The Wolfpacker

May 2018

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

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74 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY JACEY ZEMBAL N C State signed four prep players and one junior college transfer and landed four Division I transfers to bolster the 2018‑19 roster. The group of freshmen includes centers Immanuel Bates and Ian Steere of Fayette‑ ville (N.C.) Northwood Temple, forwards Jericole Hellems of St. Louis Chaminade and Saddiq Bey of Washington (D.C.) Sidwell Friends, plus power forward Derek Funderburk of Niceville (Fla.) Northwest Florida State College. Rivals.com ranks the five‑man recruiting class No. 28 in the country. The transfers are wings C.J. Bryce (UNC Wilmington) and Devon Daniels (Utah), point guard Blake Harris (Missouri) and center Wyatt Walker (Samford). Bryce and Daniels arrived last summer, Harris came in January and Walker will join the pro‑ gram as a graduate transfer May 15. NC State rising fifth‑year senior forward Torin Dorn and junior point guard Markell Johnson are the lone remaining players head coach Kevin Keatts inherited when he was hired on March 17, 2017. Sophomore guards Braxton Beverly and Lavar Batts Jr. were the two members of Keatts' first re‑ cruiting class at NC State. "I've come to expect that with a new coach comes mass change, whether it be right away or after that first year," Rivals.com recruiting analyst Eric Bossi said. "I don't think it is anything unusual. Nine would be a little bit on the extreme side for a lot of teams, but it's not troubling. "If they feel like the pieces work to‑ gether, they should be fine. Coach Keatts did way more in his first year than most people expected from him." Small Forward Saddiq Bey Is The Highest Ranked Prospect In The Class Bey is the highest ranked of the prep signees, checking in at No. 117 overall nationally in the class of 2018 according to Rivals.com. The 6‑6, 185‑pounder aver‑ aged 21.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.0 as‑ sists per game for a 12‑12 Sidwell Friends squad. He shot 48.1 percent from the field and was 28 of 70 (40.0 percent) on three‑ pointers. Bey was named second‑team All‑District of Columbia by USA Today, and fourth‑ team All‑Met by The Washington Post. "It all starts and ends with his versatil‑ ity," Rivals.com recruiting analyst Corey Evans said. "He can do so many things on both sides of the floor. Defensively is where his calling card might be. He can defend the two, three and small‑ball four." Washington, D.C., area recruiting analyst Ron Bailey, who is part of the Rivals.com network, watched Bey play several times the last two years. "At Sidwell Friends, head coach Eric Singletary demands ball sharing and player movement, which Bey executed, while also embracing the chief scorer role," Bailey said. "Bey did a good job of exploiting matchups and sharing the ball, not an easy task." Bey missed four contests this past sea‑ son, but that allowed him to showcase other parts of his leadership skills. "Despite fighting through injuries, in‑ cluding a knee and leg ailment, Bey proved himself a team leader," Bailey said. "He helped cheer and direct his younger team‑ mates, providing them wisdom and tips." How Bey, Hellems, Bates and Steere fit in with the older players remains to be seen. Funderburk could have the most im‑ mediate impact in the class. Derek Funderburk Has Previous Power Five Conference Experience The combination of being older and hav‑ ing already been a part of a Power Five pro‑ gram has expectations high for Funderburk. The 6‑9 Funderburk was the No. 77 overall player in the country in the class of 2016 according to Rivals.com, but elected to redshirt his freshman year at Ohio State. The Buckeyes hired new head coach Chris Holtmann last June, and Funderburk was suspended and eventually departed the program. He found a new home at Northwest Florida State College, a junior college in Niceville, Fla., which is coached by former Providence assistant Steve DeMeo. NC State quickly started to recruit Fun‑ derburk, because, in part, former Wolfpack assistant coach A.W. Hamilton was Funder‑ burk's former prep coach for a year at Cha‑ tham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy. Hamilton was hired to be the head coach at Eastern Kentucky following the Wolfpack's 21‑12 campaign. Funderburk also played with Beverly at Hargrave, and is from Cleveland, where he grew up with Johnson. Having that Hargrave background should help Funderburk adjust to Keatts' philosophy on basketball. Keatts is also a former Hargrave head coach. ■ BASKETBALL RECRUITING NC State Brings In Five Signees Among Nine Newcomers Washington (D.C.) Sidwell Friends senior small forward Saddiq Bey was named second-team All-District of Columbia by USA Today. PHOTO BY RON BAILEY Power forward Derek Funderburk was named first-team All-Panhandle Conference follow- ing his sophomore season at Northwest Flor- ida State College in Niceville, Fla. PHOTO COURTESY NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE

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