Bob Gibbons Has a “Gut Feel” That John Wall Picks NC State

Speaking of carousels, there’s always the basketball recruiting one, and it never stops spinning.

N&O/CO NC State beat writer Ken Tysiac posted a pair interesting quotes from hoops recuiting super-guru Bob Gibbons:

Gibbons said he has a “gut feeling” that Wall will choose N.C. State rather than Memphis or Baylor. But he said even if Lowe doesn’t get either of those marquee players, he will have a solid class.

Gibbons (espn.com, others) also said that State has a shot at Derrick Favors too, but labeled it as “wishful thinking:”

“N.C. State has positioned themselves where this may be just wishful thinking, but they apparently have a shot at John Wall and Derrick Favors,” Gibbons said.

It’s hard to say from an outside vantage point what Favors might do; he came to Raleigh but skipped Memphis and Florida State trips, but on the other hand, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution seems pretty resolute that Favors will pick between Georgia Tech or Georgia.

Where it gets interesting is that Wall once casually remarked that he’d like to play with Favors.  If (and it’s a bold, capital letter, italicized IF)  one or the other picks NC State first, will the other follow?

One thing is certain: Sidney Lowe is working on bringing the top recruits in the prep game to Raleigh, and that he has already secured a very good class for next year.  If he gets one or both Wall or Favors, NC State’s incoming class will take a backseat to no one — not even UNC or Duke.

Basketball Recruiting General NCS Basketball Sidney Lowe

61 Responses to Bob Gibbons Has a “Gut Feel” That John Wall Picks NC State

  1. Par Shooter 11/03/2008 at 5:06 PM #

    Coach Fowler probably told him about the lunatic fringe and scared him away from the interwebs.

  2. Noah 11/03/2008 at 5:08 PM #

    I’ve got some newspaper clippings from the mid-70s that mention Gibbons and his recruiting service. I’m reasonably certain he’s close to 70 by now.

    I think he’s been “retired” for awhile. The last time I remember him even doing a top-100 list was about 2000. He leant his name to a few things since…but that’s about it.

  3. GAWolf 11/03/2008 at 5:23 PM #

    Chrisheel has a point… when was the last time anyone in Chapel Hill had to worry about recruiting? The 70’s? Seriously.

  4. Bubba 11/03/2008 at 5:25 PM #

    Is this the same gut that had Damien Wilkens ranked #1 in the country?

  5. JeremyH 11/03/2008 at 5:26 PM #

    I’ve heard that said about Howell before. He’s right then about the current incoming; Lorenzo Brown is a top recruit, and Wood has been opening eyes with his shooting. All three fill in major gaps. Bob I’m sure hoping that’s not just acid reflux.

  6. redfred2 11/03/2008 at 5:43 PM #

    Bob Gibbons, whether he’s a current or just a former skeleton of a BB insider, has a “gut feeling” about a certain recruit, what’s the big deal one way or the other? It doesn’t mean anything anyway. How about if we all get together and crucify him for simply stating his feeling?

  7. redfred2 11/03/2008 at 5:50 PM #

    Fact is, we A R E in the hunt for these two players, and I hope to be making a lot of people on this thread eat every one of their negative words.

  8. redfred2 11/03/2008 at 6:14 PM #

    “I think you could make a strong argument that State actually has a better chance at Favors than Wall.”

    Garsh, I wonder if even an old timer like Gibsons could delve into his many years of BB knowledge and come up with a statement that profound? Wall, from right here in Raleigh, mother has always been a WOLFPACK fan, who’d have ever thunk we have a better chance with him?

    chris the HEEL is here for only one reason right now, to piss on someone’s corn flakes.

  9. choppack1 11/03/2008 at 6:18 PM #

    rf – that isn’t necessarily anything new. I’ve followed our recruiting long enough to know not to excited about anything until they sign on the line that’s dotted. If we don’t get them I won’t hold it against Sid – if we do, I’ll be thrilled and give him his props.

  10. Alpha Wolf 11/03/2008 at 6:26 PM #

    “Is this the same gut that had Damien Wilkens ranked #1 in the country?”

    You mean the same Damien Wilkins who averaged 24 MPG with a 9 PPG average last year for Seattle?

    If you do, this was the same kid whose father played professional basketball and gave a blistering and dare I say accurate assessment of the offense that State ran at the time…and one who had a bunch of people agreeing with him by the time all was said and done.

