Another top-100 recruit for N.C. State

N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe tapped familiar territory for his second commitment from a top-100 basketball recruit in two days.

Richard Howell, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound rising senior forward at Wheeler High in Marietta, Ga., committed to the Wolfpack on Monday. J.J. Hickson, who was N.C. State’s leading scorer and rebounder as a freshman last season before leaving for the NBA, also played at Wheeler.

“It didn’t hurt that J.J. went there (to N.C. State) and had a very successful season,” Wheeler coach Doug Lipscomb said.

Howell is rated the No. 74 player in the Class of 2009 by scout.com and has been an AAU teammate of guard Lorenzo Brown of Centennial High in Roswell, Ga., on the Worldwide Renegades. Brown, ranked 29th by scout.com, committed to N.C. State on Sunday morning.

Lipscomb said Howell is versatile enough to play small forward and power forward at N.C. State.
Ken Tysiac: ktysiac@charlotteobserver.com

Wolfpack gets big-time guard it had to have

Lorenzo Brown's high school coach, Allen Whitehart, said Brown committed to N.C. State on Sunday morning because the Wolfpack felt like "family."

If that family were putting together a photo album, Brown would belong on the cover.

It's impossible to overstate his importance to N.C. State.

Brown is a 6-foot-5 guard from Centennial High in Roswell, Ga., who's rated No. 29 among rising seniors by scout.com. He is a premier player who's decided to join a team that desperately needed one.

Coach Sidney Lowe's gem in the 2007-08 freshman class, center J.J. Hickson, left after one season to become the 19th pick of the NBA draft, joining the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Tracy Smith, Javi Gonzalez and Johnny Thomas are the holdovers from that Class of 2007 recruiting haul. The incoming freshmen are Julius Mays and C.J. Williams.

Before Brown's announcement Sunday, the lone Class of 2009 commitment was shooting guard Scott Wood of Marion, Ind.

Smith, Gonzalez, Thomas, Mays, Williams and Scott are complimentary players. They aren't good enough to put N.C. State in the upper half of the ACC on their own. Brown and Class of 2010 commitment C.J. Leslie should turn out to be elite ACC players who can carry the Wolfpack in the future.

N.C. State needs to recruit at least one of those players every two years in order to be an ACC contender.

With elite Raleigh Word of God Academy point guard John Wall hardly a sure thing for the Wolfpack, it was imperative that Lowe get a big-time guard in the Class of 2009. He got one in Brown, who averaged 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists last season as a junior.

The "family" that Brown craved will be a lot more comfortable once he arrives.

-Ken Tysiac

Point guard commits to iN.C. State

N.C. State secured one of its top Class of 2009 recruiting targets Sunday morning when guard Lorenzo Brown of Roswell, Ga., told assistant coach Larry Harris he is committing to the Wolfpack.

Brown is 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds and will be able to play both point guard and shooting guard in college, according to his coach, Allen Whitehart of Centennial High.

As a junior last season, Brown averaged 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists per game. He is rated the 29th-best prospect in his class by scout.com.

“He works at all aspects of the game,” Whitehart said. “He does a lot well, and his shooting is coming along. . . .When the ball is in his hands, nine times out of 10 good things happen.”

Brown has connections to a couple other players who are committed to N.C. State in the Class of 2010. Ryan Harrow, a point guard from Marietta (Ga.) Walton High, is one of Brown’s best friends.

Forward C.J. Leslie of Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh has been a teammate of Brown on the Worldwide Renegades AAU team.

Whitehart said Brown also seriously considered Florida, which was attractive because of its back-to-back NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007. Whitehart said Brown hopes to lead N.C. State to similar success.

Brown is N.C. State’s second Class of 2009 commitment, joining Marion (Ind.) High shooting guard Scott Wood. The commitment from Brown adds to N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe’s growing reputation as a recruiter in Georgia.

In addition to Brown and Harrow, Lowe got 2007-08 freshman J.J. Hickson of Marietta’s Wheeler High from Georgia. Hickson led the Wolfpack in scoring and rebounding last season before leaving to become the No. 19 pick of the NBA draft with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
-- Ken Tysiac

Tar Heels say team objectives come first

Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Ty Lawson all learned this summer what they need to do to get to the NBA.

They explored their NBA draft possibilities by attending pre-draft workouts in Orlando, Fla., and working out for individual teams as underclassmen. Then they returned to North Carolina, joining Tyler Hansbrough to make the Tar Heels the overwhelming favorite to win the NCAA title.

One of the few apparent obstacles for North Carolina could be what Ellington, Green and Lawson learned over the summer. If their personal goals for improvement don't match coach Roy Williams' plans for the team, there could be friction.

