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WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Schea Cotton

Published

11 years ago

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This “Where Are They Now” is a bit different than the ones you may be used to. We usually update you on past Pack players, but this last weekend we got to catch up with a guy who was committed to the Wolfpack but never actually put on the red and white. His name is Schea Cotton… sound familiar?

Schea was once the #1 prep prospect in the land. Standing at 6’5 and weighing in at 215 pounds with some ridiculous rise (42 inch vertical). Cotton was a sure bet, a 2-time Parade All-American with NBA superstar potential and a NC State commit. After a fabulous high school career Schea verballed to UCLA, but before he could get there, the NCAA invalidated his SAT test score. He then decided to go a different route. Cotton enrolled in St. Thomas More Academy in Oakdale, Conn. were he starred, catching the attention of the Wolfpack. He was supposed to turn the NC State program around, he was supposed to be Herb Sendek’s first big time pickup and the one of the biggest gets in the class of ’98. However, none of that ever happened. 

Since late Summer 1998 there have been more questions than answers. Some say the NCAA disallowed Cotton’s SAT score, others say NC State decided not to honor the scholarship, while many believe it was Cotton who decided to part ways. Well we finally have a few answers thanks to a stroke of luck.

At Pangos (Long Beach, CA) this past weekend, they put together a staff of coaches that knew the ropes of recruiting. A college coach, an NBA assistant, a NBA/European player, and a player who the system did not work for….Shea Cotton.

On Saturday, I got to catch up with Cotton to tell him that he’s still on the minds of Wolfpack fans and to see what he’s been up to. We let him know NC State fans still wonder about him and his story has become somewhat of an urban legend. He’s still talked about as one of the best prep player people have ever seen.

” I love NC State fans. I do. It was really just a hard situation.” said Cotton. ” I wanted to be at NC State but the NCAA was coming down on me and was all over NC State for it. It was just better at the time to part ways.”

“I still keep track of NC State. Even though I became a SEC guy, I always check up on the Wolfpack. North Carolina is a great place. Such big time college basketball, and NC State, they were just good people.”

“You know it was a crazy time I mean, I just believe that if you just believe in God and trust in God, everything works out.”

Schea, a native of Long Beach is still involved a great deal with basketball. He is working with Dino Trigonis who works mainly with high school players looking to be scouted and recruited by big time college programs. Before that he was playing in Italy, Shanghi, France and Serbia.

We’d like to thank Schea for taking time out to talk to us and for being so open and honest with us. He’s a great guy and worked really hard to invest in the kids at Pangos. We also gave him our card to let him know that if he wants to keep up with NC State Basketball, this is the place to do it. He told us he’ll be checking us out, so if you want to show Shea some love, feel free.

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Pack in the Pros

Former NC State All-American SS Trea Turner Named NL Player of the Week

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15 hours ago

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April 24, 2024

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Former NC State All-American Shortstop Trea Turner was named the National League Player of the Week last week.

  • The 30-year-old hit .462 (12-for-26) with a home run, four RBI, five doubles, a walk, 10 runs scored, a stolen base and a .481 on-base percentage in six games last week.
  • The Florida native led the Majors in runs scored; tied for the NL lead in doubles and extra-base hits (6); ranked third in slugging (.769), OPS (1.250) and hits (12); and ranked fourth in total bases (20).
  • The two-time All-Star recorded four straight multi-hit games from Tuesday through Saturday, putting together three-hit games on Wednesday against Colorado and Thursday against Chicago (AL). It was the third time in his Phillies’ tenure and eighth time in his career that he had at least four-straight multi-hit games.
  • The 2019 World Series Champion has hits in 10 straight games since April 11th, batting .429 (18-for-42) with two homers, six RBI, six doubles, two walks, 12 runs scored, a stolen base and a 1.169 OPS during the stretch. He has reached in each of his last 13 games since April 8th, batting .434/.483/.660 over the stretch.
  • The North Carolina State product stole home on Sunday against the White Sox, marking his 40th consecutive stolen base since September 6, 2022 when he was a member of the Dodgers. His current streak surpassed Jimmy Rollins for the fourth-longest all-time and is now tied with Hall of Famer Tim Raines for the third-longest streak in Major League history. Next on the list is Ichiro Suzuki, who swiped 45 straight bases from April 29, 2006 through May 16, 2007, and Vince Coleman, who stole a Major League record 50 straight bases from September 18, 1988 through July 26, 1989. (MLB)

Turner was a 2-time All-American at NC State. In 2012, Turner was named 3rd Team All-American by NCBWA, and in 2013 he was named 2nd Team by Collegiate Baseball, and 3rd Team by NCBWA and Baseball America.

