Most college coaches haven’t been recruiting Goodman this season, because most of them were under the impression that he would prep next season in order to get his academics in line.  In fact, there was a plan in place for him to go to Brewster Academy next season to prep for a year.  Well, the plan might have changed.  According to Goodman’s head coach Rob Moore at Philadelphia Constitution, he has qualified academically.  Once the word got out that Goodman might be on the market, high level division-I coaches started calling in an aggressive manner.

“Since he qualified academically, Savon decided that he wanted to go to college now.  Many kids go prep because they want to better there options.  That’s not the case for Savon.  He has colleges from all the major conferences knocking at his door right now,” said Moore.  ”With that being said, there is still the chance that he ends up prepping next season, because he wants to make sure that he makes the right decision on his school choice.  Kids like Amile spent 2.5 years making this decision.  Savon has a month or so.”

In a matter of 24 hours, the floodgates have opened up for Savon.  Moore listed NC State, West Virginia, Pitt, UNLV, Gonzaga, Missouri, and SMU as the main schools that have jumped on the scene, but the list continually grows.

According to Moore, NC State reached out to Savon for the first time yesterday.  While I was speaking to Moore on the phone at 10:30am this morning, he informed me that he was on his way to the high school to get Goodman out of class and put him on the phone with NC State Assistant Coach Rob Moxley.  At this point NC State still hasn’t offered, but that could change very soon, considering they are probably talking on the phone as I type this.

“I can’t say enough about this kid.  Whoever gets Savon is getting a player who is college ready.  Many colleges have to get players physically and athletically ready to play at the college level,” said Moore.  ”No one will have that problem with him.  He’s an athletic specimen and is stronger than most on the court.”

Moore only coached Goodman for one season at Philadelphia Constitution, but the young man left a lasting impression.  Goodman helped lead his squad to a City Championship and a State Championship.  He scored over 800 points in a single season, which is the second highest single season total in the Philadelphia Public League history.  The team started 9-9, but once Goodman and the rest of the players gelled, there was no stopping them.  They won 18 of their final 20 games, and ended the season on a 14-game winning streak.  During that streak they beat their opponents by over 20 points each game.  Philadelphia Constitution won their City Championship by 25 and the State Championship by 19.

“None of this would have been possible without Savon.  He’s a walking double-double.  He scored 40+ points in 5 games this season,” said Moore.”  ”He averaged 28 points and 14 rebounds this season.  Savon pulled down 10 offensive rebounds in the State Championship game.  He took us to the next level.”

Moore admits that Goodman has a bunch of options on the table, but thinks that NC State would be a good fit.

“Coach Gottfried gave Coach Moxley the go ahead to go all out.  I think it would be a good fit.  NC State needs bodies.  They have three really good players coming in next year, but I don’t think any of those guys are in the same mold as Savon,” said Moore.  ”He is so physical.  He is a natural rebounder.  You can assume that CJ Leslie will be gone after next season.  He’s the type of kid with his strength and athleticism that would make an immediate impact at NC State.”

This story has the potential to unfold quickly and we will continue to keep you posted.

The Wolfpack (37-13, 18-9 ACC) looks to play its way into the national seeding conversation with games Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m., and Saturday at 1 p.m. All three will be streamed live on ESPN3.com.

Florida State (41-11, 22-5 ACC) tabbed Scott Sitz (3-2, 3.91 ERA) as its Thursday starter, but starters for Friday and Saturday remain yet to be determined after the Seminoles’ Monday doubleheader. Carlos Rodon (8-0, 1.41) will toe the rubber for State on Thursday, trying to tie NC State’s single-season freshman record by scoring his ninth win of the year.

Rodon enters the game as one of nine undefeated pitchers in the nation with eight or more wins. The freshman leads the ACC in ERA, innings pitched (89.2), complete games (2), and sits second in strikeouts (108). With two or more on Thursday, Rodon will enter NC State’s top-10 for strikeouts in a single season. Ethan Ogburn (4-2, 2.91) will start Friday’s game, and Anthony Tzamtzis (5-3, 2.91) gets the nod for Saturday’s finale.

Trea Turner has a chance to inch closer to the ACC single season record for stolen bases with a productive weekend in Tallahassee. Turner became one of only three players in conference history to steal 50 bags in a year with five last weekend against Virginia Tech, improving to an NCAA-leading 51-for-54. The freshman leads the nation by 12, and holds a dominating 32 base lead on his nearest ACC competition.

