The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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68 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY JACEY ZEMBAL A ugust is traditionally the month when college basketball coaches learn if they are still in the running for a rising senior recruiting target or if their school has been eliminated. NC State is expected to have a big 2017 class, and several players already have indicated interest in officially visiting Ra- leigh. Only one official visit has been set up thus far, but the Wolfpack's recruiting board has come together following the July evaluation period. The Wolfpacker takes a look at five players who put NC State in their respec- tive list of final schools going into mid- August. Charles O'Bannon Jr. Has Strong Ties To Coach Mark Gottfried Charles O'Bannon Jr. has narrowed his list down to eight schools, but he knows that was the easy part. O'Bannon has unofficially visited five of his eight finalists — including NC State a year ago August — and he plans to use his five official visits. He is down to NC State, Arizona, Kansas, Oregon, Texas, UCLA, UNLV and Washington. The Las Vegas Bishop Gorman prod- uct, who measures 6-6 and 200 pounds, is ranked No. 30 overall in the country by Rivals.com. He averaged 21.4 points per game as a junior and hopes to lead Bishop Gorman to a sixth straight state title. NCSU's Mark Gottfried was part of the UCLA staff under head coach Jim Harrick and coached Charles O'Bannon Sr. The O'Bannon brothers, Charles Sr. and uncle Ed, led the Bruins to the 1995 national championship. "My dad was around him for four years, so he knows what he is about and what he does," O'Bannon Jr. said. "That helps me with my decision." Media members all the way back to when O'Bannon was in middle school have asked him, "Are you the son of Charles or Ed?" "It hurts you and helps you having a famous last name. It goes both ways," O'Bannon Jr. said. "I've seen my dad play tons of times. I don't see too many simi- larities in our games. My uncle, I haven't seen him play as much." O'Bannon Jr. unofficially visited NC State during "Packapalooza" last August. He followed up by watching the Wolfpack play on television, and the next step is setting up an official visit. NCSU assistant coach Orlando Early has assisted Gottfried on O'Bannon Jr.'s recruitment. "On my unofficial, I liked everything about it," O'Bannon Jr. said. "I had a great time, and it was real special for me. I enjoyed it. "They've been pretty involved, and I have stayed in contact with all their coaches at all times." On the visit, Gottfried showed how O'Bannon Jr. would fit in NC State's of- fensive system. The Wolfpack return Mav- erick Rowan, Torin Dorn and Shaun Kirk on the wings in 2017-18. "Coach Gottfried went over their of- fense and plays," O'Bannon Jr. said. "He showed how I'd fit and where I'd be." NC State is the lone East Coast school on his list, and playing in the ACC has a strong appeal. "One thing I like about the ACC is it is a battle every single game," O'Bannon Jr. said. "There are no games off. Every game is a tough game. It's one of the top confer- ence in the country, if not the best." O'Bannon Jr. was aware of NC State's late additions of point guard Markell Johnson, center Omer Yurtseven, and power forwards Ted Kapita and Darius Hicks. O'Bannon Jr. and Johnson played on the same team at the 2015 Nike Elite 100 camp in St. Louis. "He's pretty good," O'Bannon Jr. said. "They are going to be a lot better team next season. This year, they didn't have the season they wanted to have. Next year, they'll pick it up big time." O'Bannon Jr. hasn't been to Arizona, Kansas and Oregon. He wants to see what colleges will make him a top priority, and his official visits will reflect that. "I want to talk to Coach Gottfried about some dates and set it up," he said. "I like football, but it doesn't matter to me at all." Washington head coach Lorenzo Ro- mar was also on that UCLA staff as an assistant coach, adding to the intrigue of O'Bannon Jr.'s recruitment. "I know Coach Gottfried is a big-time guy, so going after me is a blessing," O'Bannon Jr. said. "He's not just coming after anybody. It shows a lot that he is looking to recruit me. "The same with Coach Romar. It's the same exact procedure. They are great coaches and great guys. I can only play for one coach, so we'll see how that goes." NC State Pushing Hard For Raleigh's Thomas Allen NC State has done a good job of letting ■ BASKETBALL RECRUITING The Class Of 2017 Recruiting Board Starts To Take Shape O'Bannon Jr., Rivals.com's No. 30 senior nationally, has narrowed his list to eight finalists — NC State, Arizona, Kansas, Oregon, Texas, UCLA, UNLV and Washington. PHOTO BY JACEY ZEMBAL