In an early morning development, 2010 recruit Luke Cothron, has named NC State as his leader. After a great visit to campus on Saturday in which Luke got to see the Pack football team in action and talk with Coach Lowe, he decided that NC State was the frontrunner in his recruitment. "I have a new leader, NC State." Luke told us this morning. Cothron, who was almost all ready to pack up and head to Connecticut for his Senior season, had a change of heart and decided to stay in North Carolina to finish off his high school career.Although not a commitment, the fact that he has named NC State as his leader is surely significant. The elite big man is a prized recruit who is being courted heavily by some major programs including Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Tennessee and many more. When asked why he decided to name NC State his leader this early in the process he said:
"First off, I have a bond with the head coach (Coach Lowe) and that's going good, and as a freshman I want to play a lot of minutes. Coach Lowe said it was all there."
If Sidney Lowe can reel in Cothron, who is ranked 33 overall by Rivals, it would give him a recruiting class that would be easily ranking in the top 10 nationally. We'll keep you updated as more develops with Luke.
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53 Responses to "NC State Leads for Cothron"Nice scoop WPH.
Luke, we'd love to have you running with the Pack! Many fans are truly excited about the prospect of having you be part of a milestone recruiting class.
Sweet, Sweet, Sweet.
He want find any more love and support than he will find here - on or off the court.
Plus he will have all the supporting cast on the court and if you're a PF, "you can't go wrong with Sidney Lowe"; just ask JJ Hickson and Desmond Eastmond.
We may still be a year away, but we certainly seem headed in the right direction.
That is some great news to wake up to in the morning. Glad to hear his trip went well. We need to get him a visit for the UNC football game so he can see what the fans are really like, in a big game.
great news!!!! No doubt his relationship with harrow is an added bonus. Lets only hope this lights a fire under CJ and he recommits back giving the staff the best headace ever, trying to find a 'ship for another top 20 player!!!!
I've said it before but with already having a top 5 class, adding either one IMHO gives us top class in the nation!!! anyone know if states ever had the #1 class???
Either way, COMON LUKE SIGN!!!!!!
Our position lead for Luke is really a product of Coach Lowes continued growth as a Program leader. He is changing the stature and course this program and is heading it forward and I for one love seeing the steps it has been taking lately.
Lowe patiently worked with the players left over from the last coach and kept them in the Wolfpack family as long as they were able/willing. Meanwhile he has taken risks for some high profile targets and along the way all while being respectful for the process. I'm sure he has learned a lesson or two involving the nature of these blue chip recruiting wars.
Most importantly he has built a pattern of establishing relationships with individuals early on. CJ is the most high profile name that is cited as the example of this. Last year it was JW. Folks that would like to go down the path of cynicism say these efforts are fruitless wastes of time since we will never get a commitment from these players once the college elite programs become involved.
Luke Cothrons recruitment has shown that Lowe does have a system in place to compete with the ESPN and Nike hyped programs.
A class of Zo, Ryan and Luke combined with this years 6-7 most mentally tough tell and athletically gifted performers would be a hand full for any team in the land in any arena IMO.
AHHH. I needed to hear some good basketball news! Come on down Luke, we're some of the best fans in the world and would love to have a guy like you repping the red and the white. Come be a part of history!!
Great scoop WPH! I dont know where you guys came from, or how you did it, but you've turned into the source for Wolfpack recruiting news (although still 2nd to Gravis, but now by far)
Where can i get my Luke Cothron jersey???
Hendu is says he spoke with him last night and he has no leader.
^ Well he texted us this morning. "I have a new leader, NC State." So, I guess things have changed.
LUKKKKKEEEEE!!!!! yes! great news. I still think we'll go for leslie but this is good news.
this is great news... of course no one but WPH is reporting this... other sites barely even mention us... keep up the good work... i potentially see hype surrounding the basketball program next year just like the football program this year
How do we know this is true? other sites are reporting differently.
^Anon,
have some guts an post your name or shut up. We all suspect your favorite color is blue.
^ he made the decision to name a leader this morning. Again, folks, this is not a commitment, this is naming a leader. Two entirely different things.
packpride just posted a premium article basically denying your claim.
Henderson has been out of the loop every step of Cothron's recruitment because he doesn't like the kid much. There's one site that has had the pulse of Cothron's situation for the last year, and everyone knows which one.
Young Luke, don't let those forces from the dark side, or rather, ^the group of negative nancys like the anon above^, bother you in any way. You saw what NC State is all about at C-F. There are still some fans who just can't seem to find anything positive about any news, or ANY ASPECT of the BB program. Don't let those whiners like him bother you, he doesn't know it, but his crowd is shrinking with every day that passes.
Great News. What a great pickup Luke would be if we could get him to sign with State. And what a class we would have if we could land Cothron, Brown, and Harrow all in the same year--all 4-5 star players. Make it happen, Sid.
