NC State basketball lands commitment from center Shawn Phillips

Stop the presses! NC State has its first basketball commitment in the 2022 recruiting cycle. On Thursday afternoon, big man Shawn Phillips picked the Wolfpack over Mississippi and West Virginia, among others.

Phillips would appear to be the heir apparent to Manny Bates, who doesn’t seem likely to stay in college beyond this season. Phillips says he’s been told that he could start right away, which is a pretty strong hint on that front.

He’s listed at 6’10 and 250 pounds and is a consensus top-150 player in the 2022 class. Assuming Bates is on his way out the door, the Wolfpack will definitely need some rim protection, and hopefully the kid who goes by “Baby Shaq” fits that bill. (A missed opportunity not to go by “Dikembe Dos,” honestly.)

The dude plays with power, that much is for sure, and has pretty good hands. Free throw stroke doesn’t look bad, either. I gathered that from a few highlights, including the below video, so I’m basically an expert now.

Anyway, like the potential that he shows, and let’s hope his commitment gets the ball rolling with other prospects.