What's The Latest With Tashawn Mabry?

Tashawn Maby is a very talented 6'6 wing player in the class of 2010 who is athletic, relentless, and is starting to show a bit of a shooting stroke these days. It was reported that NC State had offered Tashawn a while back. So many are still wondering, does that offer still stand today? With the addition of Scott Wood and Josh Davis, we don't believe the offer is committable at the moment, as the coaching staff desperately wants to add a big with the final scholarship in 2010. However, you can believe that the staff will be keeping one eye on Mabry as he leads Rocky Mount High School in his Senior season. It's something to at least keep an eye on as the Pack tries to fill their final scholarship for a class that is already being talked about nationally. Here is a short highlight reel, recently done by our friends over at One Entertainment. Check it out.

TOC: Friday Night Update

Game 1: MBA Elite vs. Carolina Cobras
Although Mychal Parker played at the same time (8pm) we just could not pass up the chance to see CJ Leslie (a top 10 player in 2010) vs. Laquinton Ross (#1 player in 2011). MBA features Ross (2011), Rodney Hood (2011), Demarco Cox (2010) and Deville Smith (2011). All of whom apparently have been offered by the Pack. They took on CJ Leslie and Tayshawn Mabry (2010). This game was full are stars and they did not dissapoint.

Now, we've seen a lot of CJ Leslie over the past year but tonight he was in rare form. He was extremely aggressive, vocal and as always, athletic beyond belief. The kid is scary good. He does things that kids at this level just should not be able to do, hitting 3's, beating guards off the dribble, and blocking shots he has not business coming close to. However, as good as Leslie was, Tayshawn Mabry was better. Many believed that the signing of Josh Davis meant Mabry was on the outs. Folks, it's hard to believe that could be the case with the way he performed tonight. He is athletic, strong, smart and relentless. He has a nose for the ball and is quicker than anyone else on the floor, off the bounce. Oh and lets not forget the lefty jumper that was falling all night. We couldn't stop talking about how impressive this kid was tonight.
On the MBA side it was Demarco Cox who was a very pleasant surprise. Standing at 6'8 and 288lbs, Cox is a monster on the football field, but his love lies on the hardwood. This kid is as impressive a true big as I've seen lately as far as pure size, use of his body and touch around the hoop go. I doubt there is anyone in the nation that could move this kid out of the way. He's a solid as a rock 288 and knows how to score the basketball and clog the lane.

Laquinton Ross is a monster. We know. He recently dropped 50 in an AAU game so we know what he's capable of. However, tonight he wasn't himself. We weren't sure if it was the presence of CJ Leslie or the fact that he just stepped off a bus from Mississippi, but Ross just couldn't get it going. He played softer than we've seen in the past, but still put up pretty good numbers. When the Cobras went to a zone Ross got complacent and was settling for 3's that just weren't falling. Remember though, Laquinton is only a rising Junior and surely has "star" written all over him.

We've seen Rodney Hood (2011) twice and both times we felt as if he was way too passive. Tonight was not different as he passed up shot after shot. He is definitely not a selfish player and loves to get his teammates involved, but he's a shooting guard or Small Forward so he'll be looked to for scoring, something he's just not comfortable doing right now, even though he has a silky jumper. He is a good prospect but until he shows us something else, we feel like he has a lot to work on.

Deville Smith is a newer name on the scene but one you should know. He is a 2011 PG with uber-quickness and lots of athleticism. He plays the game smart and is a vicious defender, staying in the passing lane and absolutely hounding the opposing guards.

We left with about 1 minute to go so we could go catch Ryan Harrow over at Duke, but when we left the Cobras had a commanding lead. Here is how the stats broke down:

COBRAS
Tayshawn Mabry 27 pts 4 rebs 1 assist 4 blks 1 steal
CJ Leslie 18 pts 4 rebs 1 assist 6 blks 2 steals

MBA
Rodney Hood 5 pts 3rebs 2 assists
Demarco Cox 15 pts 8 rebs 2 blks
Laquinton Ross 18 pts 3 rebs 2 assists
Deville Smith 11 pts 2 rebs 3 assists

Video on the way!!

DeMarcus Cousins vs. Southlake...and Glaxo Highlights

DeMarcus Cousins is #15 in the green with the white headband.



Someone put together a good highlight reel of the GSK.

Word of God vs. Rocky Mount: John Wall is #11, C.J. Leslie is #5, and Bishop Daniels is #10 in the white and purple. Tashawn Mabry is #43 in the black.

Panther Creek vs. Enloe: Earnest Ross (Auburn Commit) is #33 in the light blue.

Middle Creek vs. Southern Lee: Garrius Adams (Miami Commit) is #24 in the black and red.

NC State Commits/Prospects in the Glaxo

Enloe will be taking on Panther Creek today at 5:40pm at the 37th Annual GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational. Melvin Tabb (#15 PF in the 2010 class), a 4-Star prospect of the Pack will be going up against Earnest Ross, who is a 4-Star SF headed to Auburn next year. Melvin Tabb does not hold an offer from the Pack at present, but the Pack has been tracking him for some time now. Melvin is a 6'8" athletic big man who weighs in at 210.

Word of God will get their chance to return to form in front of what would seem to be their home court tonight as they face Rocky Mount tonight at 9pm. Pack Commit C.J. Leslie and Pack Prospect John Wall will be taking on Rocky Mount's Tashawn Mabry. Mabry is a 3-Star SF in the 2010 class. He did at one time have an offer on the table from the Pack but it is unknown what the status of that offer is at this point. Regardless, Mabry has been putting up gaudy numbers this year.

After winning the Prep All-Stars Holiday Invitational down in Charlotte earlier this week, Centennial will be back in action on Saturday against Father Carr out of Canada at 4pm. Pack Commit Lorenzo Brown is coming off a tournament in which he won the MOP and he is thrilled to come play up in front of the crazy State fans in Raleigh.

The Glaxo tournament will be held at Broughton High School this year. If you need directions to Broughton, here is your guide. Tickets are $10 for an all day pass (an all day pass can get you 6-7 games) and $6 for children under the age of 10.

Stay tuned for results and more information.

Offers on the Table

A question that gets asked all the time is: "What recruits actually hold offers from NC State?"


This is a very valid question and here is how the answer breaks down:

2009: In 2009 we already have commitments from Lorenzo Brown (GA), Richard Howell (GA), and Scott Wood (IN). We have also made offers to John Wall (PG), Derrick Favors (C), and DeMarcus Cousins (PF). All three of these players who still hold offers from the pack are consensus 5-star players that are in the Top-10 on everyone's list. In fact many lists contain all three of them in the Top-5.

2010: In 2010 we already have commitments from C.J. Leslie (SF, PF) and Ryan Harrow (PG). We also have an offer on the table for Reco McCarter (SF) who is a 3-star recruit out of North Carolina. Tashawn Mabry (SF) is a mystery, because he did hold an offer from the Pack at one point, but now the status of that offer is unknown. Tashawn is a 3-star recruit out of North Carolina.

2011: In 2011 we do not have any commitments at this point, but we have made an offer and are making a strong push for LaQuinton Ross (MS). LaQuinton is argued to be the best player in the 2011 class. We also have an offer on the table for Rodney Hood (SG) who is a 4-star recruit out of Mississippi and Word of God's Bishop Daniels (who also holds an offer from Memphis).