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Standing 6’11” with a 7’5″ wingspan, Udoka Azubuike is an absolute force in the paint.  Not only is he long, but he is powerfully built, weighing 270 pounds with broad shoulders.  When I think of Udoka one word comes to mind, and that word is destruction. Udoka plays with a nasty streak as he tries to overpower anyone in his path, including the goal.  Few players have his combination of size and motor.  One of the most impressive things about Udoka are his hands.  Most big men struggle catching bounce passes or catching the ball on the move.  However, Udoka is fluid in catching the ball.  Lets take a look at how his skills would mesh with NC State and Gottfried’s system.

Offensively

The high post offense is a sytem made for Azubuike.  A trademark of the high post is the ducking big man on the low block.  The type of player that excels in this role is a wide body that seals off the paint and is quick getting the ball to the basket.  Azubuike fits this description.  He is long and wide with the explosion to finish quickly.  Checkout Udoka’s finishes in the video below:

Notice how for the most part he catches the ball and keeps it high, and then explodes to the rim.  One thing that I like is that I did not see him dribbling the ball in traffic but once in the video.  A major problem for big men is that they bring the ball down, which allows smaller defenders to tie them up.  Also we see that Udoka grabs an offensive rebound, gathers, and then finishes with authority with no wasted time putting the ball on the deck.

Gottfried would love to have a guy like Udoka to feed from the high post.  It would also be a huge advantage to have Tim setting screens along the baseline to free up the guards as they look to get space in NC State’s corner wrinkle.  Azubuike would thrive at NC State in the high post offense.

Defensively

Picture a season where NC State would have BeeJay Anya and Udoka Azubuike patrolling the paint.  It would be a beautiful thing.  Gottfried could deploy some serious pressure on the perimeter if he knew he had both Anya and Udoka protecting the rim.  The guards and forwards could afford to gamble more if they had the likes of Udoka and Anya, which would result in a ton of turnovers and points off of them.  The team could resemble a track team having the likes of the Twins, Dennis Smith, Torin Dorn, Terry Henderson, and potentially Cat Barber.

Udoka is already solid on coming over from the help-side to erase shots, but needs to improve on his straight up man-to-man post defense.  He sometimes allows his man too much freedom to catch the ball deep knowing that he has such an advantage in size to overcome the disadvantage.  This will not be the case in college, as he will have to work harder at keeping his man from catching the ball with two feet in the paint.  If he allows his man to get that position in the ACC it will result in a foul or a dunk more often than not.

Intangibles

One thing I love about Udoka is the fact that he brings a level of nastiness to the floor.  He plays with a scowl and isn’t afraid to stare down an opposing player after he dismantles him either offensively or defensively.  This may rub some people the wrong way, but in my opinion it is a good thing.  Udoka doesn’t have a bad attitude towards his teammates, coaches, or the officials.  He instead uses his intensity to intimidate his opponents.  Another small thing that gets overlooked with big men is how aware they are in respect to their position.  For example, some big men will drop step themselves behind the backboard or leave themselves a terrible angle to score.  This doesn’t appear to be a problem for Azubuike, as he consistently gives himself enough room to drop step to a spot that gives him a good opportunity to flush it or shoot a soft jump hook.  This awareness will help smooth his transition to the college game.

Improvement

Looking at Azubuike one thing that he will have to adjust to is playing against competition that is as strong and big as he is.  He will not be able to rely on his size alone once he reaches college, which means that he will have work hard on cleaning up his footwork and perfecting counter moves.  If someone takes away his left shoulder can he counter? I am not sure he is that skilled yet.  I haven’t seen much evidence on tape that shows that he can.  However, the beauty of this is that he can be coached and has loads of upside given his talent and size.

Summary

Big men of Udoka’s class don’t come along but every so often.  Coach Gottfried loves to have big men and it is important that any college program have depth at the center position.  Basketball may be trending away from big men, but Azubuike is the type of player who can play in an uptempo system.  A rim protector can clean up a lot of mistakes for a team defensively and can aid an uptempo attack by allowing the perimeter to play aggressively to force turnovers.  If Coach Gottfried can get Udoka to commit it would be a dream front court that would be filled with size and skill.  No one in the country would rival the Pack when it comes to depth and versatility in the front court.  This past weekend Udoka had a great visit, as he was hanging with Dennis Smith and Rawle Alkins.  Stay tuned to see if Gottfried can pull off a recruiting class for the ages.

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Wolfer96
Wolfer96
7 years ago

PackJunky I would have said the same about BJ before I saw the latest pic of him. The kid lost a ton of weight and actually looks athletic now. He’s not the same kid that showed up 60 pounds overweight his freshman year. If BJ can show hustle and play hard for 30 minutes a game without fouling out I really think he has a good chance at playing his way into the 1st round. He has the skills but hasn’t been able to showcase them due to his weight. Now that the weight is gone I think we’ll be… Read more »

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PackEsquire
PackEsquire
7 years ago

Dont want Azubuike, need Azubuike and needed him yesterday

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PackJunky
PackJunky
7 years ago

Hopefully we get him. I think we will really need him in 16. I have a hard time believing we will have the dream front court that you are hoping for. I expect either BJ or Abu or both will go pro after this year. If Abu has the breakout year that we need from him, he could position himself to be a first rounder. I doubt BJ can do the same, but that has never stopped an NC State player from leaving early when they want to go, and rumor has it BJ has already told the coaches this… Read more »

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Basketball Recruiting

NC State Hosted 3 Basketball Recruits this Past Weekend

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October 2, 2023

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The NC State Men’s Basketball team hosted 3 recruits this past weekend: 4-Star 2025 Point Guard Jordan Lowery, 4-Star 2025 Small Forward AJ White and 3-Star 2024 Center Chol Machot.

