Wolfpack recruits dominate Georgia All-State Team

08-09 Basketball Basketball Recruiting147

Tip of the hat to Pack Pride for the following video of NC State commit, Ryan Harrow. Friends of mine in Georgia told me at the end of the season that Ryan Harrow was the best player in the State of Georgia not named Derrick Favors this past season.

Georgia’s All-State Basketball team has been announced and the first team includes three of NC State’s prized recruits over the next two years.

Link to AJC Article

Lorenzo Brown was named Class 5-A Player of the Year!

Class 5-A First team All-State
G: Trae Golden, McEachern, 6-2, Jr.
G: Ryan Harrow, Walton, 6-0, Jr.
C: Richard Howell, Wheeler, 6-8, Sr.
F: Lorenzo Brown, Centennial, 6-5, Sr.
F: Ari Stewart, Wheeler, 6-6, Sr.

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08-09 Basketball Basketball Recruiting

147 Responses to Wolfpack recruits dominate Georgia All-State Team

  1. GoldenChain 03/30/2009 at 8:20 AM #

    GOOD NEWS! Harrow’s stock goes up, still plenty of time for him to “re-open” his recruiting.
    I don’t count on anything anymore until August rolls around and someone shows up on campus (well, August a year from now).
    Call me cynical but if Sid has another losing season in the ACC with no NCAA appearance, and Sid’s seat gets hotter and hotter as the season goes on, and Harrow get McDAA status, I wouldn’t be surprised for him to go elsewhere.

    PLEASE Sid, prove me wrong.

  2. Wolf Dog 03/30/2009 at 8:22 AM #

    Noah “questions about Brown’s committment to State first showed in Jan…..”

    We have a signed LOI from Brown. Doesn’t get any more commeitted than that. No questions.

  3. Wolf Dog 03/30/2009 at 8:26 AM #

    I am looking forward to watching Brown play. Lets hope their are no problems. Florida offered him also so they must not have been worried about him.

  4. packalum44 03/30/2009 at 8:33 AM #

    Noah…you are right, Nolan Smith played sparingly as a Fresh. That was sort of my point. Not all of these guys are going to contribute immediately as Freshmen. And yes, its comparing apples to oranges b/c of the talent differences at Duke. However, keep in mind that he was competing for playing time against Greg Paulus who is not considered to be that good of a PG in the ACC although he can dribble it up the court without bouncing it off his foot.

  5. packalum44 03/30/2009 at 8:34 AM #

    Wolf Dog…Memphis wanted Brown too.

  6. Greywolf 03/30/2009 at 8:34 AM #

    Gene,
    Agreed,”Sloan doesn’t get enough credit” however, as you stated, we were ACC champs the the year before he came in. That’s hardly a “deteriorating program”
    `
    If Everett Case coached today, “State fans” would have called for his head for falling off a bit at the end of his cancer ridden life. At least our ability to detect cancer would have been more advanced than in those days.
    `
    Gene, The cutting assessment that NCSU was “irrelevant” seems to be a litle over the top. I have a personal experience with Coach Case that makes it very difficult for me to listen to what I consider to be harsh criticism of Everett Case. My exerience was while serving Case and some big donors at lunch one day in the Old College Inn restaurant, Case told a donor that I would be out with the team in the fall. This in response to the donor’s asking me why a boy my size wasn’t playing BB for State. Case washed away my embarrassment in the blink of an eye.
    `
    Without the irrelevance of Everett Case, the ACC would be a “baseball” conference and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

  7. Texpack 03/30/2009 at 8:42 AM #

    I’m curious as to how/why this staff is well connected in Georgia? Is this just coincidence or is there a potential pattern here? The DeMatha/DC area kept good players coming to State for a number of years. It would certainly be nice to establish another territory like that that puts you in the running for a couple of the top five guys in the area every year.

    BJD: I don’t know the details, but Larry Harris is apparently what connects NC State to the Georgia pipeline. I have been told that we probably don’t get any of the Georgia kids without Larry Harris.

  8. Noah 03/30/2009 at 8:42 AM #

    We have a signed LOI from Brown. Doesn’t get any more commeitted than that. No questions.

