Torin Dorn is a good pick up for the Pack and will make an immediate impact on the program. I am sure many are thinking that we will have to wait and see his impact but honestly the year off will be great for him and the players who are currently eligible to play this season. Dorn went on record as saying he wanted to improve his ball handling skills and attack each days as an opportunity to improve upon his weaknesses. As we spoke with Ralston Turner about his transfer year he talked about how each year off is unique to the individual. Dorn is already blessed with a frame that is capable of playing in the ACC as he stands 6-5 and weights over 200 pounds.
Dorn will be important for the Pack as he will help improve the competition landscape in practice and become a valuable member of the scout team. I am sure Coach Lutz is extremely pleased to have the talents of Dorn on his “Swat Team” and will use his skills to help prepare the Pack as they get ready for their opponents. Playing on the scout team will benefit Dorn as well by having the full attention of the starters in practice and seeing many different looks. I would argue that playing on the scout team is a more challenging task than being in the starting rotation, as one has to not only understand NC State’s game plan but countless other schools’ too.
Also looking at the depth chart it is easy to see that there will be minutes available after he is done sitting out. Terry Henderson will be a senior but he is the only true two guard on the roster. With three seasons of eligibility remaining there is little doubt that Dorn will see floor time, especially if he uses his year off wisely!
I think Dorn will be a great member of the Pack and make a huge impact in the coming years!
The real question is he an ACC caliber player. Freshman POY in an inferior conference. Only time will tell if this is a wasted pick up or a smart move. Still does nothing for us next year.
4-Star 2025 Small Forward Jackson Keith (6’5″/175) was also in attendance.
Keith is a consensus 4-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, with Rivals ranking him as the #53 overall player in the class. The Southern High (Durham, NC) standout is ranked as the #2 player in the state of North Carolina in the 2025 class by ESPN.
Keith holds offers from NC State, Wake Forest, Mississippi St., Illinois, SMU, Virginia Tech, LSU and others.
NC State (11-3) will host #7 UNC (11-3) tonight in PNC Arena, and they also will be hosting a couple of recruiting prospects.
4-Star 2025 Power Forward Sadiq White Jr. and 4-Star 2025 Point Guard Jordan Lowery both confirmed with me that they will be in attendance.
White, who plays for Myers Park (Charlotte) is the consensus #1 player in the state of North Carolina in the 2025 recruiting class, and he’s 4 spots away from being a 5-star prospect according to ON3. Lowery plays for Winston-Salem Christian School, and is ranked as the #7 overall player in the state of North Carolina in the 2025 recruiting class according to 247Sports.
White holds offers from NC State, South Carolina, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Wake Forest, LSU, FSU, Illinois, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Georgetown, Ohio State and others. Lowery holds offers from NC State, TCU, Virginia Tech, SMU, Oklahoma St., Kansas St. St. Louis and others.
2026 Point Guard Kobe Edwards also told me he will be in attendance.
4-Star 2025 Point Guard Kayden Mingo (6’1″/160) stated that NC State is one of the schools most frequently reaching out to him, along with Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Cal and Old Dominion.
2025 4⭐️ Kayden Mingo continued his stockrising season tonight as #2 Long Island Lutheran (NY) took down #11 La Lumiere (IN).
Mingo finished with 20PTS, 7ASTS and 5REBS in the 82-65 win. He’s LuHi’s leading scorer on the season.
Despite the Wolfpack’s interest in Mingo, they haven’t offered him yet. Mingo currently holds offers from Cal, Penn State, Saint Louis, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
Rivals and ESPN both rank Mingo as a 4-Star prospect, with Rivals ranking him as the #70 overall player nationally in the 2025 recruiting class.
Mingo plays for Long Island Lutheran in New York, which is one of the top teams in the country. He is currently the Nike EYBL Scholastic’s leading scorer (20ppg).
NC State 2024 signee Paul McNeil Jr. showcased his talent at the 2023 John Wall Holiday Invitational at the end of the year. Below are highlights from his first two games.
In Richmond’s 77-62 win over Jordan in their first game of the invitational, McNeil had 27 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.
In Game 2, McNeil had 24 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists in Richmond’s 53-56 loss to Northwood.
In Game 3, McNeil had 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in Richmond’s 68-84 loss to Cannon. I couldn’t find any highlights from this particular game.
Through 11 games this season, McNeil is averaging 29.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. He is shooting 52% from the field and 35% from three.
The real question is he an ACC caliber player. Freshman POY in an inferior conference. Only time will tell if this is a wasted pick up or a smart move. Still does nothing for us next year.