I confirmed with all three players that they were on NC State’s campus for an unofficial visit.

On September 12, NC State offered 4-Star 2025 Point Guard Jordan Lowery (6’1″/175) out of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He already holds offers from TCU, SMU, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, St. Louis, Wichita St, ECU and Virginia Tech. Rivals ranks Lowery as the #110 overall player nationally, and ON3 ranks him as the #9 player in the state of North Carolina. Lowery was also in for an unofficial visit to NC State earlier in September as well.

The Wolfpack coaches were in to visit 4-Star 2025 Small Forward AJ White (6’8″/180) out of Charlotte, North Carolina in the middle of September. Rivals ranks White as the #28 overall player nationally in 2025, and he is the consensus #1 player in the state. White holds offers from NC State, South Carolina, Cincy, Texas, Syracuse, Georgia, Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Mississippi St., LSU, FSU, Illinois, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgetown, Ohio St. and others.

The NC State coaching staff was into see Machot (7’0″), and his teammate Lowery in the middle of September. ON3 ranks Machot as a 3-star prospect, and the #14 player in the state of North Carolina.

 

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Basketball Recruiting

Kendre Harrison Breaks Down What it Means to be Offered by NC State in 2 Sports

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October 2, 2023

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NC State is trying to reel in a Legacy Recruit in 2026 Tight End/Power Forward Kendre Harrison. Harrison is the nephew of former Wolfpack guard, C.C. Harrison.

Harrison is a unicorn. The young sensation out of Reidsville High School (Reidsville, NC), is a 4-star prospect in both football and basketball. In fact, he’s on track to be a 5-star prospect in both sports, which is unheard of.

In regards to football, Harrison is the #5 overall player nationally in the 2026 class according to 247Sports, and the #1 player in the state of North Carolina (Reidsville High School). In basketball, he ranks 20th overall nationally according to ESPN, the #5 Power Forward, and the #1 player in the state of North Carolina.

The #1 player in the state of North Carolina in both sports in 2026.

NC State offered him in football back in January, and he was offered by the basketball team back on September 16th.

I checked in with Harrison to see what it meant to him to be offered in both football and basketball by NC State, and what it was like to visit a few weeks back for the VMI game and watch the basketball team practice.

“It means a lot to be offered in both sports, knowing I can make a difference in the program.”

Harrison made it clear that he intends to play both sports at the next level. He doesn’t find it to be a balancing act at all, playing both basketball and football.

I just have to remember how bad I want it and what my end goal is. I have to remember that I’m doing this for my mom and family.

Harrison enjoyed every aspect of his time on NC State’s campus a few weeks back.

It was a great experience. I loved how the coaches coached basketball and football. I just loved everything about the visit.

Uncle C.C. is a hero of Kendre’s, and he has learned so much from him, on the court, and off the court.

He has taught me a lot of things about basketball and outside of basketball, especially throughout my recruitment process.

 

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Basketball Recruiting

NC State Offers 4-Star 2026 SF Cole Cloer

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September 24, 2023

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NC State offered 4-Star Small Forward Cole Cloer (6’6″175) earlier this week.

247Sports ranks Cloer as the #24 overall player nationally in the 2026 recruiting class, the #10 Small Forward and the #1 player in the state of North Carolina. Cloer plays for Orange High School, which is right down the road, in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Cloer also holds offers from Wake Forest, Mississippi St, App St, High Point and Iowa.

Last season, Cloer averaged 20.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game for Orange.

 

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Basketball Recruiting

NC State Men’s Basketball Recruiting Update (9/21/23)

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2 weeks ago

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September 21, 2023

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There’s been quite a bit going on in the world of NC State Men’s Basketball recruiting. Below I’ll summarize quite a bit of it.

4-Star Power Forward Kendre Harrison (6’7″/230) out of Reidsville High School (Reidsville, NC) took in the NC State vs. VMI game on Saturday, and walked away with an offer from the NC State Men’s Basketball coaching staff. Harrison already received an offer from the NC State Football coaching staff back in January.

ESPN ranks Harrison as the #20 overall basketball player nationally in the 2026 recruiting class, the #5 Power Forward and the #1 player in the state of North Carolina. Harrison already holds offers from Wake Forest, FSU and Texas A&M. Harrison is the #5 overall football player nationally in the 2026 class according to 247Sports, and the #1 player in the state of North Carolina. Harrison is a unicorn. He projects to be a 5-star prospect in 2 sports.

Did I mention that Harrison is the nephew of former NC State basketball player C.C. Harrison?

On September 12, NC State offered 4-Star 2025 Point Guard Jordan Lowery (6’1″/175) out of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He already holds offers from TCU, SMU, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, St. Louis, Wichita St, ECU and Virginia Tech. Rivals ranks Lowery as the #110 overall player nationally, and ON3 ranks him as the #9 player in the state of North Carolina. Lowery took an unofficial visit to NC State earlier in the month.

Last week, the coaches were in to visit 4-Star 2025 Small Forward AJ White (6’8″/180) out of Charlotte, North Carolina. Rivals ranks White as the #28 overall player nationally in 2025, and he is the consensus #1 player in the state. White holds offers from NC State, South Carolina, Cincy, Texas, Syracuse, Georgia, Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Mississippi St., LSU, FSU, Illinois, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgetown, Ohio St. and others.

 

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While the coaching staff was in to see Lowery, they were also checking out 2024 Center Chol Machot (7’0″). ON3 ranks Machot as a 3-star prospect, and the #14 player in the state of North Carolina.

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