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Inside the Offseason: No Stone Left Unturned in July

Published

10 years ago

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Blistering heat and humidity is a staple in North Carolina this time of the year and July also marks the start of the summer recruiting swing. There are a multitude of camps, AAU tournaments, and opportunities to see the best of the best in action. Coaches must use careful planning and the resources at hand in order to make impressions on the kids they want to be a part of the Pack family.

All the coaches meet weekly to map out who will be where in order to put themselves in the best position possible to gain a commitment in the ultra competitive recruiting environment. This mean putting your assistant coaches in the places where they have the best reputation and having Gottfried show up at the right time to make a statement!

Assistant Coaches Orlando Early and Rob Moxley are key cogs in NC State’s recruiting efforts. Both work tirelessly in the summer and during the season in order to remain in contact with the top high school talents in the country. Coach Moxley has strong ties to the DC area from the time he was an assistant under Gary Williams, he also has a strong hold of North Carolina from his time at UNC Charlotte. Orlando Early has an excellent ability to work contacts and use his personality to appeal not only to players but their families as well.

It’s no coincidence that during Gottfried’s rein we have had nationally recognized recruiting classes. None of this could be accomplished without a commitment from our Athletic Director Debbie Yow as well as a support from our boosters. Yow has put an emphasis on upgrading facilities in order to draw the best talent to NC State. In my opinion Gottfried and his staff does an outstanding job at selling NC State as an academic institution and as a basketball program with a proud history of excellence.

The added resources of having the ability to charter planes in the offseason is a must if NC State wants to wage war with other top college basketball programs. The reason private charters are so important is simple….Time! NCAA regulations are strict and limit the amount of time coaches can recruit. Certain days and tournament are off limits. The best way to maximize your time is to have a plane at your disposal to take you wherever you need to go. This way Coach Gottfried and his assistants can see multiple target recruits no matter where their tournaments are.

Gottfried and his assistants are committed to recruiting and they spend countless hours on the trail. Not only have they brought in top high school talent, but also they have shown the versatility and creativity to bring the best available talent to campus. Transfers and JUCO talent have been a key element in their recruiting strategy. Ralston Turner, Trevor Lacey, Terry Henderson, Dez Lee, and Alex Johnson have all come to campus through alternative methods. Each of these players has had a big impact on our program or is expected to have one in the near future.

There is no doubt that with the support Gottfried and his staff is receiving from Yow and the boosters that we will continue to see even greater success on the recruiting trail. If you need more evidence take a look at the prospects that are considering State in the 2015 class. Upon last look there are a total of 8 inside ESPN Top 100 that list interest in NC State. I can assure you that our staff has a plan in place to land a couple of these prospects. It’s only a matter of time!

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Commits to NC State!

Published

17 hours ago

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April 25, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) has committed to NC State!

Hill took an Official Visit to NC State this past weekend.

This past season, Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons. He earned 1st Team All-MAC honors. Even though he was only at Bowling Green one season, he had one of the best seasons in school history, scoring 698 points, which ranks 5th all-time in program history for a single season.

For his first two years of collegiate ball, Hill played for Southern Union State College (JUCO) in Alabama. In 2022-23, Hill earned 3rd Team NJCAA All-American honors, and ranked as the #32 overall Junior College prospect.

247Sports ranks Hill as a 4-Star Transfer Prospect, and the #81 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruiting him as a Point Guard.

Hill is the 4th player to transfer to NC State this offseason, joining Louisville’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield & Mike James, and Georgetown’s Dontrez Styles.

With the addition of Hill, NC State now has 1 scholarship remaining for next season.

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NC State Basketball

NC State’s Mohamed Diarra Will Not Return to NC State for Final Season

Published

2 days ago

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April 24, 2024

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NC State Forward Mohamed Diarra will not be returning to NC State for his final season of eligibility. Rather, he will give 100% of his focus to pursuing his professional career.

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Diarra is declaring for the NBA Draft, and will explore that possibility as far as it goes, but the likelihood of him playing professionally in his home country of France are high.

Diarra was a significant player for NC State all season long, averaging 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (team high), but his impact in March was tremendous, recording 10+ rebounds in 7 of the Wolfpack’s 10 postseason games, and five of those performances were double-doubles.

Wolfpack fans will always remember the grit and mental toughness that Diarra put on display in the NCAA Tournament, playing game-after-game while fasting for Ramadan.

The Wolfpack’s frontcourt just got a little bit thinner. In the past two weeks, NC State has lost Diarra and Ernest Ross.  Ben Middlebrooks is returning, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield transferred in from Louisville. Dontrez Styles transferred in from Georgetown, and while he is more of a Small Forward, in certain lineups, he could play the Small 4 position. With all that being said, I fully expect NC State to try to find another post player in the Transfer Portal with Diarra’s exodus now official.

With Diarra not returning in 2024, NC State now has 2 scholarships available for next season.

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NC State Basketball

Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James Commits to NC State!

Published

3 days ago

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April 23, 2024

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Louisville Transfer Guard Mike James (6’5″/200) has announced his commitment to NC State!

 

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This past year, James averaged 12.6 points per game (3rd on the team) and 5 rebounds. He’s extremely physical and aggressive, taking 47% of his field goal attempts at the rim (making 46%). As a result, he draws a lot of fouls, ranking 10th in the ACC in Fouls Drawn, and 4th in Free Throw Rate. James made opponents pay this year when they put him on the line, making 81.8% from the charity stripe, which ranked 15th in the ACC.

James shot the ball better as a Redshirt Freshman, than he did this past season. His Effective Field Goal Percentage in 2022-23 was 55.8%, which ranked 19th in the ACC, and his True Shooting Percentage of 59.6% ranked 14th.

News broke about James entering the Transfer Portal back on March 25th, and NC State was quick to reach out. Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the former 4-star prospect out of high school heavily, but he ultimately chose the Cardinals.

After redshirting his first year in Louisville due to torn achilles, James has been a starter for the Cardinals the past two years.

He does have the ability to knock down a three, making 34.8% for his career.

James has 2 years of eligibility remaining. With James’ commitment, NC State currently has 1 scholarship available for next season.

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NC State Basketball

Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill is on a Visit to NC State

Published

4 days ago

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April 22, 2024

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Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) confirmed with me that he is currently on a visit at NC State.

Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons this season. He earned 1st Team All-MAC honors. Even though he was only at Bowling Green one season, he had one of the best seasons in school history, scoring 698 points, which ranks 5th all-time in program history for a single season.

For his first two years of collegiate ball, Hill played for Southern Union State College (JUCO) in Alabama. In 2022-23, Hill earned 3rd Team NJCAA All-American honors, and ranked as the #32 overall Junior College prospect.

247Sports ranks Hill as a 4-Star Transfer Prospect, and the #78 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #11 Shooting Guard.

According to a source, the NC State Coaching Staff is extremely high on Hill, and they are recruiting him as a Point Guard.

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