NC State’s Men’s Basketball team has picked up 4 players from the Transfer Portal this offseason, and the class ranks 10th nationally according to ON3, and 15th nationally according to 247Sports.
NC State’s 2024 4-Man Transfer Class
Center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville)
Guard/Forward Dontez Styles (Georgetown)
Guard Marcus Hill (Bowling Green)
NC State still has a chance to move up in the rankings. East Carolina Power Forward Ezra Ausar just wrapped up an Official Visit to NC State, and things are looking good for the Wolfpack. ON3 ranks Ausar as the #67 overall player in the Portal, and the #15 Power Forward.
NC State Basketball
Guard Mike O’Connell Announces He Will Play His Final Year of Eligibility at NC State
ECU Transfer Power Forward Ezra Ausar (6’9″/240) was on an Official Visit to NC State yesterday, and according to analysts at ON3 and 247Sports, things are trending in the right direction for the Wolfpack.
Jamie Shaw of ON3 submitted a prediction for Ausar to eventually commit to NC State yesterday morning.
Cory Smith of 247Sports submitted a crystal ball projection for Ausar to run with the Wolfpack this morning.
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 #60 overall player in the Portal and the #10 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.
wulfpacker Wolfer96 Let me clarify since I did not make this clear before… I was not comparing the current All-Star NBA Chris Paul to Cat Barber. I was comparing the college Wake Forest player Chris Paul to Cat Barber. At the time, I don’t think anyone thought Chris would be one of the best PGs in the NBA. At least I didn’t. He was good but I didn’t think he would be great at the next level. Both PGs were highly ranked coming out of HS and both played in the ACC. I was just trying to illustrate the different types… Read more »
ncsu_kappa As you said Lacey and Ralston are gone so whether Cat is ready or not it’s going to be his team. Am I as optimistic as you or the writer of this article? No. Cat has to show me that he can play at a high level all season and not play up and down. I hope he does well but I am just basing my opinion on what I’ve seen from Cat. In 2 seasons he has played up and down each season. In season 1, he played himself into a starting role then lost it. In season… Read more »
Wolfer96 I agree that some things are instinctual, but he has some good instincts when it comes to finding gaps. I dont think he is Chris Paul at all. I think that is a tough to hold him to the same standards as a perennial NBA All Star point guard. Cat also has a lot of things you cannot teach…like speed and toughness. We will have to see if you can be more even keel this season.
wolfer Cat has shown flashes of brilliance when was a score first point guard. the points came in bunches and so did his assists and he didn’t turn the ball over much. With TJ leaving and Lacey and Ralston getting the majority of the shots I think it took him a little while to adjust and find where he was comfortable getting his shots. As this article points out, he demonstrated flashes last year, with Lacey and Ralston gone, the offense is his load to bear. I think the off season practices will give our team time to gel and… Read more »
I’ll reserve judgement but I’m not as optimistic. He doesn’t have the basketball IQ, court vision, or play making ability as someone like Chris Paul. Some of those things you can learn but certain instincts I feel like you either have them at this stage or you don’t. From a purely “feel for the game” perspective just look at TJ. He just understood the game at a higher level. He knew how to use his body, he had great poise and balance, and created plays at will. Same with Julius Hodge. Hodge just knew how to make things happen for… Read more »