Could Louisville Scandal be NC State’s gain with 5-star Simons?

Thanks to the ongoing scandal and firing of head coach Rick Pitino over at Louisville, 2018 5-star 6’3 SG Anfernee Simons has de-committed and is looking for a suitor. NC State is one of the schools that throwing their name in the hat for his services.

Simons is a 6’3, 185 SG out of IMG Academy in Florida. He is an elite scorer who can create his own shot or shoot it off the catch. He’s got a nice handle and really attacks the basket well. He’ll need to put on muscle and build up his frame to reach full potential, but seeing what Keatts has done with the guys he has in one offseason, it doesn’t seem as that would be a problem.

So why would he choose NC State? Well, there could actually be a path to some huge minutes despite a plethora of guards on the Wolfpack’s roster. There actually is a huge need for a big-time scoring 2-guard. They have the creators and distributors(Batts, Johnson), they have the wings (Dorn), and they have the shooter (Beverly), but they don’t have the do-it-all guy who can fill it up. Simons is that, and could very possibly slot in as a starter from day one.

To get Simons, however, they will have to beat out the favorite, Florida. He’s currently playing at IMG Academy and had the Gators as his #2 before he committed to Louisville, but since then teams have filled out rosters and met their needs. Simons is looking for a team late in the game and with State losing a guard to de-commitment (Lewis) they can really pitch some major minutes to Simons.

We will keep an eye on the situation as it unfolds, as we believe it won’t be too long until he narrows his list.