Ellington said that isn't going to be a problem.

"I don't think so at all," he said Monday, when selected North Carolina players met with reporters. "I don't think so one bit. We're the type of team that really only has one goal, and that's to win."

A guard who will be a junior next season, Ellington said his personal improvement objectives should make the team better. He said he learned that he needs to get stronger and improve as a defender. He said he is fine offensively, although getting stronger might help him get to the basket - and the free-throw line.

Green, who will be a senior forward, said improving his lateral quickness is one of his goals. He said he was told gaining strength, speed and another year of experience could help him become a first-round pick.

He said the team still comes first and is willing to accept a role coming off the bench again, if necessary. Green also said there are no lingering hard feelings within the team over his somewhat unexpected decision to explore the draft.

"There were some misunderstandings, some things that were put in the paper that I think the media might have blown out of proportion a little bit," Green said. "I talked to Coach about that. We all had a sit down and everything was fine."

Lawson isn't enrolled in summer school and was out of town Monday. But other players addressed the potential dangers of entering the season as such a heavy favorite.

Although the players are talking about getting to Detroit for the Final Four, Hansbrough said they learned last season how to value each step along the way. They finished atop the ACC and won the conference tournament and the East Regional before falling to Kansas in the national semifinals.

Guard Marcus Ginyard acknowledged players will feel pressure to win the NCAA title, but said North Carolina teams usually face high expectations.

"There's going to be a lot of pressure and a lot of talk about us winning the whole thing," Ellington said. "But we're just going to have to enjoy it." -- KEN TYSIAC

• NCAA title? That's the goal for Tar Heels

UNC commit Henson gets rave reviews

North Carolina commitment John Henson, a 6-foot-10 rising senior from Round Rock, Texas, continues to draw rave reviews on the summer circuit.

All-Star Sports recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons said Henson was the consensus No. 1 player at Nike’s LeBron James Skills Academy earlier this month in Akron. James’ camp featured many of the top players in the nation.

“He’s so long and angular, and he’s got good skills,” Gibbons said Friday.

Gibbons said Henson compares to Brandan Wright, who spent the 2006-07 season at North Carolina before entering the NBA draft. But whereas Wright didn’t venture much beyond the high post on offense, Gibbons said Henson is capable of playing the wing. – Ken Tysiac

Remembering Augustin, AAU version

As the Charlotte Bobcats prepare for rookie first-round pick D.J. Augustin’s scheduled summer league debut Saturday in Las Vegas, I’m reminded of the first time I saw Augustin play in person.

Augustin wasn’t the marquee guy on the New Orleans Jazz AAU team in 2004. That distinction fell to forward Tasmin Mitchell, a forward who was rated the top prospect in his class for a while by some respected recruiting analysts.

Mitchell was solid, but not spectacular. (He started the first 71 games of his career at LSU before suffering a season-ending ankle injury as a junior last November).

Augustin was electrifying as he propelled the Jazz into the finals at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions. The Jazz fell to the Spiece Indy Heat and a decent center named Greg Oden in the championship game.

Though Augustin didn’t get a championship plaque, he demonstrated an uncanny ability to get into the lane for acrobatic finishes over much taller players. He fed teammates for easy baskets and played with an energy that was infectious.

I hadn’t heard of Augustin before the tournament. By the end, he was obviously one of the tournament’s most impressive players. (He also was considered Wake Forest before choosing to play for Rick Barnes at Texas).

There is a big difference between excelling in an AAU tournament and becoming a top-rate NBA point guard. Having watched in person as gritty Raymond Felton led North Carolina to an NCAA title, I’m honestly not sure whether Augustin’s skill set and intangibles are better.

Felton is faster from baseline to baseline, but Augustin might be quicker and more slippery. Felton is physically stronger and a natural leader. Augustin probably is better at getting his teammates the ball in the right places (as Kevin Durant could attest after their freshman seasons at Texas).

But I believe Augustin has a chance to be a solid NBA point guard. Considering the other players available when the Bobcats drafted at No. 9, this probably was a wise pick.

– Ken Tysiac

Pack recruit figures to grow into role

Joe Goydish admits he is biased when he says N.C. State’s coaches made an excellent early evaluation of point guard Ryan Harrow.

A point guard who will be a high school junior next season, Harrow committed to N.C. State last week. Harrow has transferred from Concord Cannon and plans to play next season for Goydish at Walton High in Marietta, Ga.

“They got a gem before people realize he’s a gem,” Goydish said of N.C. State. “I think he could be a top-25 kid” in his class.

Goydish said Harrow has been a bit under the radar because he carries only about 150 pounds on his 5-foot-11 frame and looks like a ninth-grader because he is so thin. But Harrow wears a size 13 1/2 shoe, and Goydish anticipates he will be 6-2 or 6-3 by the time he enters college.

