Deshawn Painter Commits

"I just committed to NC State," said Painter. "I had a good feel for them. Sidney Lowe was big for me and I had a great vibe with the players. I just feel it was a great fit all the way around. It felt like home."

After taking visits to NC State, Virginia Tech, and Maryland, Painter narrowed it down to the Wolfpack and Terps before picking NC State.

Checking in at 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds, Painter has a chance to impact as a true freshman. He is currently rated the No. 20 power forward in the country and the No. 69 player overall in the 2009 class by Scout.com.

Strengths: Painter is extremely athletic and has great leaping ability. Combined with his great length and wingspan, it makes him a great defensive threat and dunker. I've seen some insane dunks on his highlight reels. It also gives him a slight advantage in rebounding; he can leap above others to grab high rebounds. His midrange jumper is surprisingly good, going out to about 15 feet. He runs very well and is quick enough to guard the perimeter when pulled out on a pick and roll or run the floor. That he can run well is a nice bonus - that's a plus with Williams and Padgett as well, so hopefully we try to push the pace in the future.

Weaknesses: Painter is thin as a rail. That really hurts him down low and when rebounding. He's been able to get by in high school, but when he gets into the ACC, he'll see bigger, stronger defenders and will get pushed around down low. His post game isn't good enough to make up for a huge strength disadvantage, and neither is his rebounding ability. His frame has room for weight, though, so all is not lost. He just needs to have a lot of cheeseburgers and protein shakes, and get on a lifting program. Unfortunately, there are major concerns about his effort. During games, he's mostly consistent on defense contesting shots, but his effort tends to fluctuate in practice especially. He never really progressed the way he was supposed to, which is generally a sign of poor work ethic.