Ryan Mathews carries the ACC’s longest active hitting streak into the weekend, currently 18 games. Mathews has been heating up as the streak has progressed, bashing three homers in the Pack’s last four games to bring his total to 11 for the year.

Radio coverage for all three games will be provided by 88.1 WKNC, fans can follow Twitter updates from @NCStateBaseball, and live stats will be available at GoPack.com.

Information Provided By NC State Media Relations

“Coach Archer came down and visited on May 7th and watched our whole practice, from beginning to end. He told me that I practiced the way that I played in the game.  He liked that I was really physical and that I moved around,” said Hunte.  ”We had a good talk.  I was liking what he was saying.  It really began to hit me that NC State was the first school to appreciate what I do.  They were the first school to offer me.  They were showing me the most love.”

Prior to Hunte’s commitment to NC State, he was receiving attention from West Virginia, Nebraska, Illinois, USF, Boston College, and Tulane (Schools that offered scholarship in bold).  It was back in February while Hunte was running track that he learned that NC State had offered him.  Apparently, Coach Archer had dropped by Miami Central and informed their head coach that their was an offer on the table for Hunte.

“Coach Archer’s been telling me the same thing ever since he offered me a scholarship.  He told me that he loves that I play very physical, and that the corners that they currently have aren’t as physical as me,” said Hunte.  ”I play Safety mainly now, but they want me to come in as a Cornerback.  He believes that I will have the opportunity to come in and compete for time early because of how physical I am.”

Hunte didn’t randomly make his college decision…it was a very calculated decision for the Junior.

“I did my research.  I studied NC State’s coaches and learned where they have come from and what they’ve accomplished.  I realized how many players they had sent to the NFL,” said Hunte.  ”The success of the coaching staff and their track record of sending players to the next level were big factors in my decision.  My research made me realize that it could be me.”

Stars aren’t important to Hunte.  He is  aware of the fact that there aren’t stars in his profile on most recruiting websites, and he doesn’t care.

I’m not an individual guy.  I’m not a hero.  I’m not a 4-star or 5-star guy.  I know I have a lot to prove,” said Hunte.  ”But honestly, I don’t look at recruiting rankings.  I don’t play to get stars.  That’s not my goal.  I just do my job, whatever it is that the team needs me to do.  My goal right now is to lead my team back to a State Championship.  We won when I was a sophomore, but lost in the championship game last season.  I just want another ring.  That’s what I’m looking forward to next season.  That’s why I play.”

N.C. State is now recruiting Savon Goodman, who is still planning visits, his high school coach told @SNYtv

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) May 16, 2012

Goodman is a 6’6 forward who may seem a bit undersized, but has some serious game. With State now looking to sure-up their frontcourt he could be a great fit and get some real playing time on a team that will likely be a contender for the ACC’s number 1 spot. How many teams can say that? Here is what Zagsblog.com had to say.

Rob Moore, Goodman’s coach at Philly Constitution, told SNY.tv Wednesday that N.C. State was now recruiting the 6-6 Goodman and that he planned to take more visits after the dead period ends. He recently visited Seton Hall and Pitt.

Unfortunately, Jefferson didn’t select NC State and instead chose cross-town rival, Duke. Now, NC State faces a front court short on experience, requiring sophomore Thomas De Thaey and redshirt junior Jordan Vandenberg to step up in a big way.

Fist off, let’s just go ahead and spill the beans on the Jefferson recruitment. This one went on forever and information was always different. There were time early on where people around NC State said things like “he’s our” and “we’re not letting this one get away.” And then there were times when we were told “he hasn’t been in communication with the staff as much lately.” and “I think he’s leaning towards Duke.” However, just two weeks ago we got information from two separate sources that Jefferson had made it pretty clear to the those within the NC State program, that State was going to be his final choice. At that point we released information that we believed Jefferson was an NC State lean, but also said that anything can happen. We made sure that say that because this recruitment wasn’t like most. There was no certainty inside the program because Jefferson kept everyone in the dark. He was very cautious in interviews, making it even harder for coaches and fans to get a good read on what he really was thinking.

We were told that his dad was in State’s corner for a while, but later, when Duke called, he began to take their side. He pushed hard for Amile to take a closer look at Duke, mostly because of the education he’d receive. We mentioned this on Twitter only minutes after the commitment.

