No

4/12/2017 10:31:45 PM

4/13/2017 3:15:52 AM

No Freeman hasn't committed but I think if we knew Rowan were leaving and could offer even more minutes he'd probably come. He raved about our style of offense and said it was the type of offense he wanted to be in, but it's his last year so he's going to be looking for ample opportunity for minutes.

4/13/2017 8:41:30 AM

I hear from a fairly reliable source that Rowan is on the fence but leaning towards leaving. Apparently his dad wants him to transfer or play in Europe.

4/13/2017 9:50:50 AM

please let this happen. we could use a break

4/13/2017 10:20:18 AM

"our new coach is great but he is prob too dumb to know which players should play and which shouldn't."

4/13/2017 10:24:36 AM

4/13/2017 10:45:42 AM

^^nah, he doesnt belong on an ACC roster

4/13/2017 11:09:31 AM

smh. his usage was too high. but i think it's a stretch to say he doesn't belong on an ACC roster.

4/13/2017 12:02:32 PM

former uncw signee evan cole is going to take an OV to state. he's 6'9" but sounds like he can play inside and out. clemson, uga, gt and others have contacted him since he was released from UNCW.

4/13/2017 12:08:55 PM

^^Yeah, I'm Rowan Hater #1 and even I don't go that far.

4/13/2017 12:13:45 PM

ohboyeee is just a sad bitch

[Edited on April 13, 2017 at 12:19 PM. Reason : ]

4/13/2017 12:19:11 PM

Think everyone needs to realize that Keatts has already said he's not just going to chase "stars" in rankings, he's going to find the best players with the most upside.

Going to have to just "trust the process".

4/13/2017 1:21:37 PM

Is that a response to someone or just a non sequitur?

4/13/2017 1:30:16 PM

Quote :

"Think everyone needs to realize that Keatts has already said he's not just going to chase "stars" in rankings, he's going to find the best players with the most upside. Going to have to just "trust the process"."

sure...that's what a coach should do (and i think that's a valid criticism of Gott). i fully expect any good coach to get the best players that will fit on the team, fit into the style, team chemistry, and know their role, etc. the "don't chase star rankings" stuff is kinda because the best players are generally the highest rated. yeah, they miss them sometimes too. so, yeah, i get it...don't get caught up in rankings and all that. but i mean...the rankings do kinda matter. don't recruit a guy just because he has 5 stars. but if you're recruiting a 5 star, he's probably really good.

[Edited on April 13, 2017 at 2:44 PM. Reason : f]

4/13/2017 2:43:31 PM

Think it was more of a heads up before people start pointing out we're looking at a 3* player that was committed to UNCW and using a scholarship spot on him.

I mean I'd love to land only 4* and 5* players, but feel like we're going to swing opposite of Gottfried who wanted the highest rated players he could find regardless of fit/chemistry. I see Keatts focusing on 3* and 4* guys that are going to be program guys. Probably going to be the best bet until you get the program where you want it and then you can start trying to sprinkle in the higher rated players that are looking to be 1 or 2 year guys.

4/13/2017 2:48:31 PM

I haven't seen anyone freak out about recruiting rankings here. And I seriously don't think it would happen this year, coming in late and having to scrounge for scraps.

4/13/2017 3:54:07 PM

I was told that Mav was leaving due to grades. If he's waiting on the results of this semesters exams, that could explain the delay.

4/13/2017 3:56:40 PM

Mav's grades are slipping because he spent all his time studying defense because he read online that people were concerned.

Seriously though, we need the depth regardless. The UNCW kid looks promising - he's not ranked super high but he supposedly has had a really big senior year and other high majors are taking notice. Not a slouch.

Also heard that Bryce was trying to get out of UNCW. Ingram is a senior too - wonder if we'll try to poach him as a grad transfer.

4/13/2017 5:03:02 PM

I don't recruit players based on star ratings. I recruit based on family values.

