For too long, North Carolina State fans were used to feeling disappointment when an elite-level, five-star prospect from their own state would choose the rival Tar Heels, or leave the state entirely, for their college basketball career.
For too long, it was Chapel Hill that was the focus of national recruiting attention. Of course, the other local school, Duke, certainly had their recruiting successes as well. Still, it always hurt more when prospects chose to don Carolina blue, as opposed to the blood red of Raleigh.
When five-star point guard, Dennis Smith Jr., made the call for Mark Gottfried and NC State just over a week ago, Wolfpack fans were understandably elated.
The commitment gives NC State and coach Gottfried one of their top recruiting wins in recent memory. For some, it could be considered their most important coup since the current staff arrived in town.
Smith Jr., is considered by most as the top point guard recruit in the nation for the 2016 class, and one of the top ten prospects overall. His commitment, made on September 10–two months after mighty Kentucky officially threw their hats in the ring–came one month after he tore his ACL at the adidas Nations event held in Southern California. With the official prognosis having him sidelines for six to nine months, Dennis Jr. figures to have an ample amount of time to recover before stepping foot on his college campus.
The commitment gives Gottfried a clear successor for Cat Barber, the electric point guard who took the country by storm last season during the Wolfpack’s late season run.
