The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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■ BASKETBALL RECRUITING NC State On The Hunt For Senior Post Players low post, and college coaches have made him a priority going into the summer. With the Wolfpack looking to add post S players in the class of 2013, NC State head coach Mark Gottfried and assistant coach Rob Moxley tracked Woodson during the April evaluation period. "NC State is on my list and has offered me," said Woodson, who is rated as the No. 2 center and the No. 27 overall player in the country by Rivals.com. "They have good coaches and are a good school. They are really going to be good with the 2012 class coming in." Woodson exploded for 22 points in his morning session game June 14 at the NBPA Camp at University of Virginia, and then added 12 points and 10 rebounds in the night game. Woodson was needed to help carry his NBPA Camp injury-depleted Spurs squad, which featured former NBA player James Posey as a co-coach. He averaged 9.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game for the Spurs. Woodson dreams of playing professional basketball in the future and wants to attend a college that can put him in that position. "I want to go to a team that plays inside- out," Woodson said. "I feel like wherever can get me to be the best player I can be, and to the highest point in basketball, I'll go there. "I think I've been doing all right this spring, but there are a lot of things I need to work on. I'm starting to speed it up a little bit, so I'm getting there." Woodson plays traveling team basketball on the Ray Jackson Rising Stars for former Michigan small forward Ray Jackson, who was part of the iconic Fab Five. "It's a good experience because he's played the game a long time," Woodson said. "He has a lot of things that he can teach me that I didn't know about the game. Ray Jack- son and Kevin Robinson, my mentor, have taught me a lot of things." Woodson is a bit of a late bloomer because he first went out for basketball in middle school due to being one of the taller students. He's become a skilled offensive player in the short time since. "It's been tough with a lot of ups and downs, but I have to stay strong and keep pushing," Woodson said. "I want to get to the top." Woodson's aunt has played a crucial role in his life and has helped motivate him. She took him in when Woodson was 9 years old. 140 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Rivals.com lists Round Rock, Texas, product Dominic Woodson as a four-star prospect, the No. 2 center nationally and the No. 27 overall player in the class of 2013. PHOTO BY DAVIDE DEPAS "I have to provide for my family in the future," Woodson said. "I have a lot of moti- vation to take care of my family, and it keeps my head on straight. "I want to work harder than everyone else because they don't know where I come from. People might know the Dominic on the bas- ketball court, but not the Dominic off the court." Woodson grew up in Louisville, Ky., be- fore moving to Round Rock, Texas, a few years ago. He attended Vermont Academy, but said he'll go to either Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep or Huntington (W.Va.) Prep for his senior year. Both powerhouse programs will be loaded with talent. NC State is joined by several other colleges on Woodson's list. "Cincinnati, Memphis, Baylor, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Louisville, Oklahoma, TCU and more schools," Woodson said. NC State, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, TCU, UTEP and Tulsa are some of the col- leges that have offered Woodson. Gifted Senior Shot Blocker Moses Kingsley Earns Offer From NC State Senior center Moses Kingsley might be the best shot blocker in the class of 2013. The 6-8, 205-pound Kingsley attended New Albany (Miss.) High last year, but is making the move to star-studded Huntington BY JACEY ZEMBAL enior center Dominic Woodson of Round Rock, Texas, has the ability to score in the (W.Va.) Prep, which features No. 1-ranked junior small forward Andrew Wiggins and NC State senior combo guard target Xavier Rathan-Mayes. "It's going to be good there, and I'm go- ing to be playing against different people," Kingsley said. "I'm going to try and raise my game and grow. The competition will be bet- ter than where I was before." Kingsley has been a standout this spring for the Arkansas Wings, which have gone 13-7 during Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) competition. Kingsley is averaging 8.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 20.6 minutes per game. He has played in 17 of the 19 games, with one of the victories a forfeit. Kingsley teams up on the Wings with Ri- vals.com's No. 56-ranked Bobby Portis, a 6-9 power forward from Little Rock (Ark.) Hall High, who is a verbal commit to Arkansas. "People didn't expect us to win as many games — we showed what we could do," Kingsley said "We push each other every time. He looks inside to me, and every time I get the ball, I look for him inside. When I mess up, he says, 'Don't worry about it. Just get it back on defense.' That is how we push each other." Kingsley displayed his low-post play to the NBPA Camp on June 14-16 at the University of Virginia, averaging 7.6 points and 4.2 re- bounds a game. He kept getting better as the camp went on. Colleges, including NC State, have taken notice of the talented prospect that Rivals.com ranks No. 98 in the country. "[NC State assistant] Coach [Orlando] Early is recruiting me," Kingsley said. "He started calling me in the spring, but the let- ters started coming last year." Kingsley is still in the process of learning about NC State and other colleges. He is originally from Nigeria and has been in the U.S. for two years. "I know a little about NC State, and where it is, a little about the coach and the pro- gram," Kingsley said. "I know some of the players that have played on the team." NC State will lose senior center Richard Howell in a year, and junior power forward C.J. Leslie could be an early entry candidate for the 2013 NBA Draft. Kingsley likes the idea of seeing action quickly at whatever college he chooses. "That would be great to play early," King- sley said. Kingsley was offered by NC State on June 19. "I have offers from Louisville, Florida,