Was told that Amile’s dad was lobbying for Duke all along. The education aspect was huge for him.

— PackInsider.com (@PackInsider) May 15, 2012

The crazy thing was that right up until the announcement NC State was very, very confident. There was information coming from a lot of different places that Jefferson had told someone in the NC State program that he was coming. Is that true? Obviously, we can’t be sure, but our sources were very confident that it was. With that information floating around, it was very easy to see why everyone in the local media here was pretty excited, some outlets even flew up to cover the event in Philly.

So what happened? Why the change of heart? Was it even a change of heart? We can’t answer that, only Amile and his family can, but I really think in hindsight that the hold-up was Jefferson being scared to tell Gottfried that after spending all of that time and hard work recruiting him, that he’s going to play across the road at Duke. I think Duke sold him on playing time, being a starter, playing for K and getting a great education. I also think his father really had a big say in this. Amile knows which team wanted him the most and which team made him a priority for the longest, but in the end it was likely that his father, who is very close with Amile, really lobbied hard for Duke and won out. I don’t think Amile didn’t want to go to Duke, but I think being from up north and Duke being so prominent up there, it really had an effect.

So what now for the Wolfpack? Well, I don’t think they’re even going after anyone that could suit up next year, so you’re looking a front court of Leslie, Warren, Howell, De Thaey and Vandenberg. Not bad seeing as all those guys really only need to take up two spots. Of course you’ll have Warren moving to the 3 a lot and Leslie playing the 5 if Howell is out, but State is plenty deep, especially if De Thaey and Vandy are ready. I think you’ll see a starting line-up of Brown, Purvis, Wood, Leslie and Howell with Warren as the 6th man and Lewis backing up the guards a little bit. Then you have some questions. Thomas De Thaey has the versatility to fit in nicely here, but he’ll need to show some more aggression and confidence in the post. I also think Vandenberg could help out in the middle when Howell gets in foul trouble, but he needs to really get focused. I’m a big Vandy fan, but he really needs to lock in this season and really push himself to the next level.

Sure, Jefferson would have limited the amount of questions we would be asking about the coming season, but do I think missing on him is  make-or-break? No way. Jefferson was thin and I though he was very over valued due to his waiting so late to announce. He would have been a nice pick-up but he wasn’t going to have the type of impact Purvis or Warren would have. Both of those guys have ACC ready bodies. Jefferson does not and I also have questioned his confidence and mean-streak along the way. I think if De Thaey is working as hard as we’re being told, I think things may have worked out for the better for the Pack. It’s time to see what TDT can really do.

“TJ was very unique.  We’ve had a lot of talented players over the past 10 years, including this years Kansas standout Thomas Robinson,” said Smith.  ”If TJ’s not the best pure scorer we’ve ever had, he’s in the conversation with Memphis’ Will Barton.”

Warren went to Brewster and accepted a role that might seem shocking to most.  This McDonald’s All-American was willing to go to another state, and go to a school that was asking him to come off the bench to be a spark on offense.

“It’s not very often that a McDonald’s All-American does that.  He accepted his role,” said Smith.  ”We needed him to be that spark of offense off the bench, and he was.  He still led our team in scoring and played the same amount of minutes as a starter.”

While Smith applauds Warren’s flexibility, he admits the transition wasn’t necessarily easy at first for the newcomer.

“I would say it was challenging.  TJ has grown and matured a great deal since he arrived on campus in September.  I applaud people like TJ for doing what he did,” said Smith.  ”He left his hometown where he was ‘the man’.  Instead of being ‘the man’, he was one of 7 guys that signed with Division-I schools here.  People like TJ see the big picture.  They realize that’s what it’s going to be like when they goes to college.”

Warren and his Brewster teammates haven’t let their guard down just because the season is over.  They’ve been in the gym battling…preparing each other for the next level that awaits them.  Coach Smith hasn’t stopped coaching them either.  He continues to push.

“I’m not sure what TJ’s background was before here, but he didn’t shoot the ball as well here.  His long-range shot is an area he needs to develop.  He still needs to work on the defensive end, but all players need to get better at that end.  He needs to work on strength and conditioning in particular, which he’s been doing a lot of this Spring,” said Smith.  ”When he first got here we had to lock him in there and make sure he got it done.  This Spring he’s been getting it done in the weight room.  I think right now he’s around 220 and 223.  I told him I thought that his ideal playing weight is 215.  With that being said, he’s got a great midrange, a floater, and is solid around the basket.  His midrange game is what makes hims so effective.  He knows how to get players on his hip.  He’s a matchup problem for most 3’s.”

