WOLFPACK LANDS COTHRON!!

Sidney Lowe does it again. Highly touted 2010 PF Luke Cothron informed the NC State staff that he has made his college decision and will be attending NC State in 2010. We reported last week that the 6'9 Cothron had named NC State his leader, however, it was believed that he would wait until November to make his final decision. Apparently Luke didn't need the extra month to think over his decision to commit to the Pack.

"I just was ready to commit. I have a real good bond with Coach Lowe and wanted to go ahead and do it." Cothron told us.

Although the staff was already very confident in their standing with the 4 star big man, there was still concern over the trip to Tennesee that he had scheduled for later in the month. Those concerns are long gone as Luke has already cancelled the visit after he informed Sidney Lowe of his college plans. Cothron joins Ryan Harrow (5 star PG) and Lorenzo Brown (4 star SG) in a class that may very well shape up to be the best in the ACC. So what was it about NC State that sold Luke on running with the Wolfpack?

"It was pretty much Coach Lowe. I felt comfortable and have a great bond with him. Also, the fact that they already have Ryan and Lorenzo coming in helped." he said

Say what you want about Wolfpack head coach Sidney Lowe, but he has shown the ability to land top of the line talent and beat out some pretty big name coaches and programs in the process.

The 6'9 Cothron is a player that was heavily recruited by Alabama, Arkansas, UCONN, Louisville, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Kansas, amongst many others, but felt the most comfortable in Raleigh with Coach Lowe. Luke is the type of player that should be able to step on campus and immediately help the Wolfpack frontcourt. He is tall, long and relentless on the boards. On offense, Cothron has a soft touch, an accurate short range game and is hard to stop with his back to the basket.

This is a huge pick-up for the Lowe and his Wolfpack, who needed to add a top ranked big man in order to complete a class that looks to put NC State back on the map. Harrow, Brown and now Cothron should make them a relevant contender in the ACC for years to come, and the staff may not be done just yet. We are hearing that even with the addition of big Luke, they are still actively recruiting local star CJ Leslie, who has shown an extreme increase in versatility this summer. Leslie is starting to show the ability to dominate from the wing and college coaches are starting to see the option of recruiting him as a small forward instead of a power forward. His recruitment will more than likely continue until the very end, but the talk that the Pack is still working on him is good news for State fans.

Right now however, the attention is on Cothron, and it very well should be. We cannot put into words how important it was for Lowe to land a player of his caliber before the season starts. This sures up the 2010 class and will make a lot of people realize that something special is on the horizon in Raleigh.

Luke has not yet set a signing day but was not closed to the option of signing in November. “I’m not sure. I might sign early but I haven’t made a decision on that yet” Cothron said. Regardless, Sidney Lowe has to be a happy man today knowing the kind of talent that is making it’s way to Raleigh next season.

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- Luke made this decision earlier in the week, but wanted to keep it quiet until he was ready. He gave the word this morning to make it public. We will have more on the Cothron commitment later, and will continue to follow him throughout the season with game footage, updates and interviews

- Last we heard, Luke was still planning on heading out to Wilson, NC  this weekend for the Elite 80 at Barton College. Keep checking back here if you're planning on attending as we'll let you know if anyone pulls out last minute. The event starts at 9:30am and is scheduled to have Luke, Ryan, Dez Wells and others in attendance. 

10-9-09