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Yesterday we informed you that 2018 PG Xavier Johnson had received an offer from Mark Gottfried and NC State. Last night, we caught up with Xavier to talk about the offer and learn more about his recruitment.

This was Xavier’s first high major offer, and it’s not because of his talent level. Mark Gottfried and his staff simply beat everyone else to the punch.

“NC State was actually the first high major to contact me on the very first day they were allowed to call players in the 2018 class. From there, they have stayed in contact with me and watched my games. That led up to an offer when I sat down with Coach Gottfried and Coach Heath.” said Johnson.

This quote tells you that Johnson is a priority in the 2018 class for Gottfried. The fact that he was one of the first calls on the first day is telling and means they seriously see something in this kid.

The connection here is that Johnson’s high school coach at Bishop O’Connell in Arlington, Va, Joe Wooten, has a good relationship with NC State assistant coach Heath Schroyer. Wooten tipped off Schroyer early that he may have a big time talent emerging. That got NC State in the mix.

When asked what Johnson knows and likes about NC state, he said this:

“So far I feel like I’m a wanted player from them and that they will develop me more and more to become great. They said that is was a phenomenal academic school and that’s important to me too.”

Remember that Xavier is still only a 2018 prospect so he still has a lot of time to decide, but NC State being in early will certainly win them points for believing in him before many others did. As time goes by there is going to be a lot of interest in Johnson and a lot of big names schools involved.

Xavier told us he’s talking to the coaches to try to find a time to come visit Raleigh. We’ll keep you updated on the situation.

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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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