In fact, Smith admits that he pushes TJ harder than he does most, because he sees what he can be.

“What TJ probably doesn’t realize now, and will when he gets there, is that this year at Brewster is different than the way I coach other guys.  I coached Thomas Robinson differently,” said Smith.  ”I coached Will Barton differently.  I coached TJ differently.  I coached these guys differently because I realized their ceiling is so high.”

The Bobcat head coach believes there is more than meets the eye with Warren, and he has no reason to believe that he won’t see continued success putting the ball in the basket at the next level and beyond.

“No question he is more athletic than most people realize.  He was dunking on other 6’9-10  guys last night at open gym, while getting fouled.  I think he could have the same type of impact at the next level that he had here,” said Smith.  ”His ability to score the ball is completely natural.  TJ’s such a pure scorer, he has the skill to put the ball in the hoop at three different levels.”

Jernigan (5-1) retired 20 of the 23 batters he faced, striking out eight to come up one short of tying his career high. The freshman from Four Oaks, N.C. allowed just one hit over 6 2/3 innings of work.

Mathews extended the ACC’s longest active hitting streak to 18 games with his 11th home run of the year, a two-run blast to dead center in the Wolfpack’s three-run first inning. The senior seems to be finding a groove as the regular season winds to a close, having smashed three home runs over the Pack’s last four games.

Chris Diaz led the Wolfpack (37-13) with a 3-for-5 performance that included a double, two RBIs, and two runs. Danny Canela went 2-for-3, driving in a pair as well.

Trea Turner scored twice, marking the 16th time in the last 17 games the freshman has crossed home plate, in a 2-for-3 outing with a stolen base to take over second on the ACC’s single-season list, 12 short of Brian Roberts’s record from 1997. Turner scored in the first inning for the seventh time in the Pack’s last 10 games. For the first time all season, Turner was thrown out by a catcher on an attempted steal of second base. Turner’s total stands at 51-for-54 heading for the Florida State series.

Jernigan scored the win, but relievers Ryan Wilkins and Gary Gillheeney also contributed solid efforts. Wilkins came out of the pen first, delivering one shutout inning, allowing one hit and striking out two. Gillheeney fanned two and gave up a hit over 1 1/3 to preserve the shutout in his first appearance of the season.

Greensboro (24-25) trotted out six pitchers, with starter Adam Boghosian (0-2) taking the loss on four runs, three earned, over the first inning. Eric Kalbfleisch gave up the rest in the sixth, finishing with three runs allowed on three hits over 2/3.

Tuesday’s game marked the first of a three-game suspension levied against NC State head coach Elliott Avent for his actions in Sunday’s game at Virginia Tech.

State leapt out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom first thanks to Mathews’s two-run homer. Turner led off the game by ripping a single by the UNCG third baseman playing in on the grass. Diaz followed with a double into the right field corner to put two in scoring position for Canela’s RBI groundout to the right side. With Diaz on third, Mathews pounced on a 1-2 pitch, sending it soaring over the wall in dead center for his 11th of the year.

The Pack added another in the second to make it 4-0. Logan Ratledge reached as the lead-off man on a throwing error by UNCG’s shortsop. Turner walked behind him to put two on and chase Boghosian from the game. Reliever Dominique Vattuone struck out the first batter he faced, but allowed Canela’s RBI single up the middle.

Three more Wolfpack runs came home in the sixth to extend the lead to 7-0. Brett Austin reached on an infield single as the lead off man. Jake Fincher’s sac bunt moved him over, and a wild pitch pushed him to third with two away. Turner walked and stole second to put two in scoring position, and Diaz plated them both on a single to center. Canela singled next to put runners on the corners, and back-to-back walks brought in the third run.

NC State travels to Tallahassee Thursday to take on top-ranked Florida State in a three-game set Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. All three games will stream live on ESPN3.com. Radio coverage for the series will be provided by 88.1 WKNC, fans can follow Twitter updates from @NCStateBaseball, and live stats will be available at GoPack.com.

Information Provided By NC State Media Relations

Box Score

RUSSELL WILSON

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll believes that former NC State quarterback Russell Wilson will be in the mix for the starting job this upcoming season.