-HJS

4/13/2017 5:09:33 PM

Quote :

" I see Keatts focusing on 3* and 4* guys that are going to be program guys. Probably going to be the best bet until you get the program where you want it and then you can start trying to sprinkle in the higher rated players that are looking to be 1 or 2 year guys."

maybe...Keatts is regarded as being a really good recruiter. so i don't think you'd see a complete swing in the opposite direction where we are no longer after the big time 4-5* kids from the region. i get what you're saying, i just kinda think you're over-reacting a bit. you'll definitely see a different recruiting philosophy, but i don't think it'll be drastic by any stretch. right now Keatts is basically going after leftovers, which is pretty slim-pickings at this stage in the game. obviously the problem with Gott was slapping a roster together at the last minute every year. that isn't a sustainable way to build a roster and a program, as we saw. but it's kinda what you're forced to do when you're just hired and have like 4 months to recruit.

4/13/2017 5:32:46 PM

Seems like the only key difference bw Gotts philosophy and Keatts' will be a willingness to take players outside top 75.

4/13/2017 5:34:32 PM

I think it's a good sign we haven't had players any good defenders leave yet. Hicks seems the most likely to go and Rowan wouldn't surprise me just based on both of their in addition to Mav based on his silence since 2K was hired. I don't see any attrition outside of that, though.

[Edited on April 13, 2017 at 5:49 PM. Reason : did not see Rowan, nor did I read the egg rulezz. sorry y'all, been slippin']

4/13/2017 5:42:36 PM

Uhhhh i guess you haven't read the Rowan thread or been on twitter lately

Also the egg trick doesn't work at the bottom of a page

4/13/2017 5:44:12 PM

http://www.backingthepack.com/nc-state-basketball-recruiting/2017/4/17/15331288/nc-state-in-the-mix-for-cal-state-northridge-transfer-kendall-smith

Quote :

"NC State is one of a handful of schools being considered by Cal State Northridge graduate transfer point guard Kendall Smith, per Jon Rothstein. Smith reportedly plans to visit Colorado, Oklahoma State, and Butler, but hasn’t set up a visit with NCSU at this point. Smith began his career at UNLV but left for Northridge, where he’s been a signficant contributor for two seasons. Now he’s hittin’ the ol’ upgrade button again, and why not, he’s coming off a career season. As a junior, he averaged 16.8 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game. He was a solid 34.5% three-point shooter in 2017, though less than a third of his shots came from outside. He did a nice job getting to the free throw line, where he shot nearly 78%. He’ll be a nice add for some high-major, especially if he can maintain the strong two-point shooting (49%) he displayed last season."

4/18/2017 9:20:01 AM

^so it's apparently strange for a grad transfer to take more than 3 visits, and it would probably also be strange for him to transfer here without a visit. In other words I wouldn't pay too much attn to a guy until he sets up a visit.

4/18/2017 9:31:08 AM

Quote :

"I see Keatts focusing on 3* and 4* guys that are going to be program guys. Probably going to be the best bet until you get the program where you want it and then you can start trying to sprinkle in the higher rated players that are looking to be 1 or 2 year guys."

I actually think this is the way to go for us right now. One of the problems Gott had was he was getting these in between guys constantly. They didn't turn out to be good enough to be high level players but they thought that they were. This ended up with all the guys leaving early just to go play in the D-League or Europe and the guys who got recruited over just transferring. We arent going to be Duke or Kentucky anytime soon so instead we need to look at the places like Miami, ND, etc as better examples of how to build. Obviously you want the best talent you can find but if the piece doesnt fit right in the puzzle you have to be willing to see it, acknowledge it, and find the right piece.

4/18/2017 10:00:33 AM

ehhh. i get that ^, but i think a lot of the transfers and guys leaving too early could also simply be a product of the previous coaching staff. maybe a better coach (hopefully KK) could get more out of those guys and get them to stay instead of transferring or leaving early.

miami also just had a top 15 recruiting class in 2016 and currently has a top 10 class for 2017, so it's not like they're totally building on low ranked players. you're right..."fit" is the most important thing. but you can find players that "fit" that are also really good and ranked pretty high.

4/18/2017 12:27:27 PM

Right, they can get those players easier now that they have built some success through building off upperclassmen heavy teams. You gotta start somewhere and I think thats the more realistic way than hoping he is gonna come in and start pulling in 5 star guys that fit his system from the start.

