The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1190316
JANUARY 2020 ■ 85 BY JACEY ZEMBAL N C State basketball head coach Kevin Keatts was excited that his staff 's hard work paid off with Rivals.com's No. 5-ranked recruiting class in the country. The Wolfpack secured commitments from Hickory (N.C.) Moravian Prep team- mates Josh Hall, a five-star talent, and Sha- keel Moore, a three-star recruit, just prior to the Nov. 13-20 early signing period to finish off a five-man class. The group fea- tures four players from the state of North Carolina. Hall is originally from Durham, while Moore and four-star point guard Camren Hayes hail from Greensboro. Three-star power forward Nick Farrar suits up for Apex Friendship High, while the lone out-of-state signee, three-star cen- ter Ebenezer Dowuona, attends Newnan (Ga.) Heritage Academy. Hayes was originally offered on Sept. 29, 2018, but the remaining members of the class were targeted after their 2018-19 prep seasons were completed. "I'm excited about our future," Keatts said. "We signed five really good basket- ball players that can certainly help us in the future. When you look at the guys that we signed, all five fill a need for us. "All of these guys could have chosen to go somewhere else, but decided to come to NC State." The Pack has relied on transfers — grad- uate transfers, four-year transfers and ju- nior college transfers — the last two years. The original hope was that the class of 2018 would be that "foundation" class of prep players, but then Saddiq Bey was re- leased from his letter of intent and picked Villanova, and post player Ian Steere left the Wolfpack for St. John's after playing five minutes in the season opener last year. On this year's team, only redshirt fresh- man center Manny Bates, redshirting fresh- man wing Dereon Seabron and sophomore power forward Jericole Hellems came di- rectly to NC State out of high school. Keatts credited Bates for helping to be- gin the momentum, after he picked NC State over South Carolina and Georgetown coming out of Fayetteville (N.C.) North- wood Temple. "It started with Manny Bates," Keatts said. "He could have gone to a lot of pro- grams. He decided to stay in state." Rivals.com ranks Hall No. 26 over- all in the class of 2020, while Hayes is listed at No. 48 nationally. The other three members are three-star prospects who are not included in the Rivals150. Dowuona is deemed the No. 27 center in the class, Moore the No. 40 shooting guard and Far- rar the No. 50 power forward. Add in Nebraska junior shooting guard transfer Thomas Allen and Seabron, and NC State will have seven newcomers next year. The class also was fluid due to various members reclassifying in high school. Hayes was originally in the class of 2020, made the move to 2021 when he trans- ferred from Greensboro Smith to Greens- boro Day, but is now back in 2020. Moore and Hall both had the option of enrolling at a college this year or at the mid-semester point, but elected to spend their fifth year together at Moravian Prep. Farrar was the first to commit after he earned his NC State scholarship offer, ■ BASKETBALL RECRUITING Head Coach Kevin Keatts Likes NC State's No. 5-Ranked Class Hickory (N.C.) Moravian Prep standout Josh Hall is NC State's highest-rated signee, with Rivals.com listing him as a five-star talent and the No. 26 overall player in the country. PHOTO BY JACEY ZEMBAL Rivals' 2020 Team Rankings As of Dec. 4 Rk. School Commits 1. Kentucky 6 2. Duke 6 3. North Carolina 5 4. Tennessee 4 5. NC State 5 6. Texas Tech 3 7. Arkansas 4 8. Oklahoma State 3 9. Florida State 3 10. Kansas 4 ■ NC State's 2020 Signees Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Ebenezer Dowuona C 6-10 220 Newnan, Ga. (Heritage) Rivals rates him as a three-star recruit and the No. 27 center in the nation Nick Farrar F 6-6 230 Apex, N.C. (Apex Friendship) Rivals lists him as a three-star prospect and the No. 50 power forward in the country Josh Hall F 6-8 190 Hickory, N.C. (Moravian Prep Academy) Rivals ranks him as a five-star talent, and the No. 4 small forward and No. 26 overall prospect nationally Camren Hayes G 6-2 175 Greensboro, N.C. (Greensboro Day) Rivals rates him as a four-star prospect, and the No. 10 point guard and No. 48 overall player in the land Shakeel Moore G 6-1 185 Greensboro, N.C. (Moravian Prep Academy) Rivals lists him as a three-star recruit and the No. 40 shooting guard in the country