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Dennis Smith Jr. is NC State’s top priority in the 2016 recruiting class.  Then again, he’s a lot of people’s top priority.  He’s ranked as the #4 overall player, and the number #1 point guard in his class.  He is widely considered to be an NC State lean at this point, and personally I would be shocked if he doesn’t run with the Wolfpack.  It’s obvious that recruiting analysts think he’s great, and so do all the fans that watch his mixtape’s.  But what does his coach think?

We caught up with Heath Vandevender, the head coach of Trinity Christian School, to get his take on what coaching Smith has been like.  Vandevender doesn’t have offensive goals for Smith next season.  He has defensive goals for him.

“Junior has gotten better every year.  His roles have changed for us every year.  He will be captain for us this year,” Vandevender said.  “The biggest thing I want him to be for us this year, is to be the defensive leader as well.  I want him to be a ‘shut down’ guy, and take on more leadership responsibility on both sides of the court.  We need to get better defensively, and that starts with your best player, and that’s Junior.”

Vandevender has coached some good players, but says Smith is the best he has ever coached.

“We’ve had other players come through our program that went to Divsision-1 schools.  I coached against John Wall for three years,” said Vandevender.  “We’ve played against some really good people, but Junior is the best player I’ve ever coached.”

Two point guards of their caliber, from the state of North Carolina, in this short period of time…It is inevitable that comparisons between Smith and Wall will be made.

“Both of them are exceptional talents and super athletic.  John has gear with the ball that very few players that I’ve seen have.  He gets down the floor faster than anyone I’ve ever seen.  He’s a little bit taller than Junior.  I believe he’s closer to 6’4″ (Junior is 6’1″),” said Vandevender.  “Junior in my opinion, in high school, is a better offensive player.  Dennis can shoot the three consistently.  He’s a scoring point guard.  John had a lot of really great players surrounding him, like CJ Leslie and Dez Wells.  It’s hard to make comparisons, but I do think they are similar players.  I think that Dennis is a better shooter, and more dangerous on the offensive end to be honest.”

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Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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Basketball Recruiting

2025 4-Star SF Jackson Keith was at the NC State vs. UNC Game

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3 months ago

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January 10, 2024

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Earlier today, I mentioned Wolfpack prospects 4-Star 2025 Power Forward Sadiq White Jr., 4-Star 2025 Point Guard Jordan Lowery, and 2026 Point Guard Kobe Edwards would be visiting for the NC State vs. UNC game.

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.

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Basketball Recruiting

NC State Recruits that Will Be in Attendance for the UNC Game Tonight

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3 months ago

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January 10, 2024

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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.


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Basketball Recruiting

NC State is 1 of the Schools 4-Star PG Kayden Mingo is Hearing from the Most

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3 months ago

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January 6, 2024

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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.

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).

 

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Basketball Recruiting

Highlights of NC State 2024 Signee Paul McNeil from the John Wall Holiday Invitational

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3 months ago

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January 6, 2024

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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.

 

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