- 11.08.2009
- |
60°F
- Blogs > ACC Now
You may also like Canes Now | Balls and Strikes | Preps Now | Campus Notes
Wolfpack savior?
It's not fair to pin the hopes of an entire basketball program on one player, but N.C. State could really use John Wall. SI.com rehashes the details of Wall's journey from unknown to the third-rated prospect in the Class of 2009.
Here's the Reader's Digest version: Wall, a 6-3 point guard, is a fifth-year senior at Word of God in Raleigh. He began his high school career at Garner and ended up at Broughton, where he was cut from the basketball team. Last summer, he skyrocketed up the recruiting boards with a strong summer camp performance.
Enter the Wolfpack, desperate for a point guard, not to mention elite talent, and who have already secured the rights to forward C.J. Leslie, Wall's Word of God teammate and the 13th-rated prospect in the Class of 2010.
Wall's college list, according to Scout.com, includes Kentucky, Memphis, Ohio State and the Wolfpack.
J.P. Giglio
J.P. Giglio covers the ACC for the News & Observer, where he has worked since 1997.
Comments
RE:Wall
Wed, 07/02/2008 - 07:06 — Anonymous (not verified)Wall's handlers are the Clifton brothers. That means they are taking care of his recruiting...you fill in the blanks. It could be clean as-a-whistle, just saying.
No doubting his talent, I just don't know if you want a player who would be heading for the NBA if the rules didn't say he can't go straight out of high school. In case you need a refresher, take a look at Southern Cal and their brush with greatness (OJ Mayo). Who knows how that mess will shake out but I wouldn't want to trade one year of sports page headlines for a year of front page ink.
Either drop the inane one-year college requirement or adopt rules similar to baseball. See where you land in the draft and if you don't like it, and haven't signed with an agent, then college remains an option--except that a three-year commitment awaits you. Try it again after your junior season with the same rules (no agent) and if that doesn't work out, there's still another year left to improve your standing...and maybe, just maybe--walk away with a college degree.
Quick fixes are awfully attractive to a struggling program but smart recruiting trumps a Band-Aid anytime. Only problem is, the pack fans are a-howling and Sidney may not get the time to be smart if he has another disastrous season like the last one.
If Wall wanted to go to the
Wed, 07/02/2008 - 09:11 — Anonymous (not verified)If Wall wanted to go to the NBA ASAP, all he has to do is transfer to a prep school next fall and he'd be eligible for the 2009 draft because he reclassified his sophomore year. But he apparently doesn't want to do that.
If I have said it once, i've
Tue, 07/01/2008 - 20:20 — gvillegatrIf I have said it once, i've said it a 1000 times, when NCSU is at the top of their game, the ACC is dominant. I hope they land these recruits for the conferences sake!