The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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■ BASKETBALL RECRUITING fried] did it, and I caught him when he was coming to the ground," Pinson said. "I was like, 'What in the world is he doing?' My mom told me that Coach Gottfried came from the ceiling." Gottfried's energy and willingness to try anything is a sharp contrast to some college coaches. "It was real cool and the first time I've seen something like that," Pinson said. "He is a real down to earth guy. He is a player type of guy and about family. He's obvi- ously a good college basketball coach." Pinson has been out of action with an injury this fall, but Gottfried scored points by coming to see him and his teammates during the second day of the fall evaluation period at High Point Wesleyan Christian. "He wanted me to know they are here and they want to recruit me and want me their bad," Pinson said. "They want me to join the movement." Gottfried in his own way let Pinson know that he was going to battle for him until the end and didn't care what other schools were in the picture. "He has told me from the start that he knows all these other schools are recruiting me, but he wants me there and will recruit me hard," Pinson said. "He mainly talks about what NC State brings to the table." Having the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of NC State from Purvis will give Pinson a unique perspective on the program. "I've played with Rodney and he's one of my good friends, so I'm going to watch him regardless," Pinson said. "I'll be watching a whole lot of teams. I watch basketball period, so it doesn't matter who is playing." Pinson and Wesleyan Christian had an uneven season, but reached the NCIHSAA 3-A state tournament last year in Raleigh. Pinson expects a strong junior campaign. "This year we should win state," Pinson said. "Last year, everyone was all hyped with Montay Brandon [now at Florida State], JaQuel and I on the same team. I think we got caught up with the hype and got too big, too fast. We thought we could just walk in and play somebody and win. We now know what it takes." Pinson also attended Countdown to Cra- ziness at Duke Oct. 19, which is the second time he's experienced the event. Pinson has been the fervent focus of NC State, Duke and North Carolina over the last year, and all three Triangle schools have offered him. He claims offers from everyone on his list but Kentucky. ■ plus videos of Wolfpack commitments and targets visit TheWolfpacker.com. For regular reports on NC State basketball recruiting For 30 years, [TC]² has been a recognized provider of solutions for the apparel and sewn products industry specializing in education, consulting and technology development. If you are interested in creating more value for your customers by maximizing the effectiveness of your people and processes contact us at wduncan@tc2.com or (919) 653-3513 PROUD TO SUPPORT WOLFPACK ATHLETICS! At York Properties, Inc. and McDonald York Building Company we are proud supporters of Wolfpack Athletics and NC State University. We are committed to providing outstanding commercial real estate and construction services to the Triangle, and in making the Triangle a great place to live, work, play and learn. Management (919) 821-1350 Sales & Leasing (919) 821-7177 www.yorkproperties.com (919) 832-3770 www.mcdonaldyork.com NOVEMBER 2012 ■ 119