Harrow is an honor student and was impressed with Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe and assistant Monte Towe while attending camp in Raleigh. Goydish would have preferred for Harrow to explore all his options instead of committing so early, but said Harrow always has wanted to attend N.C. State and didn’t want to wait.

His commitment could help as the Wolfpack attempts to secure another top Georgia guard, 6-4 Lorenzo Brown of Centennial High in Roswell. Brown is rated 29th on scout.com’s list of rising seniors, and Goydish said Brown and Harrow are like brothers.

Even if Brown goes elsewhere, though, Goydish said N.C. State will be pleased with Harrow’s quickness, scoring and passing.

“His ceiling is so high,” Goydish said. “The thing about Ryan is, he just does so many things, it makes your jaw drop.” – Ken Tysiac

High expectations could be burden for Heels

ESPN analyst Digger Phelps’ words immediately came to mind earlier this week when I heard while on vacation that North Carolina underclassmen Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green were withdrawing from the NBA draft and returning to school.

On April 25, when I told Phelps that Lawson and Ellington were “testing the waters” of the NBA draft, the former Notre Dame coach replied quickly and decisively. “They’ll be back,” Phelps said.

While working out for NBA teams, Lawson, Ellington and Green all came to realize what Phelps knew from the start. The 2009 draft isn’t expected to be as strong as this year’s draft, so all three probably will benefit financially from another year of college that should help them get picked higher a year from now.

What does this all mean for the Tar Heels?

For starters, it’s a credit to the players and the program that it appears they are in good enough academic standing to have a chance to return for another year. Many times college players who have their hearts set on leaving for the NBA have difficulty making it to their spring semester classes, but that’s apparently not the case with the Tar Heel players.

On the court, it means North Carolina will be an overwhelming favorite to win the NCAA title. The Tar Heels will have an astounding eight McDonald’s All-Americans on the roster, with senior center Tyler Hansbrough almost certain to break the ACC scoring record while he pursues national player of the year honors for a second straight season.

This is a good thing, of course, for the Tar Heels and their fans.Coach Roy Williams has said often over the past few years that he prefers talented players with experience. He will have that in 2008-09.

The only problem is that the Tar Heels will face incredible pressure to win the NCAA title because the expectations will be so high. Despite two straight ACC championship seasons, a segment of fans remains frustrated with the Tar Heels’ meltdowns against Georgetown in the 2007 East Regional final and against Kansas in the 2008 national semifinals.

Nothing less than an NCAA title will satisfy some of those fans. Every slight misstep or flaw on the team next season will be analyzed to death. That will be a heavy burden for Hansbrough and his teammates during November, December, January and February as they labor knowing that what happens in March and April is the only thing that matters.

– Ken Tysiac

Coach K fantasy camp serious business

It’s not about the basketball for Mike Troy.

He is a 48-year-old investment banker from Greenwich, Conn. He realizes that five days at Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s K Academy fantasy camp won’t make him an NBA prospect or a playground legend.

“I may be small, but I’m slow,” Troy said humbly. Troy is back at the K Academy for the third time because he enjoys the camaraderie. Campers spend $10,000 to be coached by and mingle with the Duke staff and former players. Mike Gminski, Christian Laettner, Jason Williams and J.J. Redick are among the former Duke greats working at this year’s camp.

Proceeds go to the Duke Basketball Legacy Fund, so the fee is partly tax deductible. The Duke coaches and players enjoy the camp because it’s a reunion for them, but say they take the camp games seriously.

“They come here to get the experience of being coached and playing at Duke and being in the Duke program,” said Duke associate head coach Chris Collins. “We try to take it seriously and try to coach them just like we would if we were coaching our guys.”

Troy’s first adult camp experience came five years ago at Michael Jordan’s camp in Las Vegas, which Troy has attended twice. Troy said Jordan’s camp is like a trip to a fancy restaurant, while Duke’s is like a home-cooked meal.

Jordan played one on one with campers the first time Troy went but not as much the second time. “He’s cocky,” Troy said, “but deservedly so.”

Jordan’s camp has the glamour of the Las Vegas setting. Krzyzewski’s has more of a family atmosphere because the alumni of the Duke program return to their school to participate.

In both cases, the allure for campers is spending time with renowned coaches and players rather than aspiring to play like them.

“You pick up little things about the game and about strategy, but you’re not coming here to increase your knowledge of basketball by 30 percent,” Troy said. “You’re here to have fun.”

No big changes for assistants
Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski say their responsibilities haven’t changed much now that they have been promoted to associate head coach.

