Joe Giglio (@jwgiglio) of the Raleigh News & Observer reported today that Mark Gottfried and NC State are in the final mix for two high profile recruits to round out next year’s team:
In what has already been an eventful offseason, the Wolfpack is still in the mix for 7-footer Georgios Papagiannis and recently reclassified small forward Maverick Rowan, a pair of high-profile recruits who would be eligible to play this season.
As for which college (if any) is most likely to add that piece to its roster, it’s difficult to identify a clear leader. St. John’s has an obvious hole to fill with Obekpa, has made a strong, late push since Chris Mullin was hired in April, and believes it has a real shot at Papagiannis. Kentucky is Kentucky, and has a legit need for more front-line depth. N.C. State was the most recent school to visit Papagiannis, with Mark Gottfried making a trip to Greece in April. Oregon also traveled to Athens and since has developed the most interesting angle into the recruitment.
Curiously enough, Papagiannis’ roommate at the U19s is Tyler Dorsey, a five-star guard from Pasadena, Calif., who’s committed to play for the Ducks in 2015-16, and was a last-minute addition to the Greek national team in June.
Obviously, that’s some stiff competition. Kentucky seems to draft the top prep players they want on the recruiting trail, and Oregon is a compelling choice given Papagiannis’s ties to Tyler Dorsey and of course Oregon’s ties to Nike. At the same time, State is still in the mix, has a very decent and now experienced team returning, and has a slot where Papagiannis could compete against and with the best. Time will tell.
The Pack is also on Maverick Rowan’s radar. The 6’7″ scoring machine recently trimmed Louisville off of his list, and told Scout.com that
[H]e’s down to N.C. State, St. John’s and Wisconsin.“It’s pretty much down to those three,” Rowan said.
Stout competition, but again, if you ain’t in it, you can’t win it. And Mark Gottfried is very much in it with this prized player. And should State win the contest for the services of one or both, the Wolfpack will be improved in 2015/16 despite the player losses that happened last spring.
