The Wolfpacker

November 2019

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

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NOVEMBER 2019 ■ 121 ■ BASKETBALL RECRUITING Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. "He can play off the ball, but I prefer a shooter off the ball, which isn't Cam Hayes right now," Bossi said. "He is big and ath- letic enough, and college teams are play- ing three, four guards now. He's certainly capable of playing with other point guards at the same time." Bossi said consistency is one area that Hayes will need to work on before arriving at NC State. "He needs to play to his physical gifts on a regular basis," Bossi said. "He'll need to continue to become more dangerous as a deep shooter, so defenses can't back off of him. He also can be more vocal." Local Star Nick Farrar Is Happy To Stay Home Senior power forward Nick Farrar didn't see any reason to wait. Farrar publicly announced that NC State offered him a scholarship Aug. 5, and fol- lowed with his verbal commitment two days later. The whirlwind recruitment ended months of the Wolfpack evaluating him. The 6-6, 230-pounder recalled NC State assistant coach James Johnson being the first high-major coach to evaluate him last March at Apex (N.C.) Friendship High. Farrar had impressed during his junior season, averaging 18.9 points and 9.6 re- bounds per game for the 22-7 Patriots. Farrar, who has been compared to former Tennessee star Grant Williams of Charlotte, N.C., had a steady climb with scholarship offers this spring and summer. Houston, Texas A&M, LSU, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Cincinnati, VCU and Rhode Island were among the colleges that offered him be- tween April and August. Farrar was hoping Keatts and the Wolf- pack would join the fray at some point. "This is where I really wanted to go," said Farrar, 16, who lives about 25 min- utes away from PNC Arena. "It's where I wanted to be, and I'm thankful I got the offer. It's a blessing to play in the ACC. "Coach Keatts was excited when I told him. He was with his family, and they were happy as well. He said he had a big smile on his face." Keatts and Johnson were able to evalu- ate Farrar at the Wolfpack's team camp in June. He put up monster numbers, but the coaches still held off on offering the Rivals. com three-star prospect. However, the lines of communication were always open. "They were pretty smooth, but what made me feel the best was that they gave me the opportunity to do what I wanted to do," Farrar said. "They didn't force me to do anything. That made me feel comfort- able. "They wanted to make sure their pro- gram was a good fit for me." Former NC State forward Torin Dorn befriended Farrar this past year, and the recruit watched some of the extremes of NCSU's season up close. The first contest he attended was the 47-24 loss to Virginia Tech Feb. 2 at PNC Arena, which fellow senior commit Camren Hayes of Greens- boro also watched. That was the first time he was a guest of the Wolfpack as a recruit. Farrar also took in the 94-93 loss to Lipscomb in the quarterfinals of the NIT March 27 at historic Reynolds Coliseum. "I bought my own ticket for the Lip- scomb game," Farrar said. "I've been a NC State fan, and I know Torin Dorn as well, plus guys like [junior guard] Blake Harris. "I think it will be a great opportunity to play at NC State. It's right at home, and my family is right there. I know the fan support will be crazy." Watching games in person has helped Farrar get a good understanding of what he needs to work on for when he plays for the Wolfpack. "I need to build my body up and tone it," he said. "I need to move without the ball a little bit, work on my pull-up jumper and some with my right hand a little bit." Farrar is looking forward to participat- ing in the John Wall Holiday Invitational at Raleigh Broughton High Dec. 26-30. "I know a lot of people will come after me because of where I am going," he said. "I'll just keep grinding and stay humble." Rivals.com rates Farrar as a three-star recruit and the No. 49 power forward in the country. PHOTO BY JACEY ZEMBAL

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