The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/223560
■ basketBALL recruiting Mark Gottfried Is Excited About His Recruiting Class Rivals.com ranked Gottfried's three-man haul as the fifth-best class in the ACC and No. 18 nationally following the November signing period. photo by Ken Martin By Jacey Zembal C State's three-man class of AbdulMalik Abu, Caleb Martin and Cody Martin was ranked No. 18 nationally by Rivals.com following the November signing period (Nov. 13-20). The recruitments of the Martin twins and Abu essentially came at two distinct periods of time on the recruiting calendar. Caleb Martin, who is ranked No. 59 in the country by Rivals.com, and Cody Martin, who is listed No. 106, both verbally committed Oct. 10, 2012 as juniors at Mocksville (N.C.) Davie County High, after being offered scholarships in December of 2011. Rivals.com recruiting analyst Eric Bossi said NC State was able to get some versatile scoring punch and toughness from its three prep signees. He sees one underrated area in particular where the class can make an instant impact. "Rebounding is an area of concern for N NC State, and all of these guys on the high school level are pretty good rebounders," Bossi said. "Abu, in particular, is a tenacious rebounder. The Martin brothers rebound well from the wing. Length and rebounding are the two biggest things out of this class." The verbal commitments of the versatile 6-6, 192-pound wings, who now attend Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy, allowed NC State to be selective in pursuing other perimeter players and to focus in on power forwards and centers. Abu caught the eye of NC State head coach Mark Gottfried and assistant coach Orlando Early last April. The Wolfpack offered Abu of Meriden (N.H.) Kimball Union Academy by the end of April and eventually secured his commitment Sept. 7 after a whirlwind recruitment. He unofficially visited in midAugust, and then returned for an official visit right before announcing for NC State over Florida, Connecticut and Providence. Abu checked in at a shade under 6-7 with his shoes off, weighted 232 pounds and measured out with a 7-1 wingspan at the Nike Big Man Skills Academy last June. Rivals.com ranks him the No. 50 overall player in the class of 2014. "I'm excited about them because all three of them will be really good ACC players," Gottfried said. "We've addressed needs on the perimeter, and on the interior with Malik. "Defensively, they should be good, and from an energy, effort, character standpoint, we have great quality there," Gottfried added. "I also think all three of them have a really good feel for the game. They are three good, high-basketball IQ guys." Abu, the Martin twins and Alabama transfer Trevor Lacey should create a deep and competitive roster next year. The 6-3, 220-pound Lacey averaged 11.3 points and 3.2 assists per game last year at Alabama. 66 ■ the wolfpacker 66-69.BKB Recruiting.indd 66 12/5/13 2:50 PM