Its an interview from last night. Look I'm as skeptical on recruiting sources as they come, but WPH has been pretty spot on with this type of stuff except for once or twice. Not sure if anyone remembers but they were the ones that said Harrow was staying at Walton two months before anyone else. All the while scout and rivals were basically saying ryan was coming to WOG. They were the first ones to say that the Pack was recruiting Quincy Miller when PP was saying it was false. Was Miller not at NC State a few weeks later visiting with the staff.
You can believe that these big time sites don't like being scooped by an upstart independent website, but facts are facts. How is Cothron going to give an interview midday on a Tuesday? He's in school. This whole thing is so humorous to me. Why would the guys here put out an article thats a bold face lie when they havent done anything of the sort in over a year of their existence.
Give me a break. Keep doing what you're doing WPH, you are putting out a great product and anything worth while is going to ruffle some feathers at first.
Staying anonymous allows a person to say one thing one day, and then go in the totally opposite direction the next. It's good for people who don't have the b*lls to admit when they're wrong.
WPH why not force users to register in order to post. It's free still, people will do it. Also a good way to track the traffic of the website for ad space purposes.
Anyway keep up the good work. Cothron we need you big guy! Run with the pack!
Last I heard Kansas isn't actively recruiting him anymore, and hasn't for a while. Word is that Cothron wasn't ever that interested so Self went ahead and cut his loses.
Great scoop WPH! I spoke to Luke at the football game and I came away very impressed.
This is awesome. Come join us at state luke!
"No favorites and no timetable," he stated when asked about his recruitment. "I'm considering everybod....."
That is what was stated on Packpride today.
Nice! Hope Luke runs with the pack would love to see him in the red and white!
I wish the people that choose to believe PackPride/Rivals over WPH, CHOOSE to come over here and spew venom to act like WPH guys are lying.
Exciting news. Honestly, Luke, just say yes to NC State. This is turning into the place where all the cool kids go to school.
^^^^
We understand that he said that last night. Our articles, and his quotes are from this morning.
It's the internet guys, believe it, don't believe it...whatever. No one's got a gun to your head.
Tank04
My opinion is that Luke and other recruits know that WPH is only read by NCSU fans. When Packpride or TheWolfpacker calls them up they know that the story is going to be flashed on the front page of the Scout/Rivals websites.
For that reason I feel like they are willing to divulge more to WPH than they are to the mainstream subscription sites.
Just my opinion tho...
WPH,
I am sorry you have to respond to the same comments over and over. I, along with most of the people on this board, do not agree with the wet-blankets. While irritating, know that you are feeling the need to respond to the anonymous minority rather than the majority of the fans who visit this site.
I appreciate the work that you put into this site to give us scoop like this. Keep up the good work.
How do you say Luke's last name?
Co-thron or Coth-ron?
Thanks for the good news.
exactly! wph is free so obviously these kids are reading it, there friends are reading it and they get to see the fans talk about them and hype them up. There is never any bashing going on here, so it's like a safe haven and an accessible place for them to put out their news.
Its a brilliant idea of a website and IMO its about time somebody came along to at least push scout and rivals to pick up their games. WPH is going to ever shut down those site...they're linked to a major business, but i'll say it over and over again, this is a good thing going on here.
-Mike
** not going to ever
-Mike
(sorry i can't eat and type at the same time)
I've heard it pronounced both ways, but I'm pretty sure you say "Coth-ron"
I don't think James is denying what WPH is saying. PackPride put up an article from their interview last night. That is all he has to go on and PackPride is not big on calling guys on a frequent basis to see if there has been any change. I can respect that. I take up for WPH on PP all the time, but I've got to take up for PP here as I don't see where James is denying anything about this article. He stated clearly that they interviewed Luke last night and that he was open and had no leader. Obviously that could have changed. Also, I don't remember James saying definitively that Ryan Harrow was going to end up at WOG. I could be wrong about that, but if I recall they took the same stance as WPH (ie - we don't think this is going to happen, but we have to at least mention it). Anyway, I love both sites. Keep up the good work guys.
P.S. - for all the guys complaining about the poor grammar and spelling over here, there was an article on PP the other day talking about how "dominate" we were against Murray State. Should have been "dominant". Even the best editors miss things sometimes.
I'm not being a wet blanket, but i think some people need to take news like this with a grain of salt. Sure, it's great news, and i'm happy to read it. but i won't put too much stock in it. It is encouraging, but it doesn't mean TOO much. I think some of the hate is directed towards people who will read this and think that he's now a sure thing. Take the good news people, but take it with a grain of salt. It's recruiting!
i see errors on packpride all the time. Who cares about the grammar we care about content!!
JerseyWolf
Great news...I hope Luke decides to sign on the dotted line in November.
Go Pack!
Anon, It has nothing to do with the recruits really. They're kids, and they are making a huge decision, so some of them are going to screw up on ocassion. I'm pretty certain that anyone that knows recruiting and who is halfway level headed, knows that these sorts of things can change in the blink of an eye. It's the folks that feel they A-L-W-A-Y-S have point a worst case scenario every time that anything positive is even spoken about the NC State BB program, those are the people that I get upset about.