Turner’s 113 career stolen bases at NC State are the most in school history.

Turner was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 1st Round with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft.

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NC State’s Payton Wilson & Dylan McMahon’s 2024 Draft Projections

Published

19 hours ago

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April 24, 2024

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The 2024 NFL Draft is 1 day away. Where does NC State Linebacker Payton Wilson and Center Dylan McMahon project to be drafted?

PFF

Payton Wilson – 1st Round – 29th Overall Pick – Indianapolis Colts

It’s a cliché to go “best athlete available” for the Colts, but Payton Wilson certainly ticked that box at the NFL scouting combine. Wilson was exceptional in his final season at NC State, earning grades above 75.0 in all three facets of defense, led by his 90.0 coverage grade with three interceptions and four forced incompletions.

Dylan McMahon – 6th Round – 214th Overall Pick – Cincinnati Bengals

Sporting News

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 38th Overall Pick – Tennessee Titans

Dylan McMahon – 5th Round – 175th Overall Pick – New Orleans Saints

Walter Football

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 42nd Overall Pick – Houston Texans

CBS Sports

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 43rd Overall Pick – Atlanta Falcons

Dylan McMahon – 6th Round – 182nd Overall Pick – Tennessee Titans

The Athletic 

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 56th Overall Pick – Dallas Cowboys

Dylan McMahon – 7th Round – 232nd Overall Pick – Minnesota Vikings

Fantasy Pros

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 66th Overall Pick – Arizona Cardinals

Dylan McMahon – 7th Round – 55th Overall Pick – Green Bay Packers

NFL.com

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 80th Overall Pick – Cincinnati Bengals

Dylan McMahon – 4th Round – 112th Overall Pick – Carolina Panthers

ESPN

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 81st Overall Pick – Seattle Seahawks

Wilson has an early-round grade based strictly on his game tape, but durability concerns could drop him to this range — or even later. He had 130 tackles, six sacks and three interceptions last season.

Dylan McMahon – 7th Round – 247th Overall Pick – Houston Texans

Pro Football Network

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 83rd Overall Pick – Los Angeles Rams

Dylan McMahon – 6th Round – 205th Overall Pick – Detroit Lions

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Former NC State G Terquavion Smith Earns a Spot on the 2023-23 NBA G-League All-Rookie Team

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6 days ago

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April 19, 2024

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Former NC State Guard Terquavion Smith earned a spot on the 2023-24 NBA G-League All-Rookie Team.

Smith averaged 22.3 points, 3.4 assists and 3 rebounds per game for the Delaware Blue Coats. What’s crazy, is that he only started in 3 of the 36 games he played in. With that being said, he averaged 30.7 minutes per game. Smith shot 35.6% from three.

As a 2-way player, Smith also played 16 games for the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 3.3 points in 5.3 minutes per game. He shot 37.1% from three.

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NC State LB Payton Wilson Visited with the Steelers Yesterday

Published

1 week ago

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April 17, 2024

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Former NC State Linebacker Payton Wilson had a Top-30 visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday. Wilson is the first Linebacker the Steelers have brought in.

Wilson has already had Top-30 visits with the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers.

PFF ranks Wilson as the #1 Linebacker in the 2024 Draft, and #26 on their Big Board.

1. LB PAYTON WILSON, NC STATE

PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 26

Wilson has the length, movement ability, IQ and tape of a first-round linebacker. What will likely keep him from being drafted on Day 1 is his injury history and age. If healthy, he can be a starting inside linebacker in any defense. (PFF)

Will someone take Wilson in the 1st round? Will he be a 2nd round pick? If he slips past that, that’s just stupid.

 

 

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