The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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■ BASKETBALL RECRUITING NC State On The Prowl For Anthony "Cat" Barber T BY JACEY ZEMBAL he NC State coaching staff made it a point to let Hampton (Va.) High senior point guard Anthony "Cat" Barber know how wanted he was whenever he played during the July evaluation period. And for good reason. Rivals.com ranks Barber as the No. 3 point guard in the country and the No. 9 overall prospect in the class of 2013. He has been a hot priority for the Wolfpack and the other three schools on his list — Kansas, Louisville and Alabama. The 6-2, 165-pound Barber is starting to set up his official visits, with Kansas slated for Sept. 1, Louisville for Sept. 8 and NC State for Sept. 15. He has unofficially visited Alabama and will likely schedule an official trip to the school. Barber said schools such as NC State and Louisville recruited him hard in the beginning of his recruitment over a year ago, but then trailed off at times. "I don't know, but something got out that I was going to Virginia Tech," Barber said. "I think all the schools just laid off. Then schools came right back." Barber cited the connection with NC State head coach Mark Gottfried and assistant coach Rob Moxley as one of the main rea- sons he is interested in the Wolfpack. "The NC State coaches are just telling me what is going on, and they text me a lot," Barber said. "They tell me how the school is, and they want me to come to campus. After I go up there, I'll see what it is like. Coach Moxley is a cool dude." NC State is about three and a half hours from home, which is the closest of the schools on his list, and the Wolfpack play in the ACC, which is another drawing card. "At one point that was important to me, and Alabama, Louisville and Kansas are far from home," Barber said. "But I don't think distance will be a factor. "NC State has been coming at me hard. They've been coming after me for a long time also. That Virginia Tech thing messed up all the schools up." Barber likes certain aspects of all four programs on his list, but cited building a good relationship with the coaches and style of play as keys for him. "NC State is a guard's school and is closer to home," Barber said. "I'm just get- ting a vibe about NC State. We're getting to know each other better." Barber hopes the future visits will make one school rise to the top. 82 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Barber is rated by Rivals.com as a five-star prospect, the No. 3 point guard nationally and the No. 9 overall player in the class of 2013. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM "When I make the visits, I think I'll know what school I want to go to," Barber said. "I'm just waiting for my visits. When I do that, I'll sit down with my dad and my mom and my coaches, and tell them what school I like the most. "I'll just go with what my mind tells me what to do. They'll tell me their opinions, but it is still my choice at the end of the day." Small Forward Sharpshooter Reggie Cameron Unofficially Visits NC State Jersey City (N.J.) Hudson Catholic se- nior small forward Reggie Cameron, his father, his uncle and a family friend drove about eight and a half hours through the middle of the night to arrive at NC State at 5 a.m. Aug. 3 for an unofficial visit. It was the Hackensack, N.J., native's his first trip down to visit NC State, which of- fered him May 25. He was able to talk with the coaches, look at the facilities and watch some video of senior small forward Scott Wood to see how he'd be used. "I liked it a lot because they have a lot of good stuff going on there," said Cam- eron, whom Rivals.com ranks No. 91 in the country. "They are definitely headed in the right direction. The facilities are real nice, and they showed me around to their prac- tice facility. They are getting stuff redone." Cameron was able to see PNC Arena and Carter-Finley Stadium, plus the dorms. He didn't get to meet the Wolfpack academic people, but got to say hello to athletics director Debbie Yow. NC State, Connecticut, Miami, Villa- nova, Florida, Xavier, Cincinnati, DePaul, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Providence, North- western, USC, Iowa State, Massachusetts, Oklahoma State and West Virginia have all offered Cameron. Michigan has also shown strong interest, and will likely offer him if he visits Ann Arbor. Cameron, who is in the process of cut- ting his list down, feels like he's seen nearly everything about NC State, even if it wasn't an official visit. "The coaches, like [NCSU assistant] Coach [Rob] Moxley did a really good job, and talked to me about everything and showed me everything," Cameron said. "I spoke to one of the strength coaches. "I had a long talk with Coach [Mark] Gottfried. It was a good talk. I'm not sure what would be seen on an official visit, but I had a real good visit." The 6-6½, 221-pounder came home with a good idea of the NC State offense. "Coach Gottfried just told me what he was looking for in a player," Cameron said. "He said I'd be a good fit at NC State and would be one of the pieces that could help them win a national championship. "They showed me a lot with how they used Scott Wood and their other wing play- ers. I could see how Wood gets open and gets shots." No. 2-Ranked Julius Randle Enters Fall Wide Open Senior power forward Julius Randle closed a chapter of his life by playing his last games with the Team Texas Titans fol- lowing the July evaluation period. Randle, who attends Plano (Texas) Pre- stonwood Christian, burst on to the scene when he led the Titans 15-and-Under squad into the semifinals of the Super Showcase against the Chris Paul All-Stars, which fea- tured current NC State freshman guard Rodney Purvis in July 2010. Randle was completely dominant at the Super Showcase, and that also hasn't changed in the years since. The journey has been an exciting one for Randle. "I've been playing with these people since the fifth grade," Randle said. "I'm going to miss these guys, and I can't re- ally put it into words. They are like my brothers." The 6-8, 235-pound Randle averaged 22.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game at the Peach Jam July 19-21, but the Titans lost their last three games. NC State head coach Mark Gottfried and