Shaun Kirk from Whiteville, North Carolina reconfirmed his decision to commit to NC State this afternoon as a member of The 2015 class. Kirk committed to The Pack on Monday but a scholarship offer from John Calipari and The Kentucky Wildcats on Monday night made Kirk rethink his decision. Reopening his recruitment for a couple of days, reports came out that he would visit Lexington this upcoming weekend but that isn’t the case anymore. NC State received his letter of intent for next season today as credit needs to be given to assistant Coach Rob Moxley for beating out Kentucky.
Kirk stands at 6’7″ and weighs around 185 pounds. 247 Sports ranks him as high as a 4 star but most sites have him as a highly rated 3 star. Kirk’s athleticism is what stands out when watching highlights but he can also step outside and knock down the 3. From a depth standpoint next season this commitment is huge as it gives State another body to have in the rotation which is now at 8 scholarship players.
Going forward for The 2015 class look for State to try and add 1-2 more players. UNC-Asheville transfer Andrew Rowsey’s visit to State tomorrow has been cancelled due to Kirk’s commitment. The names to keep an eye are Georgios Papagiannis and Florida transfer Eli Carter. Papagiannis stands at 7’1″ which would be a solid addition for the front-court next season. He currently lives in Greece but could still come over to America next season and play college basketball. Coach Gottfried visited Papagiannis in Greece a couple of weeks ago but he could make a decision anywhere from now to June. NC State, Oregon and St. Johns are the main schools to watch in his recruitment. Eli Carter can play immediately as Clemson, Georgia Tech, St. Johns, NC State, Seton Hall, Nevada and Georgetown have reached out to him. NC State has recruited him before when he transferred to Florida from Rutgers but came up short for his commitment. I’m not sure how much The Pack will go after him but look for St. John’s plus Seton Hall to most likely make the hardest run at him.
*Side Note*
Shaun Kirk’s AAU team consists of NC State’s two biggest targets in The 2016 class, Dennis Smith Jr. and Edrice Adebayo. Both of these players are top ten in the country for their recruiting class as well as having The Pack high up on their list currently but don’t look for them to make anytime decision soon. All I’m saying is NC State’s 2016 recruiting class has the potential to be very good.