    Good lord…

  9. Noah 03/30/2009 at 8:44 AM #

    Noah…you are right, Nolan Smith played sparingly as a Fresh. That was sort of my point. Not all of these guys are going to contribute immediately as Freshmen.

    Then we are on the same page. The point I was making is that it’s unusual (“rare” might be overstating it) for freshmen ranked where these two are to be difference-makers right out of the gate.

  10. Noah 03/30/2009 at 8:49 AM #

    How is terrel manning coming along in spring practice?

    Awesome. Like I said, we need a spring practice thread.

    Manning is a little behind the other guys just because he doesn’t have the game experience. But he’s the best athlete we’ve had at linebacker probably since Bobby Houston.

  11. Greywolf 03/30/2009 at 8:55 AM #

    The concensus here is to give Lowe one more year and if he doesn’t win the national championship (sarcasm) or something, he’s done.

    “BJD: Pure hyperbole. Absolutely nobody has asked for a test more rigorous than making the NCAAT. Top 65.”
    Aren’t you a little touchy here, BJD, or did you just miss the (sarcasm) note? “or something would include “making the NCAAT. Top 65.”
    `
    The previous coach is consistantly referred to as a good coach and Lowe is consistantly referred to here as a bad coach. Given the first 3 years won/loss record I suggest that the evaluations of Lowe are subjective at best.

    “BJD: No, you’re just being extremely selective. Three NIT bids in Sendek’s first 3 years, compared to one for Lowe. And Sendek was under considerable pressure to deliver more than that in Year Four.”
    `
    I would think the first 3 years won/loss records would hardly be called “extremely selective.” FYI I’m a little surprised you are defending HS and that you consider NIT bids to be such a bench mark for NCSU basketball success. Seems to me that something personal is going on here and you are stretching to discredit my comments. The way you use your ability to interject comments into my posts is “selective” advantage, don’t you think. How about grant the rest of us this ability if you are going to use it to discredit the posts of the rank and file. Actually I give you more credit than perhaps you deserve.

    BJD: Don’t really follow all of your post here, but I will provide a little more detail. HWSNBN clearly had more success than Lowe in Years 1-3. And as I noted at the time, the NIT is only an accomplishment in the first three years of a coach’s career. After that, it’s about how many times you make the NCAAs and how far you go in the NCAAs.

    And I clearly wanted Sendek gone after Year Four, when he failed to make the NCAAT. Why would I not want Lowe gone if he doesn’t dance in Year Four, if his previous performance is worse than Sendek’s? That hardly seems personal – just logically consistent.

  12. Noah 03/30/2009 at 8:57 AM #

    If Everett Case coached today, “State fans” would have called for his head for falling off a bit at the end of his cancer ridden life. At least our ability to detect cancer would have been more advanced than in those days.

    Strawman alert.

    Kinda like how we did with Kay Yow, right?

  13. BJD95 03/30/2009 at 8:58 AM #

    To me, the biggest X factor with Brown and Howell will be their defense and passing ability. Costner and McCauley were good passers (important when Tracy Smith is your best offensive player), and Fells and McCauley were our best defenders (although that’s not saying much).

    I have no idea whether Howell will start, but he can’t help but get starter minutes. Horner, Smith, and Howell are really our only options at the 4 and 5. Without 2 of them in the game at all times, we will be incredibly small.

    When does the signing period open for Ryan Harrow? Obviously, we want him to sign ASAP.

  14. Noah 03/30/2009 at 8:59 AM #

    Seems to me that something personal is going on here

    You are absolutely right. If Lowe never played for NC State, he never would have been considered for the job and he’d have no one advocating for him.

  15. Noah 03/30/2009 at 9:00 AM #

    When does the signing period open for Ryan Harrow?

    November.

  16. Thinkpack17 03/30/2009 at 9:11 AM #

    “Gonzalez, Ferguson, Fells, … I’m pretty sure Marquez Johnson was too. Past performance does not predict future success. I really am envious that you all can be positive.”

