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This past weekend 2017 Small Forward Charles O’Bannon (6’5″/190) took an unofficial visit to NC State.  O’Bannon is a 5-star recruit according to ESPN, and they rank him as the #27 overall player in the 2017 class.  I caught up with O’Bannon last night, and he said that the visit was great.

“It was a great experience and I had an amazing time.  I got to Raleigh in the afternoon on Friday, then went over to the basketball facility.  We walked into Coach Gottfried’s office and talked for a while, then he showed us around the facility.  That night I was just hanging out with the players,” said O’Bannon Jr.  “The next day the coaches showed us how the Packapalooza was set up, then we went to the academic office to show us where the players study and get tutored.  Later that day, I also played pick up with the guys.  After we went over to the Packapalooza, I hung out with the players again that night.  We took an early flight home on Sunday morning.”

O’Bannon holds offers from NC State, Arizona, California, Kansas, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, UCLA, Utah, Wake Forest and others.  With all of these offers all across the country, why would O’Bannon fly all the way to the east coast to visit the Wolfpack?

“Coach Gottfried is a coach that sees a lot in me and feels that I can have a really big impact at NC State,” said O’Bannon Jr.  “I really respect that about him and he asked me to come, so I told my parents, and we all agreed.

O’Bannon said that NC State is recruiting him “a lot harder” than any other school right now.  He also said that it’s “definitely” easier for him to trust Coach Gottfried because his father, Charles O’Bannon, built trust with him a long time ago.  Gottfried was an assistant coach at UCLA when O’Bannon helped lead the Bruins to a National Championship in 1995.  O’Bannon knows what it’s like to be recruited and coached by Gottfried.

Junior said that the coaches and the players did a really good job making him feel comfortable and answering all of his questions.

“There wasn’t too much that we did not talk about.  We mostly talked about how I would fit into the program and how the state of North Carolina is the best place to be when it comes to College Basketball,” said O’Bannon Jr. “The players did a good job also.  They made me feel really comfortable being that far from home, where the people and everything around you is a lot different.”

O’Bannon Jr. has a lot of college suitors, but NC State has done a really good job making an impression on him.  When asked about his level of interest in NC State, he responded with:

“Yes, I am very interested.” said O’Bannon Jr.

 

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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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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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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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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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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