4/18/2017 1:36:28 PM

Yeah can't forget Miami was living off of transfers just a few years ago.

4/18/2017 1:54:57 PM

I think Gottfried has shown that you can come in here and recruit talent, period.

There's no reason KK couldn't pull in top 15-20 classes starting next year (he has a short runway this year). It's just a matter of putting on your big boy pants and fighting for them.

4/18/2017 2:25:36 PM

I think Sidney Lowe showed that any living person could recruit here. Hell, put a coat on an empty chair and it could still probably sign a 3 star recruit.

4/18/2017 2:58:47 PM

even going back to Lowe and Herb, talent was rarely ever the issue here. Those coaches recruited fine for the most part. Gottfried definitely recruited better and got some very highly ranked classes in here. but attracted good recruits to NC State has not really been a problem ever. we aren't UNC or Duke or Kentucky by any stretch, but we have recruited well enough over the last ~20 years. with Gott the issue was a lack of roster building. you can't have that many transfers and early departures and then scramble to put together a class at the last minute every year. that's not how you build a program with a solid foundation and an eye to the future. it's just not sustainable. whether it was chemistry issues, players not accepting their "role" on the team, or recruiting guys that didn't "fit"...the problems went much deeper than talent level.

Keatts is known to be a very strong recruiter...so I don't think you'll see much of a change in the level of players we target - we're still going go after high level talent. but hopefully he can recruit in a more sustainable way than Gott.

[Edited on April 18, 2017 at 3:01 PM. Reason : g]

4/18/2017 2:59:03 PM

Quote :

"Eric Bossi?Verified account @ebosshoops 19m19 minutes ago #NCState trying to make a late run on five-star Brian Bowen. Will send three coaches to see him today."

Also hearing rumors that Yurt has signed an agent. Anyone see anything about that?

4/19/2017 11:47:41 AM

That would be dumb

4/19/2017 12:25:54 PM

^

unless he needs one for Euro bball

4/19/2017 12:29:25 PM

i would guess Omer would just go back to Turkey for a year or two and then be more "draft ready" for the NBA instead of going somewhere else in Europe. i also don't think he'd hire an official agent unless he's set on the NBA. i'd guess his connections/advisers from Turkey would be sufficient if he did wanna go elsewhere in Europe.

As for Bowen....just read where Creighton is probably the favorite to land him. but hopefully we can make a last minute push

[Edited on April 19, 2017 at 12:54 PM. Reason : f]

4/19/2017 12:52:31 PM

Yurt is still participating in workouts with the team and has said he has no intentions of going back to Turkey.

It sounds like it's NBA or NC State for Yurt, and I imagine if he hired an agent he wouldn't be working out with the team still.

4/19/2017 1:14:41 PM

Freeman commits per Jon Rothstein on Twitter.

4/19/2017 1:40:26 PM

HERE WE GO!

4/19/2017 1:42:10 PM

Quote :

""Eric Bossi?Verified account @ebosshoops 19m19 minutes ago #NCState trying to make a late run on five-star Brian Bowen. Will send three coaches to see him today.""

Don't we only have 3 coaches?

Great news about freeman!

4/19/2017 1:45:16 PM

Nice!!

4/19/2017 1:46:47 PM

Instant upgrade over Maverick on both sides of the ball.

Good job Keatts

4/19/2017 1:50:00 PM

Felt confident we'd land Freeman, local kid that sounded like he completely bought into Keatts in his post-visit interviews.

4/19/2017 2:01:53 PM

Who was saying Maverick staying was a good idea? You're wrong, actually.

4/19/2017 2:12:05 PM

good pick-up

4/19/2017 2:16:52 PM

4/19/2017 4:05:58 PM

Coach K retiring should be a nice boost for recruiting

4/19/2017 4:21:24 PM

Instant upgrade over Anya on both sides of the ball.

Good job Keatts

4/19/2017 4:52:30 PM

^^ Why would he retire when he just got the job? He landed us Batts, maybe Coach K can work his magic on Bowen too.

4/19/2017 4:54:05 PM