Dynomite! J.J. Hickson Commits To NC State (Updated 4:30)

Basketball Recruiting General NCS Basketball94

Big day for Sidney Lowe and the NC State basketball program. J.J. Hickson (Scout.com rated: 5 Star recruit, 3rd best center in the ’07 class, and #21 overall) commits to Coach Lowe at a press conference in Georgia. Kudos to Coach Lowe, and Larry Harris, the lead recruiter, reeling this top notch player into the Red & White.

Hickson’s commitment to Coach Lowe and the Wolfpack program cannot be understated. The big man will provide the program a legitimate defensive and offensive presence in the post similar to that of Cedric Simmons last year. (Different than Simmons, we expect Hickson to be in the starting line-up his freshman year in Coach Lowe’s program.) Hickson will most likely be named a McDonald’s All-American this season, joining Brandon Costner as the Wolfpackers with that distinction in the program.

In addition to searching for a true point guard to run the show, Coach Lowe continues to recruit talented forwards Tracy Smith and Mike Scott to complement Hickson down low. The addition of either of these highly-regarded forwards would allow Coach Lowe and the Wolfpack to tailor other versatile personnel on the roster to strategically exploit advantageous match-ups. The versatility provided by Courtney Fells, Gavin Grant, Brandon Costner and Johnny Thomas would create quite a talented and versatile 2007-2008 squad as detailed below.

Obviously, the glaring hole in the Wolfpack’s ’07-’08 roster is the presence of a proven pure point guard to run the show and help manage the Pack’s talent; Fernold DeGand may ultimately fill this role for the program but is currently an unknown commodity.

Some perspective on the Hickson commitment and some great comments from David Glenn can be found by clicking here.

Projected 2007-2008 NC State Basketball Roster

Senior Class
(1) Gavin Grant (2G/3F)

Junior Class
(2) Courtney Fells (2G)
(3) Ben McCauley (4F/5C)

Sophomore Class
(4) Brandon Costner (3F/4F/5C)
(5) Trevor Ferguson (2G)
(6) Dennis Horner (3F/4F)
(7) Fernold Degand (1PG)
(8) Bartosz Lewandowski (5C)

Freshman Class
(9) Johnny Thomas (3F)
(10) JJ Hickson (5C/4F)
(11) N/A
(12) N/A
(13) N/A

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Basketball Recruiting General NCS Basketball

94 Responses to Dynomite! J.J. Hickson Commits To NC State (Updated 4:30)

  1. TampaPack 10/13/2006 at 9:11 AM #

    I guess just recently. It was in the N&O today or yesterday.

  2. choppack1 10/13/2006 at 9:19 AM #

    TampaPack – it looks like the bigger problems were w/ football and women’s b’ball. I’m not ready to call Roy “dirty” or “shady” based on what I read.

  3. TampaPack 10/13/2006 at 9:23 AM #

    I didn’t say either of the above. The actions were however illegal, no matter how insignifiacnt. My favorite part was his statement. It was going on before I got here, so I let it continue, and someone else said it was okay so I said it was okay….

  4. Woof Wolf 10/13/2006 at 9:27 AM #

    I know it’s early and there are still some highly rated players that have not committed, but it sure feels good this moring to look at Rival’s and Scout’s top 150 and top 100 lists.

    Scrolling down from the top, the first ACC school you’ll find with a commited player is N C State.

    I also think we might do bettter than most people expect . Sure there are going to some nights when we get physically overpowered. Most of the teams have better teams on paper than we do. But we don’t play the games on paper.

    But if I’m wrong and we don’t do very well, then, “JUST WAIT ‘TIL NEXT YEAR.”

  5. Trout 10/13/2006 at 9:45 AM #

    From the Atlanta AJC:

    “Coach Lowe made me and my grandmother [Marie Myers, his legal guardian] welcome,” Hickson told a news conference at Wheeler’s Lipcomb Gymnasium. “He’s more like a father figure than a coach, and I wanted to get to a national level, and I felt like he was the best man to get me there.”

    Lowe, the point guard on N.C. State’s national championship team in 1983, returned as head coach of his alma mater this year. He is a former head coach of the Vancouver Grizzlies in the NBA.

    Hickson said he spoke to former Wheeler player Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who played under Lowe in Vancouver, but said the conversation didn’t sway him.

    “He just said go where your heart is,” Hickson said. “He didn’t want to put anything in my head.”

  6. Dan 10/13/2006 at 9:57 AM #

    You know, there still is one PG out there whose status is still somewhat up in the air.

    OJ Mayo.

    Bwahahaha.

