NC State Basketball
Game Recap: Wolfpack Turns Chapel Hill Red 58-46
East Carolina Power Forward Transfer Ezra Ausar (6’9″/240) will be taking an Official Visit to NC State starting today.
As @PackPride first reported yesterday afternoon, NC State is set to host ECU transfer big man Ezra Ausar for an official visit starting today.
The 6-foot-8, 247-pound forward averaged 11.4 points, 4.7 rebounds & shot 52% from the floor last year.
📝: https://t.co/QwxwNRZPLJ pic.twitter.com/ZKU3RYUmTt
— Cory Smith (@RCorySmith) April 30, 2024
Ausar just wrapped up his Sophomore season in Greenville, averaging 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds, shooting 51.4% from the field. As a Freshman, he was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team, averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds.
Ausar is a consensus 4-Star prospect in the Transfer Portal, and ON3 ranks him as the #57 overall player in the Portal and the #9 Power Forward.
Originally from Atlanta, Ausar played his Senior Season of High School at Liberty Heights Athletic Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. ON3 ranked Ausar as a 4-Star prospect coming out of high school, the #94 overall player nationally, and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina.
Ausar has visited Seton Hall, Georgia Tech, met over Zoom with Georgetown, and had an in-home visit with Utah. John Calipari and his staff at Arkansas have been in touch with Ausar, as well as Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, West Virginia, Iowa State and St. John’s. (Link)
Ausar has 2 years of eligibility remaining, and NC State currently has 1 scholarship remaining.
NC State Basketball
PI EXCLUSIVE: Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill Explains Why He Chose NC State
Last week, Bowling Green Transfer Guard Marcus Hill (6’4″/185) committed to NC State. I caught up with Hill to get his take on why he chose to run with the Wolfpack.
What were the reasons that ultimately led you to commit to NC State? What other schools were recruiting you besides the Wolfpack?
The coaching staff was very professional and straight to the point. They had a detailed plan of my role on the team and how it transitions to the next level. The campus was beautiful, and everyone was super nice. There were several schools from each of the Power 5 conferences that we talked to. The list was very long, and I would like to thank every coach that showed interest in me.
Break down your Official Visit. What did you do? What impression did it make on you and your family?
After entering the campus and meeting the entire coaching staff, we also met with academic advisors. School staff was super nice and acted like we were already family. We had lunch and dinner with staff, the restaurants were prepared, and the food was awesome. We toured the campus with staff, and were treated with a lot of respect. My family enjoyed the coaches and the campus environment.
How did Coach Keatts say you would fit within his offensive system?
Coach Keatts had prepared film on how I would fit into the offense, so after watching the video it was clearly understandable what my role would be.
What impression did NC State’s Final Four run have on you? How did it influence your decision?
NC State’s Final Four run impressed me due to the guys on the team being overlooked and undervalued. They played together and were really enjoying the moment. Basketball can be stressful, however they made it look exciting and fun.
What type of player is NC State getting in Marcus Hill?
Marcus Hill Jr., I’m a great person with a great attitude. I love to win and compete in everything I do. I take pride in defense, but can score from anywhere on the court. I’m unselfish and love to see my teammates succeed. I’ve been overlooked and underestimated, but My God has the ultimate say so!
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This past season, Hill averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Falcons. He earned 1st Team All-MAC honors. Even though he was only at Bowling Green one season, he had one of the best seasons in school history, scoring 698 points, which ranks 5th all-time in program history for a single season.
For his first two years of collegiate ball, Hill played for Southern Union State College (JUCO) in Alabama. In 2022-23, Hill earned 3rd Team NJCAA All-American honors, and ranked as the #32 overall Junior College prospect.
247Sports ranks Hill as a 4-Star Transfer Prospect, and the #87 overall player in the Transfer Portal, and the #12 Shooting Guard.
Even though 247Sports and ON3 consider Hill a Shooting Guard, NC State is recruited him as a Point Guard.
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Someone ask Gott why he doesn’t offer Stone a scholarship. Newman has said he would like to play on the same college team as Stone. Then why not try to get the two five star players for 2015. We have plenty of scholarships left.
Wolfer96 I have mentioned it before, we need an assistant coach that can teach the big guys offensive moves. Had we had more production from Abu, Anya, and Washington, we would not have to worry about the remaining minimum four games. At least Anya is blocking more without fouling. In my opinion, we still need a PG and another big in this years recruiting.
I feel like a light bulb went off in Gottfried’s head several games ago. All season he was trying to force Barber to play the traditional PG. I don’t know what happened but Gottfried had an epiphany and realized that Barber is not that kind of guard. Barber does not have good court vision and doesn’t have good passing ability. What he does have is quickness, ball handling, and a total lack of fear. It feels like Gott finally said “okay enough’s enough” and took the reigns off of Barber. He gave up on trying to make Barber what he… Read more »
wolfpack74 Wolfer96 Oh yeah our half court defense was outstanding with Anya as the anchor. What was refreshing was that our guys were communicating. They were pointing to teammates to cover their man. Even on switches we did a good job of recovering and not over-hedging like we’ve been so prone to do all season. We did have a stretch in the 2nd half where our transition defense almost let unc right back in the game but Gott called a couple of quick timeouts to keep the wheels from flying off. All in all, an ugly hard-fought game. We needed a… Read more »
PI, you should have showed ANYA some love in this article. His presence in the middle was crucial.
We are going to have more on Anya to come…Don’t worry and you are right he was awesome last night.
How many ‘one and dones’ did Carolina have, thanks to our bigs out rebounding them. Everyone is used to seeing Carolina get easy put backs and dunks to spark the crowd, but not tonight. Our bigs deserve a lot of respect for keeping the game in hand.
True indeed
THEOKEEP I am also. He hasn’t had enough time in a single game to get into the flow. He can also play defense when required.
Im glad coach played Desmond Lee a composed player.
Wolfer96 It’s obvious we need BJ in the middle. It wasn’t pretty, but a win at UNC is worth two at home.
It’s almost time to get the bandwagon out of the barn. Where has the defensive effort been all year? Not complaining or whining, just hope it keeps on going.
What a game, what a game.
BJ holding down the paint, Turner hitting from outside, Cat slicing and dicing, and everyone contributing on the glass. Finally a win at the Dean dome!