The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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144 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY JACEY ZEMBAL N C State has actively been recruiting prospects in Virginia the last three years, which makes sense considering the extensive contacts the coaching staff has in the state. Head coach Kevin Keatts and assistant coaches James Johnson and Roy Rober- son are all Virginia natives, with extensive coaching experience in the state on both the high school and college levels. Even assistant coach Takayo Siddle played high school basketball and later worked under Keatts at Chatham (Va.) Har- grave Military Academy. NCSU came close to bringing in a Vir- ginia prospect with class of 2018 wing Kel- don Johnson, who signed with Kentucky, and center David McCormack, who is a rising sophomore at Kansas. The Wolfpack broke through with De- reon Seabron in the class of 2019, when the Rivals.com four-star prospect from Norfolk signed this past April. NC State has been tirelessly working the class of 2020, focusing on top-55 prospects Cameron Thomas, a shooting guard from Chesapeake, power forward Henry Cole- man of Richmond and center Mark Wil- liams of Norfolk. The trio could give NC State a top-five recruiting class nationally if they all decided to play together in Raleigh. "I definitely talk to Mark about team- ing up in college," Coleman said. "We are good friends and talk every day. It would be good for us to go to college, but it's what best fits him and what best fits me. "Cam can shoot the ball very, very well. Mark is getting stronger and becoming more dominant in the paint. He could al- ways pop out and shoot the 15-footer." Williams and Coleman played with Team Loaded VA in 2017 and 2018. "If it happen, it happens," Williams said of playing with Coleman in college. "He has the ability to utilize his body and his strength, and he's done a good job of ex- panding his game and shooting the ball." Thomas Knows How To Score Thomas, who is pondering waiting until the 2020 spring period to sign with a col- lege, has officially visited NC State and Connecticut, and both schools are heav- ily involved with the Rivals.com five-star prospect. The 6-3, 185-pounder is ranked No. 22 overall in the country for the class of 2020, thanks to a strong junior year at Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy, followed up by putting up big numbers with the Boo Williams traveling team in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. Thomas was also able to take part in the prestigious NBPA Camp in mid-June at the University of Virginia. Keatts and his three assistant coaches were able to take in the action and watch every one of Thomas' games. He averaged 16.5 points per outing over his four contests. "Coach Keatts is a great guy," Thomas said. "We have a great relationship, and he's been recruiting me since the ninth grade. That says a lot. We are on the same page." The scoring whiz officially visited NC State on Oct. 19-21, 2018. Thomas hopes to verbally commit next January or Febru- ary, and sign in April. "It was great because I got to see how they practiced as a team," Thomas said of the trip. "It was learning experience for me to see what they do on the college level. They want to use me as a combo guard." The Wolfpack started recruiting Thomas during the spring of his freshman year, and he made his first unofficial visit in June 2017. He followed up by attending the UNC at NC State hoops game Feb. 10, 2018. Johnson has been the Wolfpack's point man on his recruitment. "I just want to build a relationship with the head coach and see how he lets me play, and if he'll let me play my game or not," Thomas said. "Education is important. It's mainly coaching, education and lifestyle." NC State, Connecticut, Oregon, Arkan- sas, Auburn and LSU are some of the col- leges that have prioritized him. St. John's offered him after the NBPA Camp. Schools have basically told Thomas they want him to come and do what he does best — score the basketball. He is averag- ing 29.5 points per game to lead the Nike EYBL and has topped 40 points in two contests. He watches film of past and cur- rent NBA stars Kobe Bryant, Devin Booker and James Harden. Having a strong season at Oak Hill Academy was a nice bounce-back for Thomas. He played his freshman year at Oscar Smith High in Chesapeake, but elected to sit out his sophomore season there and work out with a trainer. He made the move to Oak Hill and thrived on the star-studded squad. "It was great and a learning experience since it was the first time I was away from home," Thomas said. "I was able to play with other great players in the 2019 class like Cole Anthony [North Carolina signee], Kofi Cockburn [Illinois] and Christian Brown [Georgia]." Coleman Ready To Put Hard Hat On Coleman has mentioned NC State, Virginia and Virginia Tech prominently over the years. Duke and UCLA have also jumped into his recruitment, but haven't offered yet. Johnson is leading NC State's recruiting effort on the 6-7, 220-pounder from Rich- mond (Va.) Trinity Episcopal. Rivals.com ranks the bruising post player No. 47 overall in the country for the class of 2020, and he showed why in lead- ing his camp team to a runner-up finish at the NBPA Camp. Coleman averaged 13.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game over seven contests, and Five-star Cameron Thomas — a 6-3, 185-pound shooting guard from Chesapeake, Va. — is ranked No. 22 overall in the country for the class of 2020 by Rivals. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM ■ BASKETBALL RECRUITING A Trio Of Top-55 Players From Virginia Could Shape NC State's Future