    I often wonder if Damien had played for State under Sidney Lowe what his college career would have been like.

  11. redfred2 11/03/2008 at 6:31 PM #

    chop, I don’t have a clue one way or the other, as to what either these kids will decide, but I do know I absolutely H A T E STILL seeing people on here, NC STATE fans at that, acting like this BB program and University isn’t somehow worthy of the type of talent that these two players possess.

  12. redfred2 11/03/2008 at 6:46 PM #

    Alpha, don’t you know that it was Damien Wilken’s fault? He was the one who couldn’t thrive in an offense where controlling tempo, was more important than putting the ball in the basket?

  13. gopack1975 11/03/2008 at 7:48 PM #

    aPackadeez… it’s comments like yours that make recruits uneasy of NC State.
    redfred2…I enjoy reading your comments, you seem very knowledgeable about your basketball. I agree that Damien Wilkins would have flourished more in an uptempo style. Unathletic players thrive in a Princeton offense…if you have athletes play a different style.
    WALL and FAVORS…come to NC State and become legends!! We’ll go all the way with that team!

  14. TOBtime 11/03/2008 at 8:28 PM #

    heel, we don’t really care what you are or aren’t worried about. The point was #1 & 2 in terms of recruiters “in the know” were in Raleigh and not Chapel Hill. Whether we get one, both, or neither won’t change that.
    Nice to know you and Bob Gibbons are so close.

  15. Noah 11/03/2008 at 8:37 PM #

    Everyone in the country had Wilkins ranked around #15 to #20. Gibbons admitted ranking Wilkins #1 to get State fans excited about Wilkins playing in Gibbons’ tourney.

    Again…Gibbons does what’s in Gibbons’ best interests. He doesn’t give a damn about UNC and State and Dook…except how their fans serve his own bottom line.

  16. choppack1 11/03/2008 at 8:46 PM #

    redfred – we’re worthy all right, but when it comes to recruiting, in the immortal words of Dale Earnhardt – “anything but first sucks.”

    I think as long as Sid as here – we’ll get these kind of looks. The question is really two fold – 1) Can Sid win and 2) can we get enough of them to compete.

    I really think if Sid can get #1, #2 will fall into place. If Sid can demonstrate to these kids that they’ll come here and compete for championships, I think the kids will line up.

  17. Greywolf 11/03/2008 at 8:48 PM #

    So somebody asked Gibbons what he thought. What’s he supposed to say, I’m an old fart like Greywolf who don’t know his ass from a hole in the ground?

    Is anybody old enough to remember the fabulous five from Michigan a few years back? One recruiting class can turn it all around. What’s not to like about NCSU? Tradition, facilities, teammates they feel comfortable around and fans who know how to rock the rafters. I’m not living in hope but I ain’t got the doom and gloom going on either.

    If not this year, then the next or the next. Sid’s shown me he knows how to talk to the kids and the kids like him. Have you seen Sid in public? He’s more human, more approachable, more down right likeable than any coach we’ve had since before and after Jimmy V.

  18. redfred2 11/03/2008 at 9:16 PM #

    chop, not necessarily. Some coaches have to have the very best, some can mold and develop it on their on. The jury is still out, I’m disregarding last season as well as a few individuals who “played” major roles in dragging it even further down the tubes. We’ll find out more in this upcoming season.

