Looks like John Wall articles are all the rage these days, but we at Wolfpack Hoops don't like the spin these articles are trying to feed us. The recent News & Observer article was very accurate from what we are hearing, but they left out a big chunk of information. They failed to really weigh NC State as an option, but what we are hearing is that NC State is very much an option whether the N&O wants to admit it or not.
Lets start with the facts. John Wall started at Garner high school, transferred to Broughton where he was cut, then went on to Word of God. Prior to his junior year John was athletic, but he wasn't the monster he is today, he wasn't garnering the national attention he now receives on a regular basis. Back in those days there was one school already doing the work to land Wall....NC State. Sidney Lowe and company were on John from the very beginning. Maybe it was because he was in their backyard, or maybe Sid is some sort of recruiting genius, either way the facts are that NC State was on John Wall before he was a household name. Now I've been following recruiting for a long time and there are two things that I've seen really be able to swing a recruit ... winning and loyalty. Well we might not have the winning part down (that's where Wall comes in), but we can stake a claim that we were here first and he's living on our turf. This might not swing John in particular but it definitely can't hurt.
Another big reason we feel State has a great shot is John's mom. His mom is a self proclaimed Wolfpacker. She is a State fan and a huge Sidney Lowe fan. As reported, John and his mom are very close and he cares very deeply for her like most any son of a single mother. She also happens to be sick and in and out of the hospital as of late. His mom has publicly said she would like John to attend NC State, but will stay out of his recruiting process. Now say all you want but if John is talking to anyone, or asking advice from anyone about this process it's the people closest to him. Those people would be him mom, his coach, and the Cliftons. Now, the Cliftons are all taken care of down in Baylor, and John just admitted in the N&O article that Baylor probably hired Clifton to sway him. If the plan was for John to head to Baylor with Clifton, it would be kept as quiet as possible for fear of the NCAA sanctions or investigations. What John just did by admitting that, was to basically eliminate the threat of him bailing for Baylor because it is against NCAA rules to hire somebody to sway a recruit.
Do you need more reasons why State will land John? How about playing time. He's got one year in college and he wants the rock...at NC State he will get it, just ask JJ Hickson. Now many of you believe Memphis is Wall's final destination, and you know what, he probably fits the traditional Memphis mold perfectly, but there will be questions about Tyreke Evans returning as their PG next season. Prior to this season Evans was almost a lock to be NBA bound after the season, but early struggles and glaring holes in his game have made scouts ask questions. Bobby Knight and Jay Bilas were already talking about how much better Evans will be with another year in college. This would create a playing time issue as Memphis has already inked 5-Star Xavier Henry who happens to be the #1 shooting guard in the nation and 4-Star Nolan Dennis who is the 11th best shooting guard in the nation. Add in Wall and you'd have 4 guards for 2 spots, and this is not wishful thinking, check the draft boards. Tyreke Evans is no where to be found on many of them, and while he is playing better as of late, it surely is no where near a lock he will leave.
We also have something to share that we've been holding on to for a while since we do not like to post any information we don't know is 100% fact. But since information on Wall is pouring out everywhere we thought we'd add to it. We spoke with a reliable source who happens to be affiliated with the Garner basketball program who has spoken to Wall in the past month about his recruitment process. While John did not spill the beans, he told us he really believes John isn't 100% sure, but that John did say "I don't know, it might be too hard to go anywhere far away from home." The source mentioned State and Duke, as we all already know. But the fact that location is weighing on Wall's decision is something that we like to hear. I also asked about the pressure John would face if he did choose the Wolfpack. With a smirk on his face the source told us "Pressure is not something John worries about."
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12 Responses to "JOHN WALL: The Case for NC State"Just how important the recruitment of this young man is and the magnitude of landing the program changer profile he presents is lost on so many folks.
You here the complaints that we've been down this road before- Stackhouse, Mouton, Randolph, Wright ect. That couldn't be more off target of this one.
Ever heard "I don't want to see another one and done because it won't build a program". You think K is rethinking this approach right now- his view on this is obviously flawed since he has managed to bring a perrenial ACC champion and final four regular down the ladder because he thinks these players can't be useful to a program. Maybe when he coached the Olympic team and saw a majority of players who played minimal if not zero college ball that it dawned on him that if you can dominate then winning happens.
My fav is the hate towards the "entourage". Look, young men- basket players or not- have friends, family, and mentors that stand by them and it's speaks volumes about people who broadly claim that all of this people have got their hands out and are shady. These a just people afterall and JW is excercising his own free will to hang out and associate with whomever he chooses.
Thankfully Sid gets it and is showing JW love while respecting where is in his life and how he's gotten there. It's been a long process of recruiting him but one of Coach Lowe's strong points is faith that the hard work and optimism will be the bring the parts and pieces together necessary to build an elite program.
Though I respect the opinions in this article, I think you're really reaching when it comes to naming your "sources with knowledge of the situation" or what have you.
i thought it was a pretty good article myself. also i thought the writer made some good arguments on why jw might choose to stay in raleigh and play for sid.regardless,with or without jw,sid has put together a strong class of recruits for the 09/10 season
Thanks for all the comments guys. For the comments I had to erase due to extreme negativity (most likely was a Memphis fan), I will respond to your points.
