The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/535299
148 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY JACEY ZEMBAL H yattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic has been good to NC State over the last five decades. NC State hopes that continues with a pair of recruits who have Wolfpack offers — se‑ nior shooting guard Markelle Fultz and junior D.J. Harvey, who can play either of the wing spots. Rivals.com ranks Fultz No. 24 overall in the country in the class of 2016, and Har‑ vey is ranked No. 13 in 2017. Needless to say both have numerous options across the country, but NC State has history on its side. The Pack features a long lineage of play‑ ers from DeMatha Catholic — Kenny Carr, Hawkeye Whitney, Sidney Lowe, Dereck Whittenburg, Benny Bolton, Quentin Jack‑ son, Jordan Collins and current junior center BeeJay Anya. Whittenburg currently serves as NC State's director of player development. Harvey and Fultz helped lead DeMatha to a 33‑4 record last year, falling to Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga in double overtime 77‑68 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title game. The team bounced back to win the Maryland Private Schools tournament and has high hopes for next winter. "Markelle is a good player, and he's very unselfish," Harvey said. "I think we could do a lot of big things." Fultz lived up to his billings by leading his Cavaliers team to the NBPA Camp title June 20 at the University of Virginia. Fultz had 11 points, four assists and three rebounds in a 78‑75 championship game win over the Rockets. Fultz also got some bragging rights over his good friend Harvey, who posted 14 points for the Rockets. The two also battled two days earlier, with each getting 15 points. However, Fultz and the Cavaliers won 61‑54. Harvey said they put a condition in place for the games. "We told each other we wouldn't guard each other because we know all of each oth‑ ers moves, and we probably wouldn't score," Harvey said. The 6‑4, 180‑pound Fultz's ability to read a defense and react with a sharp pass or a floater for a finish is impressive. He also can drain the three‑pointer or get out on a fast‑ break for a dunk or layup. Whatever his team seemed to need, he was more than capable of providing it. "I've been real good, helping my team do what we need to do — scoring, passing and just being a playmaker, which I want to be," Fultz said. "I just want to be more aggressive." Fultz finished tied for 10th in the camp in scoring with 13.3 points per game, an average that was matched by his teammate, junior point guard Trevon Duval of Newark (N.J.) St. Benedict's. Duval was offered by NC State June 15. Fultz said he'd like to play some point guard and continue to form a strong one‑two punch with Harvey next season at DeMatha. "It doesn't matter where they put me," Fultz said. "I'm very versatile and can play the one, two or three. I'd like to play the one in college. "My game is very efficient. It's not like one game I score 30 and the next game I score two. It's always in the same range." Fultz has at least 23 offers, with the Wolf‑ pack tendering a scholarship Feb. 8, after head coach Mark Gottfried and assistant coach Rob Moxley watched him play for the Stags. "They [NCSU coaches] just tell me to keep doing what I am doing, and that they have had a lot of DeMatha people go there," Fultz said. "They say I would be a great fit." Fultz expects to narrow down his list in August, and have a college decision by Sep‑ tember if there is a school that sticks out from the group. He took unofficial visits to Virginia Tech, Louisville and Kentucky prior to the NBPA Camp, and is pondering some official visits for August. "I don't have a favorite right now," he ex‑ plained. "I am looking to narrow it down soon. I don't have any more trips planned, but if I can fit in a couple more I will." ■ BASKETBALL RECRUITING NC State Hopes DeMatha Catholic Pipeline Continues To Run Shooting guard Markelle Fultz (above), Rivals.com's No. 24 overall player in the country in the class of 2016, and wing D.J. Harvey, the No. 13 prospect nationally in 2017, play for DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Md., and both have been offered by the Wolfpack. PHOTO BY RON BAILEY/HOYAREPORT.COM