    Here’s my last line of BS for the night…

    ^Thanks gopack1975, I know I need to back off somewhat, but I’ll be damned if you’d ever read comments elsewhere, like some of these negative comments on here. Let’s say you were to visit a unc, or a Duke BB blog, would you read where their fans were saying that #1 recruits shouldn‘t even bother to come, or even after they‘re there for one season, that they‘d be “wise“ to leave early and go pro at their very first opportunity regardless of their readiness? Or maybe a So Cal football blog, maybe their fans don’t think that they deserve the top talent in the country as well? I hardly think so. It’s a loser’s mentality that’s mainly pointed at, and attributed to, the AD, or even the Chancellor at NC State. When it’s a hot topic you’d think those two are sole owners of that viewpoint. Fact is, it’s even more prevalent among extremely large numbers of the NC State fanbase. That is the truly sickening part of it for me. What I’ve seen in my lifetime, and even though I witnessed enough to convince me, I still read, and re-read about the history of NC State BB program. I have already witnessed with my own two eyes, so it is very discouraging to me that people are so willingly accepting the meaningless void that past and current “leaders” in Raleigh have created in my lifetime. There is all of the evidence in the world that this school is capable of so much more. You may not have witnessed it for yourself like I did, but it’s there, you just have to do a little simple research to find out. It may seem pre-historic to some of you, but trust me, 19 years isn’t that long over the span of any lifetime. Of course, that’s unless your favorite team has stunk it up for all of those years. Just read and compare, read something that’s dated pre-1990. I think afterwards some of the current naysayers out there may find that they have nothing in common with most of the fans from back in those days, and a lot more in common with many of the people who were in power at NC State in the 1990‘s, and those who are in power today, then you’d ever care to admit. Sure, you say you want to win ACC Championships, NCAA tournament’s, and the like, and I’m sure you do, but you don’t truly B E L I E V E that NC State can ever deliver on those things. I’m telling you it has, and it still can. It just can’t do it with attitudes that have learned to accept second rate as THE only reality.

  19. turfpack 11/03/2008 at 9:41 PM #

    Is someone a little nervous?-Recuiting- you know State couldn’t get a few good players and start to actually compete in the ACC.
    I have a gut feeling- if we get DF and JW we may start kicking some
    peoples asses. YES that would make me nervous to if I was other teams in the ACC.

  20. haze 11/04/2008 at 7:52 AM #

    As noted above, get excited after they sign. Until then, satisfy yourself with the solid bunch of commits that Sid has put on the board in the last year…

    Brown
    Wood
    Howell
    Leslie
    Harrow

    That’s good work. Of course, Favors or Wall can make it better still but, as almost sure one-&-doners, they are going to be fun flashes, not the building blocks of the program. If we get one, that’s awesome. If not, take care of business with others who want to be at NC State.

  21. ktoh 11/04/2008 at 8:10 AM #

    redfred2 Someone should really try and see what happened to this jury? They have been out way way too long my man!

  22. Wolf Dog 11/04/2008 at 9:11 AM #

    here we go again. Now Noah knows Bob Gibbons. Amazing how your circle continues to be full of baby blue people. There has been no secret throughout the years that when Tar holes went after someone they shot up Gibbons charts. Mack Brown made this comment on the football side when he was in Chapel Hill. He down played his highly rated recruiting classes when someone asked him how he could lose with such a highly rated group of kids. He commented that they weren’t highly rated until they started recruiting them and then they would shoot up the charts. Gibbons did the same on the B-Ball side. Which is partly why we still ask today. How could Dean only win the big one twice with all those All Americans? And yes Gibbons was one of the first to do what he was doing. Dean Smith was an innovater. You reckon through Gibbons he found a way to showcase kids he was recruiting and lead them to Chapel Hill. Gibbons lives in Hickory area.

    I will agree Gibbons was self serving, large portion of his customers was you guessed it Tar Hole fans. Wasn’t hard to figure that Noah was a customer too. Apple don’t fall far from the tree.

  23. Wolf Dog 11/04/2008 at 9:21 AM #

    Redfred2

    I agree with you some mighty negative people on here that any recruit can read. And no one on here more negative than Noah. I mean what true NCSU fan would say the things Noah says, he has even stated he’s going to burn down the RBC Center and such… And Especially Noah’s constant negative comments about the coaches and their staffs, not to mention him accusing State fans of being bigots and yelling racial profanities at football games. Seems a systematic consistent effort to run off recruits by posting comments like that than posting items that would attract recruits.

    I assume that people like Noah are really tar hole alum or fans that trying to run down our program. I am sure you would find him on tar heel blogs also. So keep preaching the good word!!!

  24. chris92heel 11/04/2008 at 9:33 AM #

    “chris the HEEL is here for only one reason right now, to piss on someone’s corn flakes.”

    Exactly – I have a long history of doing just that on this board.

    And if some of y’all want to think that somehow I’m worried about recruiting then I really don’t know what to say :shrug

    But hell, as strong a state fan as noah just got hated on so :shrug again

  25. Bubba 11/04/2008 at 11:07 AM #

    Damien never played in the weave and heave offense. His drop step,pump fake,pump fake, pump fake clang it off the back of the rim move was his staple.

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