The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1043000
124 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ■ BASKETBALL RECRUITING of a teammate and too unselfish. He'll learn when he really needs to go. I thought he did a really good job of that." Lecque is the 11th five-star player — if he holds steady in the rankings — to pick NC State since the Rivals.com rankings began in 2002. With added improvement to his outside jumper, he could end up re- climbing the rankings. "I'm making it more consistent. I showed at Peach Jam that I could shoot better, and I'm showing it even more now," Lecque said. "I think if I keep on doing that I can be in position to reach my goal of making the NBA." NC State fans will be able to watch Lecque and Brewster Academy play at the John Wall Holiday Invitational Dec. 26-29 at Raleigh Broughton High. Lecque will be driving the car for the immensely talented team under head coach Jason Smith, who coached past NC State players T.J. Warren and Kyle Washington. "He needs to continue to become more comfortable as a primary ball handler, making decisions and getting other people involved," Bossi said. "As a part-time or full-time point guard, he has self-admit- tedly struggled with that this spring and summer. "I know that's something he has worked on, and he has been more confident with his decision making." Coach Smith will be aiming for a prep school national title and the pressure to win will be obvious from the start of the season. Smith has proven he won't worry about sitting a star player, which he did during Warren's senior year. "He was a McDonald's All-American at Brewster Academy, but did not start be- cause Jason Smith wasn't putting up with his antics of shot-jacking and refusal to play defense, no matter how good the kid was," Bossi said. "I think that has ben- efitted him [in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns]. "He had someone that put their foot down and said, 'No, this is going to be what is best for you, and you have to listen to me and trust me on this.' Jalen could get a little bit of the same, and that could be good for him long term." The other area that will need to be worked on is his outside shooting. He shot 9 of 57 from three-point land in 21 EYBL games. Lecque's athleticism can help him be productive on the high school level, but it will become harder for him in the ACC. "The next thing is his jump shot, and that isn't any secret with him," Bossi said. "He has to improve as a perimeter jump shooter. "It isn't about being a great jump shooter, but being a willing one and one that people have to respect." ■ Follow TheWolfpacker.com for men's basketball recruiting coverage. Lecque averaged 20.1 points, 9.3 assists and 9.1 rebounds per game last year at Arden (N.C.) Christ School. PHOTO COURTESY USA BASKETBALL Past NC State Five-Star Prospects In Rivals.com Era Class Player Pos. High School Ranking 2019 Jalen Lecque PG Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy No. 28 Lecque, who has been ranked as high as No. 9 in the country, is a post-graduate at Brewster Academy. 2018 Sacha Killeya-Jones* PF Lynchburg (Va.) Virginia Episcopal No. 24 Killeya-Jones averaged 3.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 11.7 minutes played in 48 games at Kentucky, before trans- ferring to his hometown area (he's from Chapel Hill, N.C.). 2016 Omer Yurtseven C Fenerbahce Ulker in Turkey — Yurtseven emerged last year to average 13.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 57.2 percent from the field en route to third-team All-ACC honors. He transferred to Georgetown this past spring. 2015 Dennis Smith Jr. PG Fayetteville (N.C.) Trinity Christian — Smith was a top-10 prospect in the class of 2016 before enrolling early at NC State. He averaged 18.1 points, 6.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds per contest during his one season at NCSU in 2016-17. He was selected No. 9 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. 2013 Trevor Lacey^ SG Huntsville (Ala.) Butler No. 24 Former Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried dipped into his old stomping grounds to land Lacey as a transfer. He averaged 15.7 points and 3.5 assists per game and earned second-team All-ACC honors for the Wolfpack in 2014-15. He entered the NBA Draft a year early, but went undrafted and is now playing in Italy. 2012 T.J. Warren SF Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy No. 17 Warren became the 2014 ACC Player of the Year his sophomore season at NC State, after leading the league with 24.9 points per contest while also pulling down 7.1 rebounds per game. He shot 52.5 percent from the field that year. He was selected No. 14 overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2014 NBA Draft. 2012 Rodney Purvis SG Raleigh Upper Room Christian Academy No. 12 Purvis averaged 8.3 points per game and shot 44.2 percent from the field in his one year at NC State in 2012-13. He transferred to UConn, and finished his college career averaging 11.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per outing in 137 career games. He played in the G-League last year and eventually played 16 games for the Orlando Magic in the NBA. He was cut from the Miami Heat Oct. 13. 2010 C.J. Leslie PF Raleigh World of God No. 14 Leslie played three years at NC State before leaving for the NBA, where he went undrafted. He averaged 13.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per outing in 99 career games with the Wolfpack, and helped the 2011-12 squad reach the Sweet 16. 2010 Ryan Harrow PG Marietta (Ga.) Walton No. 19 The diminutive Harrow played one year at NC State and averaged 9.3 points and 3.3 assists per game. He trans- ferred to Kentucky and eventually back home to Georgia State for two years. He finished his college career averag- ing 14.0 points and 3.5 assists per game in 121 contests. 2007 J.J. Hickson PF Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler No. 10 Hickson played one season with the Wolfpack and averaged 14.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He was taken No. 19 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2008 NBA Draft. He averaged 9.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in 534 NBA games, with his career ending following the 2015-16 season. 2005 Courtney Fells SG Shannon (Miss.) High No. 24 Fells averaged double figures his last three years at NC State. The athletic wing finished his Wolfpack career averag- ing 9.5 points and 3.1 assists per outing in 111 career games. He has mostly played internationally from 2009 to the present, with two G-League stints mixed in. * Originally signed with Kentucky before transferring to NC State ^ Originally signed with Alabama before transferring to NC State