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NC State is in need of several big men after this season and added one on Friday when Immanuel Bates verbally committed to the Wolfpack. Bates picked NC State over Georgetown and a host of others. He is a consensus top-100 player.
Bates is the new first commitment to Kevin Keatts’ 2018 recruiting class following former commit Jamie Lewis’ decommitment. Bates represents a pretty important part of Keatts’ rebuilding effort in Raleigh, since he both fits the profile of a Keatts player and also is a forward. Tall folks are welcome and needed very much.
Early playing time is available for bigs at State which no doubt factored into Bates’ decision—he not only is a good fit, he also has a good opportunity to play right away. The Wolfpack can make immediate use of an athletic kid like this in a press-heavy system; Bates’ quickness should get him on the floor early on, and his ability to protect the rim is exactly the sort of bonus for this system that Keatts is looking for.