The Wolfpacker

MAY 2014 ■ 33 ■ BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE "They both got better, and Cody probably improved the most his senior year. He got more confident and warmed up to being a stopper and energy guy, and let the rest of his game and go from there. "Caleb has improved as a jump shooter. He does rely on it a little too much, but that also could have been what he was asked to do at Oak Hill." Abu might remind NC State fans of former Clem- son tough guy and power forward Trevor Booker, who has a similar frame and evolved into a first-round pick for the Washington Wizards, his cur- rent team. "Abu has fought that battle like many similar sized power forwards — showing that he could play out on the perimeter," Bossi said. "At the end of the day, he knows his roots are being a brute and hitting the glass. He is very quick for a big guy and can beat other big guys from 15 feet off the dribble. He does a good job of not using it as a crutch and just settling for jumpers." The Martin twins are pretty good judges on how far each of them has come during their stint at Oak Hill Academy. "Cody has become a lot more aggres- sive since last year," Caleb Martin said. "At Davie County, he was our big man. At Oak Hill, he got to play his real position. He got his confidence up in his shooting. His shot has gotten a lot better. He has improved a lot from last year." Cody Martin said his twin brother has definitely gotten stronger, gaining around nine pounds since last August. "He has gotten more explosive. Last year, we could just shoot what- ever and it wouldn't make a difference," Cody Martin said. "Caleb is taking better shots and more key shots. He is making it come to him a lot more easier than he did before." The Martins have gotten to know Abu over the last year. Basketball in the offseason for high school players is often divided by which traveling teams are sponsored by which shoe and apparel company. Abu played his last year in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League with the Expressions Elite travel- ing team, while the Martin twins played for adidas-sponsored Team Loaded North Carolina. They did get to play or watch each other once last summer at the NBPA Camp, June 15-18, in Charlottesville, Va., which featured the majority of the top 100 players in the country. "We've been talking to Abu a lot and tex- ting a lot about next year," Caleb Martin said. "He and I have a pretty good relation- ship." The Martin twins and Abu also had their respective high school teams play at the Spalding Hoop Hall Classic Jan. 16- 20 in Springfield, Mass. Abu and Kimball Union Academy faced Gill (Mass.) North- field Mount Hermon School Jan. 19, while Oak Hill Academy faced Chicago Whitney Young Jan. 20. Abu also made sure to watch some of Oak Hill's games on television during the Dick's Sporting Goods High School Na- tional Tournament April 3-5. Oak Hill fin- ished runner-up after falling to Montverde (Fla.) Academy at Madison Square Garden in New York City. "One thing we are going to be next year is really long and athletic," Abu said. "The Martin twins are very versatile wing players, who can knock it down. They have strength, athleticism and length. They'll bring a lot to the table in their own ways. It should be fun." Abu looks forward to running the break with sophomore point guard Anthony Bar- ber and the Martin twins. "Running the break should be our goal," Abu said. "We can get up and down the floor, especially with a guy like Cat Bar- ber." ■ ■ NC State's Class Of 2014 Name (Rivals National Rank) Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (Previous School) Abdul-Malik Abu (45) PF 6-8 230 Boston (Kimball Union Academy [N.H.]) Caleb Martin (60) SG 6-6 192 Mocksville, N.C. (Oak Hill Academy [Va.]) Cody Martin (81) SF 6-6 192 Mocksville, N.C. (Oak Hill Academy [Va.]) The Wolfpack May Add One More To Class NC State might not be done in recruiting. Unsigned point guard Devonte Graham of Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy, who graduated from Raleigh Broughton High, offi - cially visited the Wolfpack April 21-23. The 6-2, 175-pounder, who is ranked No. 36 overall in the class of 2014 by Rivals.com, originally signed with Appalachian State in November 2012. He elected to bypass playing for the Mountaineers and eventually received his release this past April follow - ing a coaching change in Boone, N.C. "I remember seeing him in the spring of 2012 with the Garner Road traveling team, and he was real good," national recruiting analyst Frank Burli - son said. "He was explosive, could score and made plays. I was surprised he wasn't recruited harder than he was [the first time around]." Graham entered late April having taken official visits to NC State, Kansas and Virginia, and is also considering Providence and Virginia Tech. The ad - dition of Graham could vault the Wolfpack's re- cruiting class several spots up the team rankings. Graham was unrank ed following his senior year at Broughton, but the extra year of development has helped him explode in both his recruitment and what he can accomplish on the court. "A part of that is that he is older and has that ad - vantage of an extra year on the typical high school player," Rivals.com recruiting analyst Eric Bossi said. "He runs the team, and has excellent quickness and vision off the dribble. He can rotate from primary scorer to primary playmaker." — Jacey Zembal GRAHAM Power forward Abdul-Malik Abu, who is from Boston, played for Kimball Union Academy in Me- riden, N.H., for three seasons. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM NC State's Team Rankings As of April 29 Website National Rank 247Sports.com ..............................16 ESPN.com .....................................17 Rivals.com ......................................19 32-33.BKB Recruiting Overview.indd 33 4/29/14 4:05 PM

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