  7. redfred2 10/13/2006 at 9:58 AM #

    ^That kinda sent chills up my spine, why, I do not know. But I think what it just said is that there are intangibles, and those intangibles are very important. That is where the younger Wolfpack fans have been led astray. This coach, and his staff, are loaded with those intangibles. When it’s all on the line, those intangibles will be more valuble to the players and the program, than all of the X’s and O’s in the universe.

  8. packbackr04 10/13/2006 at 10:02 AM #

    Hickson sounds like a quality kid. Im so proud to be a wolfpacker today! He is going to make a huge splash in the ACC. I cant wait to see him dominate Hansbro in the paint. Having his way with every opponent we face. god this is huge

  9. jncope 10/13/2006 at 10:12 AM #

    Degand can be the point but after Fells, we don’t have a sharp shooter down the line, best I can tell, unless Ferguson turns out to be a big time sleeper.

    ***

    You should check out the 4 videos of Ferguson on PackPride. The kid is the real deal. He is a very good passer and has very good range on his jumper.

  10. Dan 10/13/2006 at 10:14 AM #

    Red, I was just messin’ with you. Forget that. Derrick Rose might be a better PG anyway.

    But seriously, the scouting web sites have really been slow to pick up on NC State targets. We are staying off the radar until we are pretty high on the interest list. I think Lowe and Harris have been staying way under the radar with their involvement with recruits. Either that or they are just coming out of nowhere.

    I would expect this to continue for a class or two as the staff hasnt had the time to establish ties. For the time being, I dont expect for scout.com and rivals to have a grasp on who all we are involved with. I half expect and hope more guys in the ’08 class to just pop up on the boards as having high interest like JJ Hickson, Tracy Smith, and Chris Warren.

  11. redfred2 10/13/2006 at 10:15 AM #

    They run the three guard, they use a pro style set, they play…it’s a tough league, the coach is new to the game…and on and on.

    I know those are the kind of things many discuss here on SFN. Those are also the kind of things you guys probably expect to hear from a successful NBA veteran when advising a young kid. But this is basketball, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim just plainly said “go where your heart is.”

    The term HEART, is the key ingredient in the sport, and one that has been missing way to long in WOLFPACK basketball.

  12. redfred2 10/13/2006 at 10:19 AM #

    Uh Dan,

    I was refering to Trouts comment above yours. STILL AM. Yep, I’m going DWELL on Trouts comment to…day.

    You know I always ignore yours anyway.

  13. noah 10/13/2006 at 10:27 AM #

    How close is Hickson to qualifying?

  14. Lock 10/13/2006 at 11:05 AM #

    rf2: Man, trust me, I hope you’re right. I never wanted to suffer through a postseason-less season ever again…NIT is sufferable, though my entire year is in shambles if I don’t see the ‘Pack in those NCAA brackets…but I fear that we’ll be lucky to be playing for Madison Square. But I hope you’re right.

    But even that pessimism gives way to the outstanding news that began this thread. Trust me, I’m excited…and though I have my fears for the upcoming year, rest assured I’ll be yelling loud enough that you guys can hear me across the Pacific. This year worries me…but my fears for the next are quickly disappearing.

  15. redfred2 10/13/2006 at 11:46 AM #

    Lock

    Good deal. The many question marks presented by this upcoming season were staring us in face even before the coaching shake up, we’ll be fine.

  16. StateFans 10/13/2006 at 11:47 AM #

    Some perspective on the Hickson commitment and some great comments from David Glenn can be found by clicking here.

  17. Dan 10/16/2006 at 11:17 AM #

    Caught the following further down in a JJ Hickson article:

    http://www.newsobserver.com/826/story/498809.html

    BIG GUY VISITS PACK: Catalin Baciu, a 7-1 junior center at Veritas Christian Academy in Fletcher, near Asheville, will make an unofficial visit to N.C. State this weekend.

    Baciu, a native of Cluj, Romania, is expected to be ranked among the top junior basketball players in the country.

    Here is his profile on Rivals. I didnt see one on PackPride
    http://ncstate.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=57202

  18. packbackr04 10/18/2006 at 2:37 PM #

    good find Dan^^ but do we really need another 7 foot euro baller?? just asking

  19. redfred2 10/20/2006 at 11:54 AM #

    pb04

    I think this staff should have a pretty good grasp on potential. Dan said something way back, about the number of 7 footers playing right now and how the game has changed since the Burleson days. Could it be a plan to shake it up and revert back in the first few years, or are they just taking a look at what’s available regardless of size/position. Then waiting to develop a scheme based on the actual talent, instead the reverse as has happened in the past? Who knows???

    I’m just glad to see ’em, 5’4″ or 7’4″, streaming through the doors. Just keep the steady stream flowing!!!

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