“He showed us enough,” Carroll said. “He’s in the competition.  He did an excellent job of demonstrating that he prepared for this” (Via TheSeattleTimes)

According to the article cited above, Carroll believes that Wilson was on the field for around 500 snaps during minicamp and threw close to 400 passes.  In all of those plays he could only remember one time that Wilson fumbled on calling a play, which was a credit to his familiarity of the West Coast offense that he loves to run.

“I wouldn’t say it’s the biggest reason. I’d say it was one of the reasons,” Manning said Sunday at the close of the Packers’ rookie orientation camp. “I came out because I was ready to go. I did about everything I could do at N.C. State.” (Via Madison.com)

Avent, whose team won the series with the Hokies and boasts a 36-13 record, was ejected in the bottom of the sixth inning for picking up a catcher’s mask off home plate and tossing it towards the Wolfpack dugout.  Following the ejection, there was physical contact between Avent and the home plate umpire, a violation of NCAA rules that carries an NCAA-mandated three-game suspension that cannot be appealed.

“I accept the suspension,” said Avent.  “Our team has displayed character and consistency throughout this season and I am confident that this will not be a distraction from our goal of winning a championship.  I look forward to being back in the dugout Saturday at Florida State.”

The Wolfpack will play UNC Greensboro tonight at Doak Field at Dail Park at 6 p.m. and will travel to Tallahassee on Thursday for the final series of the regular season.

Information Provided By NC State Media Relations.

Coach Smith had the chance to coach incoming NC State point guard Tyler Lewis this past season.  Many have doubted Lewis over his career, wondering if his talent would translate to the next level.

“I’ve coached 9 point guards that have gone on to the NBA.  I’ve coached Rod Strickland, Cory Alexander, William Avery, Steve Blake, Ty Lawson, Brandon Jennings, Nolan Smith, Rajon Rondo.   He did as much or more as any of those guys did for their teams,” said Smith.  ”He is a Bobby Hurley type, and he was a lotter pick in the NBA.  Am I saying that Tyler is a lock to be a lottery pick one day.  No.  I can’t guarantee that.  But I can tell you that Tyler and Rondo are the two best passers I’ve ever coached.”

Smith was able to lead Oak Hill to their 8th National Championship in 2012, but he makes it very clear that this would have been impossible without Tyler Lewis.

“He was kind of the glue on our team this year.  We needed him desperately to do what he did.  He made us go offensively.  He’s a very cerebral player and is literally a coach on the floor.  In the past I’ve had to coach the point guards on the floor, but he made my job very easy.  Before Tyler joined our team last summer I knew that we had a good team, but we were beatable.  I could have had other point guards, but I don’t think we would have been undefeated.”

According to Smith, Lewis reminds him a lot of the legend Pete Maravich.  He possesses a flash in his game that is rare, but still manages to be a good steward of the ball.

“He throws passes where you say ‘Woah.’  He’s got a little Pete Maravich in him.  He makes fancy plays that I would normally take players out of the game for, but I couldn’t say anything because he doesn’t turn the ball over,” said Smith.  ”This season our team set a record for the lowest amount of turnovers, and Lewis deserves the credit.  He doesn’t turn the ball over.  He had around an 8:1 assist/turnover ratio this season.  Any coach is happy with a 3:1 ratio.  He didn’t even lead our team in turnovers, and he had the ball in his hand 75% of the time.  Point guards almost always lead their teams in turnovers.  All of mine do.  Not Lewis.”

The legendary Oak Hill coach believes that people doubt Lewis on paper, but when they actually see him play, he continually proves them wrong.  One of those players was Coach Gottfried.

Gottfried hadn’t seen him much, or at all.  He saw him last summer, but I don’t think he had seen him in a structured situation.  He came up here and watched him play against Grace Prep, which was a Top-5 team,” said Smith.  ”Lewis had 23 points and 9 assists.  Gottfried walked up to me afterward and said “I didn’t know he was that good.”

Lewis is obviously second on the depth chart behind current NC State point guard Lorenzo Brown, but Smith thinks it will be hard for Gottfried to keep him off of the court.

“Tyler knows he has to work defensively.  He knows he has to get stronger.  With that being said, this kid doesn’t back down from anyone or any challenge.  It’s going to be hard for State not to put him on the court.  He makes the team better, and that’s what a point guard is supposed to do.  Heck, he’s a good point guard if he doesn’t even take a shot in a game.”