    That’s true but Zo was the POY of a largely populated, basketball heavy area. Ferggy only made the first team in like AA or private school ball, I don’t even think he was POY. Fells definately was POY, but it was in Mississippi, not exactly the river Nile of high school basketball. Even still, none of us can debate that courtney had all the ability in the world…just lacked mental toughness. I’m not saying Zo is going to be God’s gift, but 9 times out of 10 a 5A GA player is going to be better than a 1A Florida player.

  17. Thinkpack17 03/30/2009 at 9:15 AM #

    “Manning is a little behind the other guys just because he doesn’t have the game experience. But he’s the best athlete we’ve had at linebacker probably since Bobby Houston.”

    I hear he can squeeze through a crack like a mouse, but then he hits like a ton of bricks.

  18. tvp1 03/30/2009 at 9:27 AM #

    My hope is that we can bring in a JC big for next year. There have been some rumors about JC bigs we are looking at but nothing concrete yet. Add a guy who can rebound and play tough D in the post and (call me crazy) we could have a decent team next year. Does Bambale Osby have a brother?

    I’m optimistic that Brown will contribute as a freshman. He was ranked in the top 20 prior to last summer when, IIRC, he was hampered by some nagging injuries and didn’t set the world on fire on the AAU circuit, so he may be a better player than his ranking indicates.

    BJD – HWSNBN was only marginally better than Lowe his first three years. They both won a total of 15 ACC games. Back then the NIT would let any major conference team with a .500 record in the tournament, they are more stringent now. It’s like saying a 68 is better than a 65 on a test; true, but neither is close to good enough. Agree that Lowe needs to do much better next year or hit the road, though I’m not totally onboard with “NCAAs or else” yet.

  19. Noah 03/30/2009 at 9:29 AM #

    Before he got hurt, Terrell Manning was one of the better linebacker prospects coming out of NC in some time (and yes, I remember that Brandon Spikes was from NC). He’s big (about 6-3, 225) and he could absolutely fly.

    He ended up getting lost in the line of scrimmage on one play where the ball-carrier managed to break free for what looked like a touchdown. Manning cut back, got free from the scrum and tracked the guy down from the opposite side of the field.

    Several people who saw that play said that there weren’t many people in college who could have done that, let alone high school.

    There were a couple of troubling things about his recovery, but that’s all in the past. He ran a sub 4.5 in the workouts and he’s turned a lot of heads. Right now, he’s not a starter, but that will come with experience.

  20. BJD95 03/30/2009 at 9:31 AM #

    ^^ You could also look at RPI data. I am certain Sendek’s third team had an RPI ranking significantly better than the 2008-09 Wolfpack (somewhere around 110, IIRC).

    But that’s getting into the weeds a bit. There’s no way anybody can say with a straight face that Lowe is doing BETTER than Sendek through the first three seasons. So, why on earth would I give Lowe an easier Year Four benchmark than I gave Sendek? You see, I’m not making it personal (with irrelevant “one of us” stuff) like some people apparently want me to.

  21. Pack Leader 03/30/2009 at 9:33 AM #

    Anyone else praying John Cal takes the Kentuky job?????

    If he leaves memphis can Demarcus Cousins reopen his recruitment???

    One would have to think that would effect every player interested in Memphis…..

  22. BJD95 03/30/2009 at 9:35 AM #

    If Calipari takes the UK job, I fully expect John Wall to follow him there. Probably Cousins, too.

  23. Thinkpack17 03/30/2009 at 9:35 AM #

    “Back then the NIT would let any major conference team with a .500 record in the tournament, they are more stringent now.”

    I don’t get how the NIT pick the teams now…I mean Florida is a 1 seed. We lose to them by 1 on the road…you’re telling be we’re not good enough to be an 8? Miami’s a 4 and we split with them. Come on man…Jacksonville State? They just need to come out and say…if you are from a power conference and you don’t have a good enough record to get a top 5 seed, they you’re out. I could accept that.

  24. Thinkpack17 03/30/2009 at 9:39 AM #

    If Calipari leaves Memphis out in the cold, without a coach AND without a Point guard, good God he better never go back. He may end up on The First 48.

  25. wufpup76 03/30/2009 at 9:39 AM #

    “If Calipari takes the UK job, I fully expect John Wall to follow him there. Probably Cousins, too.”

    ^It looks like a good possibility.

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