It's like every time you hear someone says something like, "John Doe says he likes NC State and the Coaches as well", you can then rest assured that some douchebag is going to jump right up and respond with a "Nah uh, does not! We don't have a chance with him. Two years ago he said he liked so and so better."
I agree that much is up in the air about recruiting. Not new! But thinking of a class of Zo, Ryan, Cothron and CJ is pretty exciting. Regardless, being an optimistic sort, I expect more this year than most and believe we have a good young nucleus with Mays and Williams along with the five coming in this year. With just Zo and Ryan we could be pretty awesome next year. Guards make the difference and adding a talented wing and/or big next year is gravy.
I can just hear the RBC Center Ringing with the crowed yelling LUUUUUUUUUUUUKE!!!!!
CJ LESLIE AND LUKE COTHRON, TWO GREAT WOLFPACKERS
no more simonn posts, please?
let's not bring bs-drama from other sites into here.
I have a hard time believing this. Sorry WPH, but kids seem to answer to you differently than these other sites that have been around longer. I think they tell you what you want to hear b/c they know how much you love State. I hope you guys just caught Luke when he was changing his mind, but why would he say "no leader, no timetable" one night and then say he's got a leader to you?
^ Because he is a teenager. I probably changed my mind a dozen times about where I was going to college when I was in high school.
Why all these posts?
Cothron tells WPH that he feels best about State at the moment.
WPH reports it.
And this is controversial? Did I miss something?
Dof87...
No Controversy, Nothing missed...
Just the normal haters amongst the blog world...
You mean its possible one internet site has better connections than and older established site?? Impossible...? I think not
Through hard work and perseverance the fellas at WPH's have kept reporting all things they see as relevant about things surrounding the Mens BBall program. IMO they have to date tried to keep as little between You the reader and It the subject matter at hand (be it recruit, current event, ect.) Obviously monetary amounts come first to mind for many but I also think they themselves bring skills and enthusiasm to the table each time w/o distorting the lens for which each individual views each particular time.
In short, they shouldn't have to tell you "take this with with a grain of salt" and they don't need to tell people how to put things in perspective; they just do what they do so well which is reporting some thing that is tied into the NC State Program - past, present or future (when it's more in an editorial fashion it is clearly evident that it's on purpose).
That wraps up my fiery injection - What I'm really truly excited about is the potential future line up that could take form if DeShawn Painter makes significant strides at the Wing - which was reported at this site as something the team is experimenting with.
1st thing is that Painter and Wood would give an opposing Coach a headache on the Wing with the variety of weapons they compliment each other with.
2nd item would be that it will be as clear as day to a recruit that there are minutes available right away at the ACC level in a great College BBall environment (pro-stadium confines to boot). Smith, Howell and JV will all be experienced contributors by then but the presence of an athletic big who can play high above the rim will have a great shot to go at it early on. It's no ground breaking theory that blue chip prospects want to play right away and are serious that they factor this heavily when signing day gets nearer and nearer.
Luke told WPH this because they are not scout or rivals and he knows that when he goes blabbing to scout or rivals other schools will start hearing that and stop recruiting him as hard and pressure him.. he can be honest with wph because the readership is State Fans. End of Discussion
The facts that Harrow's BIL is coaching at WOG, Leslie joined Ryan in his visits to NCSU, and Luke was present with both of them at the Football game on Saturday IS news. It's the kind of tidbits that you don't read about a lot, especially without paying ridiculous fees to be 'in the know.'
We always joked about my Dad, who has been on these pay sites for years, predicting this and that, based on what "Wolfdong63" said on a blog! Rarely was the heavily guarded info reliable, and rarely did it come to fruition.
WPH's is feeding the hungry Wolfpack fan their RDA of these tidbits. I take recruiting news as 'fluid' until someone's name is on a dotted line. We all should. WPH's does.
But, a boy can dream. He can dream of a line-up that throws a wrinkle into the plans of every other college program in the country! As a Pack fan, you have the dream in your back pocket. The improbable has happened here. The Cinderella Slipper actually fit, one season long ago. There was a player that came through, that is widely considered the best College Basketball player of all time. He wore the Red and White. We ended a dynasty, by defeating UCLA in '74. We started major College Basketball in the South. These are things that we know to be true.
That is what keeps NC State fans optimistic. Some say that we live in the past. BUNK! Most schools envy our heritage. Most schools would love to have two NCAA Championship Banners hanging in the rafters. And, I for one, am looking forward to the day that the past catches up to the future. I am looking forward to a class coming in and rejuvenating a dormant giant! Ryan, Lorenzo, Luke, and CJ represent that dream. It may not happen. But it could. That's the news. Relationships are being formed that make this a possibility. Don't be afraid to get excited! Don't be afraid.
Go State!
Sorry, only Luke and CJ at the f-ball game, not Harrow. Amend.
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