N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe and assistant Monte Towe lured Luke Cothron with their plan to restore Wolfpack basketball to prominence.
Cothron, a highly recruited senior forward from Red Springs (N.C.) Flora MacDonald Academy, liked what he heard and committed to N.C. State on Friday morning.
He is 6-foot-8 and 215 pounds and also considered Alabama, Connecticut, Florida State and Tennessee.
"Those guys were all in there, but in the end, the common component they didn’t have was Coach Lowe,” Flora MacDonald coach Derrick Bond said. “Just his pitch, his history with North Carolina State, Coach Towe’s history and how they talked about the past and the Pack pride and the history and championships they were accustomed to, and just getting it back to that, they did a great job of selling Luke."
Cothron, who’s originally from Huntsville, Ala., averaged 27 points, 18 rebounds and four blocked shots per game as a junior. He is rated the 57th-best prospect overall in the Class of 2010 by scout.com.
He joins point guard Ryan Harrow of Marietta, Ga., and shooting guard Lorenzo Brown of Hargrave Military Academy in what’s considered a strong Class of 2010 haul for N.C. State.
Brown signed with N.C. State and was set to be a freshman this season but is spending a year at Hargrave to get his grades in order. All-Star Sports analyst Bob Gibbons said he has heard that Brown is playing extremely well this fall, and that Cothron adds to “a very nice class.”
"I think adding him to, I think Ryan Harrow gives them what they need first - a pass-first, true point guard to quarterback the team and run the offense,” Gibbons said. “Lorenzo Brown can play the point, but he’s better off the ball, setting up his scoring abilities, the moves from the mid-range. He is a very complete all-around player.”
Bond said Cothron is versatile enough to play with his back to the basket or facing the basket and is an outstanding rebounder. He said Lowe did a great job selling Cothron on how he would be embraced at N.C. State, and said Cothron enjoyed the atmosphere in Raleigh.
"Every time we went up there for a visit and watched a football game or a basketball game, the atmosphere was just amazing,” Bond said. “It just felt right for him."
Comments
I'll hold my breathe.
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 16:00 — boheathI'll hold my breathe.
Hmmm...
Sat, 10/10/2009 - 04:47 — mathernecoachYou'll hold your breathe? Are all Wolfpack fans illiterate?
Jee
Sat, 10/10/2009 - 09:17 — JPDOhioI dont no.
Lol
Sat, 10/10/2009 - 11:11 — mad_maxNow theirs a good won JPD
Im not so sure
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 23:38 — Brian9I think Sidney has the pack going in the right direction
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You're not alone
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 18:40 — mad_maxHolding it here too...
Congratulations, NCSU fans..
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 12:00 — UNC1998It looks like Lowe is attracting some nice players to the program. I hope that one day the spirited level of competition between the triangle schools returns to a high level.
Looks like a great kid and a
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 11:35 — SurferLooks like a great kid and a good catch by Sid.
But, the "highly recruited" notion may be directed more at State than others. Rivals only lists Alabama and Tennessee as the other schools offering. This of course means nothing as far as the benefit to State, just a misleading headline perhaps.
hmm
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 11:50 — izzykareemno problem with the headline.
only with UNCCH homer analysis.
He's a top50 player nationally.
And he has the same number of offers (According to scout) as does Kendall Marshall.
Even the quality of the offers are the same. He was offered by major SEC and Big12 schools, while Kendall was offered by some ACC and Big East schools.
Cothron was highly recruited.
What?
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 12:23 — SurferDidn't say the headline was wrong, just misleading.
I like UNC Charlotte, but I graduated from UNC and I am a UNC Fan.
Agree, he is a top 50 player nationally.
According to Rivals, Cothron has one offer less than Marshall and was offered by major (football) schools.
Oh wait, mmm, golly gee, Marshall committed to UNC, not Charlotte, over two years ago, in 2007. I wonder if that would have made any difference in recruiting? Maybe, maybe not.
Agree, Cothron was highly recruited, by N.C. State. If you consider Alabama and Tennessee as national bb powerhouses, well that's okay.
Bottom line, he is a good recruit, just doesn't seem that he was highly recruited nationally, thus the misleading headline, in my opinion, which was basically my only original comment.
Graduated from UNC
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 15:01 — rewhitbyjrNeed to look at your diploma. I'm sure it says the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNCCH). Not UNC. UNC - Charlotte is (UNCC)
It does say, The University
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 15:55 — SurferIt does say, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which is UNC-CH not UNCCH. I already know that UNCC is Charlotte. I said that earlier.
Google UNCCH and the first thing that comes up is UNC Charlotte, no dash.
When most people ask where I went, I usually just say, Carolina. Heaven forbid if we were to go that route.
Whenever I refer to "State", I am not talking about Michigan. When I say "Miami", it is not Ohio.
This whole thing is just too funny. All because of a simple "-". Maybe izzy should just spell the whole thing out to avoid any confusion for new readers, or just add a dash (UNC-CH). Whatever.
haha
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 16:39 — izzykareemso do you think confused readers are googling "UNCCH" because they don't know who that is?
This is better UNC@CH
Use Scout for your Recruiting Info
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 13:18 — WolfpackPrideGuySurfer,
Check out Scout and you will get a MUCH better idea of the recruiting scene. They have Cothron offered by Alabama, Arkansas, UConn, Louisville, Miss St, Oklahoma, UAB, and W. Virginia. Not to mention the Pack that he committed to. And these are only the offers that he had any interest in. He was offered by many others that the did not list, because he was not interested. So, not misleading at all, and not a comment aimed at me only.
matter of opinion
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 13:21 — gvillegatrunless RIVALS has some deep seeded hate for ncsu, too?
haha
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 16:38 — izzykareemseriously? its just to only look at Rivals and say "he was only recruited by two schools" is hardly doing your homework.
What does ESPN recruiting say? or Oettinger or that other famous local NC guy.
Well done, Sid.
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 11:04 — JPDOhioThe young talent Sid has recruited is pretty impressive. Cothron fills the last area that needed shoring up. This year is likely to still be a struggle as young guys get experience, but next few years after that should get very interesting.
just thinking...
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 11:39 — izzykareemi have a feeling the team is gonna do better than expected; when ur at/near the bottom there is nowhere to go but up, but you can also stay around the bottom if you're not careful.
I think the strong recruiting will engergize the current players because they know coach is bringing in guys to help them out and help out the program. I think it will cause them to perform with a little more intensity and drive.
Good job Coach Lowe and Welcome Luke (and Ryan and Lo)
I agree...
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 12:32 — JPDOhiobut my son doesn't.
But he is more analytical, while I tend to be more optimistic and hopeful.