NC State exploring options for 2015 in high school and transfer markets

With the early departures of star Trevor Lacey and super sub Kyle Washington, NC State went from a consensus top 25 team in those way-too-early top 25 polls (which are my guilty pleasure) to a bubble team. Again.

So what does the staff have in place in terms of replacements? Well, not much to be honest. Junior guard Terry Henderson will be eligible after sitting out his mandatory one year after transferring from West Virginia, where he averaged double digits as a three point specialist. He should replace Ralston Turner well, with similar scoring prowess and better athleticism.

As for the other additions, well, there is nothing to discuss. Literally.

Henderson is the only new face as of now. There will certainly be more additions, but we don't know who they will be yet. There a few very high profile names who have the Pack among their finalists, however. Malik Newman, a consensus top 2-3 recruit in the class of 2015, and Brandon Ingram, a top 20 player from Kinston both have the Pack in their final groups with decisions coming soon. There are a few transfers still available with immediate eligibility left, but the Pack has not been prominently mentioned with many. Guard Ricky Tarrant from Alabama has had his name thrown out, but nothing concrete so far. Tomasz Gielo, a versatile big from Liberty, and Ike Nwamu, a high flying wing from Mercer would both fit the profile for the Pack's style, but their names have not been mentioned with State yet.

There are rumors that Newman may now make a visit to Raleigh with Lacey gone (and with them being similar style players, Newman can easily see himself taking over that role). That is still very much a question, but stepping foot on campus would be a big step in making up ground on the local SEC schools that are all over the Mississippian. Assistant coach Orlando Early has been all over this recruitment from the start.

Ingram is easily the best player in the state (the only top 100 player) and is exploring the three Triangle schools, Kansas, Kentucky, and UCLA. While NC State is still mentioned, and he will host the coaches on Monday, it seems like Duke or UNC will (regrettably) be his landing spot. He has been to campus probably twenty times, but this one will take a tremendous effort to win.

There are likely some under-the-radar high school and international prospects that the Pack are in on, but no news has popped up about them.

As for 2016, the Wolfpack coaches are still obviously all-in on Dennis Smith Jr. and Edrice Adebayo as well as other top prospects. More prospects are emerging every day and will continue to do so with AAU season starting.