ingram and Newman, there aren't any obvious spring targets. The next wave will come when coaches get fired and players become free from the schools they signed with. Some Europeans will be figuring out in the next two months if a.) they can qualify for U.S. colleges; or b.) Do they want to pass up on making money right away playing professionally overseas.
It doesn't appear NC State is hot and heavy with any junior college prospects, but graduate transfers are always a likely option. Obviously, if NC State has any attrition, that will speed up getting a player this spring.
This post was edited on 3/6 4:14 PM by VanillaTice