The former associate head coach, Johnny Dawkins, recently left to coach Stanford.

“We’ve all (already) been so fully entrenched with what’s going on with coaching,” Collins said. “We’ve had our hand in recruiting and game preparation, scouting, practice time, drills on the floor. We were very much involved in all those things, and I don’t think that will change.”

Both assistants will join Krzyzewski in China to coach the U.S. Olympic team. Collins said that in addition to being an honor, working the national team serves like a clinic for Duke’s coaches because they are exposed to new ideas.

It’s admittedly an adjustment when the coaches return to campus, though.

“You’re used to guys hitting nine out of 10 shots and guys playing at the top of the square and flying around,” Collins said. “You get back to the college level, and these guys are great, great talents. And it’s like, ‘These guys aren’t that good.’ You have to kind of put everything back in relative terms. Not everybody is LeBron James or Kobe Bryant.”

Williams a newsmaker
Center Shelden Williams, who’s with the Atlanta Hawks, has made the most news among the former Duke players recently.

Williams is engaged to one of women’s basketball’s most famous players, Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks.

“She has a national championship (at Tennessee),” Williams said, “and I don’t.”

Williams also had his vehicle carjacked at gunpoint in December. Two suspects were arrested. Despite being a victim, Williams said he isn’t walking around scared.

“I was in a grocery store parking lot next to a barber shop in broad daylight with no jewelry on. Nothing,” he said. “And they did that. So it’s something I can’t run from. It could happen to anybody.”

Early commitments a concern
The trend toward early commitments doesn’t make sense to Jason Williams. Though he was national player of the year as a junior at Duke, he said he wasn’t highly recruited until late in his high school career.

He can’t understand early commitments such as that of 6-foot-4 eighth grader Michael Avery of Lake Sherwood, Calif., to Kentucky.

“That’s the most humbling experience, for a coach to make an eighth grader appreciate what an opportunity he’s going to have at a university like this,” Williams said. “It’s not just basketball. Basketball is secondary.”

Wojciechowski also has concerns. “I’m not sure it’s really healthy,” he said. “You look at any program over the course of 12 months and 24 months, there’s amazing changes from year to year. How can you predict five and six years down the line what the program is going to look like? You can’t. So to make a decision that far out, I’m not in favor of it.”

ACC recruiting strong this year

Wednesday’s (June 4) Charlotte Observer highlights the strong basketball recruiting classes the ACC is putting together for 2008 and 2009.

Eight of the 24 McDonald’s All-Americans in 2008 are headed to ACC schools. The ACC also has four top-20 commitments for 2009, according to scout.com, while the rest of the nation has just two.

Some interesting points from respected recruiting analysts Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports and Dave Telep of scout.com did not get into the print edition.

The ACC is coming off one of its worst stretches of NCAA tournament performance ever with a 19-15 record over the last three years. Telep traces that back to recruiting.

In 2007, the ACC landed just one top-10 recruit – Duke’s Kyle Singler. In 2006, North Carolina dominated recruiting in the ACC, landing the top players at three positions (Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Brandan Wright).

Georgia Tech, with Javaris Crittenton and Thaddeus Young, also signed two elite players in 2006, but both stayed just one year.

In other words, the ACC needs to land more top talent – and looks like it will in the next two classes.

"This thing is very, very cyclical," Telep said. "The ACC has been on top of the cycle in some years. And in other years they are not. It’s just a cyclical, cyclical thing."

Telep cautions that the ACC might not experience the same, immediate surge in 2008 that the Pac-10 did after getting Kevin Love, O.J. Mayo and Jerryd Bayless in 2007. Telep said the 2008 class as a whole just isn’t as strong as others in recent years.

But there’s little doubt that the ACC is helping itself with its current recruiting.

Gibbons is especially impressed with Clemson commitment Milton Jennings in the Class of 2009. Jennings scored 47 points in one AAU game at the recent Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, and Gibbons is listing him as a small forward because at 6-foot-9 he is a gifted 3-point shooter.
"He is a bona fide candidate to be a McDonald’s All-American," Gibbons said. "He’s the best recruit that Oliver (Purnell) has brought in from a national perspective."

Clemson hasn’t had a McDonald’s All-America recruit since Sharone Wright in 1991.

Gibbons said the balance of the league depends on the ACC getting top recruits at schools besides North Carolina and Duke. To that end, Florida State (Chris Singleton), Georgia Tech (Iman Shumpert), Virginia (Sylvan Landesberg) and Wake Forest (Al-Farouq Aminu) all recruited 2008 McDonald’s All-Americans.

"It’s important," Gibbons said. "It keeps it competitive, and it keeps the North Carolinas and the Dukes from totally being dominant."
- Ken Tysiac