COACH SPEAK: Monterey Peninsula coach Blake Spiering Talks Andrew Young

With the news today that Wolfpack center DeShawn Painter is planning on transferring, many are asking ‘where does the Wolfpack turn for some front court depth?’

That answer might be NC State recruit Andrew Young.

We spoke with Monterey Peninsula College coach Blake Spiering today to get some more info on the 6’9 big man from California and to find out just how much interest Young has in the Wolfpack.

With Painter gone and the Calvin Leslie situation still unresolved, the Wolfpack is looking for a player that can step in and give NC State’s front court some quality minutes. Could that player be Andrew Young? His coach sure thinks so.

“Andrew is a great player for a lot of reasons. He’s very, very physical, he runs like a deer and can really jump.” said Spiering. “He’s a true 4 man if you want to put a number on him, but he can play anywhere from the 3 to the 5. He has great post moves, a lot of them. He can face you up and he’s also a great rebounder. What really separates him, however, is his competitiveness. This is a kid who is just a true competitor. He’s not like some recruits who just want to get in for a year and then go to the NBA, he’s a kid who loves to work and will keep working until he beats you.”

NC State currently has 3 scholarships open, two more than they were expecting, but that doesn’t mean they’re reaching with Young. The Wolfpack coaching staff has been on Young for longer than has been reported.

“The NC State staff has done a great job recruiting Andrew. They came down around 6 months ago to see him. Think about that. This is an ACC school, a big time program who is spending their money to come all the way out to California to see Andrew. That really shows you what they think of him.” Spiering said. “Coach Moxley has done an outstanding job. He, Coach Gottfried and the other assistants have been outstanding. They’re very honest, very friendly and really easy to talk with. They told Andrew that they’re still recruiting Jefferson and that Leslie might come back. They were very honest about their situation and I think we all really respect that.”

Coach Speiring confirmed that Andrew Young will be hopping on red eye tomorrow night and will have his visit in Raleigh on Friday.

“I think NC State has a lot to offer. This is a big program. An ACC school. They just finished with a Sweet 16 run and next year they could be predicted to make a run to the Final Four. That’s saying something right there. Andrew is also looking at Texas A&M and really liked his visit there. They’re the one school that has been recruiting him as hard as NC State, but he’s also being recruited by Oregon and got calls from Stanford and Kentucky, so he’s really getting interest from a lot of big programs.” said Spiering

Out of all the bigs that Gottfried could have focused on, why did he set his focus all the way out in California on Andrew Young? Well, I think we found the answer when we asked his coach about the big man’s passing ability.

“I want to be humble with this, but Andrew Young is the best passer I’ve ever coached, and we’re talking 20 years here.” Spiering said.  This is a kid who has learned how to pass at a high level. We’re a post oriented team and Andrew gets to play at the high post a lot. He’s just a great passer. He’s leading California in points and rebounds and that’s out of 93 colleges in our division. With all of that attention he’s had to learn to play with double and sometimes triple teams. He’s very good at catching the ball in the post and immediately looking opposite.”

The more we learn about Young, the more he seems to fit the Gottfried mold. A physical big who can score, pass and has a high basketball IQ. So will he pick the Wolfpack?

“I think once he gets wined and dined by NC State, he’ll probably have a good idea.” Speiring told us. “Signing day is tomorrow so you know, he’ll probably know within a week.”

Speiring also mentioned that the loss of Painter may or may not have an impact on Young’s decision. It certainly would mean more playing time, but he also said that he had known about the Painter transfer for some time now.

We’ll certainly know more on Friday after the Young visit. Stay tuned Wolfpack nation, we’re told that NC State is sitting in a good position with the 6’9 prospect.

We’d also like to thank Coach Blake Spiering for his time and for giving Pack fans an in-depth look at Andrew Young.