A) I did not say Tyreke Evans is not leaving for the NBA. I just said he's not on many *UPDATED* draft boards. He is a SG learing to play the point. He showed flaws in his game at the college level at SG and has played much better at the point. Does this mean he is a NBA ready PG. Nope, and if you were realistic and have watched him I think you'll agree. He is listed in a little less than 1/2 of all mock NBA drafts.
B) I stand by my source. John didn't tell him where he was going...he just said it would be hard to go too far away from home (doesn't mean he will, doesn't mean he won't)
C)Wall will make a decision most likely in April. At that point will Tyreke Evans have said for sure if he's going pro? Will it be a lock? Is that a risk Wall wants to take. The way he's playing now Evans could be anywhere from mid first round to mid second round depending on how finishes out the year. That means a lot of workouts for teams to convince them you're worth a first round pick. Which means Evans may or may not know what he wants to do until early June.
D)I should just igone this point you made but, if Memphis had 5 great guards, they would not play 5 guards. If they had 4 great guards they would not play all 4. If they did this they be dominated in the paint and on the boards. If Memphis has a 4 man log jam at the guard spot he most likely will choose to go somewhere else.
This is a discussion. I welcome your take on things. I also appreciate it if you would not censor your readers.
A) Tyreke Evans is still developing. However, by the time the draft rolls around, I am willing to bet your blog on the fact that his name will be in the draft. This draft is a weak draft. He would be crazy to wait around for better players to come in to challenge for the guaranteed first round money that he could get. I am not sure why this is even a sticking point.
B) Your source was told "It would be tough to go away from home"? How is this news?
C) John Wall is waiting for Tyreke Evans to decide on his future at Memphis. John Calipari will make sure that decision is made in plenty of time for John Wall to get where he needs to be. More importantly, WWW will make sure that John Wall is not left waiting.
D) College ball is about putting your best players on the floor. Most programs don't worry about filling slots, they just worry about winning games. 4 guards for 2 spots is a poor attempt at an argument. If Tyreke Evans leaves, then the only marquee guard that will be around will be Xavier Henry. Plenty of room for John Wall.
2 follow up points -
1) Let's face it, you're doing your best to convince people that John Wall shouldn't go to Memphis because you honestly think he will.
2) If you are "publishing" your thoughts and calling them "100% fact", then you should stand by them. Sometimes people will disagree. If you can't handle that, then you should stick with the NCState sports bar scene so that no one disagrees with you.
Thanks for your post, but we would rather not argue or try to convince you of anything.
You are speculating on quite a bit as are we (as far as Memphis goes). We know it will come down to Memphis and State and the article simply made the case for NC State.
If you want a Memphis spun article you won't get one here. Check every other news outlet in the world.
nc state doesn't have a chance at John Wall simply because he is a winner.JJ Hickson is an average ball player at best in the pros.He is way overmatched and he can't I repeat can't create his own shot.J Wall like any other recruit wants to win on a national stage and winning a national champion ship at the college level would only elevate his chances of becoming one the greatest players in cbb history.N.C.State is a very good program;but they are no where near a national championship tier program.North Carolina,Duke,Uconn,and Memphis are a few of the teams that can actually win this thing next year so no hard feelings N.C.State Memphis' LOI for J Wall is already in his hands as I write this article at 9:08 A.M.March the first.It is the only letter of intent he is interested in right now
Personally, I think the best "fit" for Wall would be Duke. Not only would he be fighting for playing time at Memphis, he would also be in shadow of Derrick Rose. At Duke, Coach K would give him the keys to have a Carmelo Anthony type of effect for Devils. All of Coach K's "one-and-done" players (Maggette, Deng) have helped lead their team to the final four so what better stage would that be for Wall. A starting lineup of Wall/EWilliams/Henderson/Singler/Plumlee would be one of Coach K's best starting lineups ever.
Memphis fan here posting for the 1st time, just wanted tp rpovide this:
http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/02/09/john-wall-has-options/
from link:
It doesn’t sound like Wall’s high school coach, Levi Beckwith, is a big fan of Wall going to Duke, either.
“I’m going to say, ‘Look, this is what John’s going to do. Now, what are you going to do when he does that?’ ” Beckwith said of a potential conversation with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. “When you’re playing Carolina and things aren’t going well, when you take him out of the game and he mumbles, ‘I shoulda gone to Carolina,’ which to you is disrespectful and it’s not the right thing to say … how long are you going to sit him out? If he’s going to be done for the year, then don’t take him.”
The Word of God coach has this to say to Wall: “If you’re really serious about going to Duke, all this flashy stuff, stop it. And let’s see how you like it.”
BEckwith said he likes Memphis, Baylor and N.C. State, but Brian Clifton doesn’t sound like a big N.C. State fan.
“At N.C. State, I think they’ve got to get a little bit better. I don’t see any way around that,” he said. “The personnel they have now, I can’t see them [running] baseline to baseline. They just can’t do it with the guys that they have.
Wall said he wants a coach who will push him and team where he will fit in.
“If you go to a school where you don’t get along with the coaches, y’all are having a lot of arguments, you’re not going to play, you might take more years than you expect to go to the next level,” he said. “I need a coach to push me to make sure I get to the next level as soon as possible.”
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