C.J. Leslie Inks With The Pack

10-11 Basketball Basketball Recruiting14

Sorry to rain on the “Lee Fowler is gone” parade, but there was something else going on in West Raleigh today, and turns out it was a bigger deal than I thought it would be. I’m not great at estimating crowds, but there had to be 500 people at Sammy’s Tap & Grill to watch the future Wolfpacker to be sign his national letter of intent.

It was bordering on absurd, but NC State fans are excited. Leslie didn’t say much during the hour long event, but he did seem to be taking in the atmosphere around him. He took a few questions from the crowd, signed his letter (he had to ask his Dad the date, which I thought was amusing), and signed a ton of autographs.

Here’s a release from NCSU Sports Information about Leslie’s signing and thoughts from Coach Lowe.

NC State men’s basketball coach Sidney Lowe announced that 2010 McDonald’s All-American C.J. Leslie (Raleigh, N.C.) has signed with the Pack and will join guards Lorenzo Brown (Roswell, Ga.) and Ryan Harrow (Marietta, Ga.) as newcomers for the 2010-11 season. Just last week, Scout.com ranked the Pack’s incoming freshman class No. 5 nationally.

“It is certainly exciting to bring a player with the type of talent and athleticism that C.J. possess to our program,” said Lowe. “He joins a very good class with Lorenzo and Ryan, and they will certainly be crucial in helping us continue what we have been building here at NC State.”

“C.J. Leslie gives the Pack one of the top collections of talent in the country,” Scout.com recruiting analyst Dave Telep said. “Athletically, he has few peers and to stay home and play for the Wolfpack gives Sidney Lowe his biggest haul as a head coach.”

C.J. Leslie
Forward
6-8 * 185
Holly Springs, N.C. * Word of God HS
Prep: A McDonald’s All-America selection … A Parade All-America second-team selection … Played three years at Word of God High School in Raleigh … Coached by Erasto Hatchett, fellow signee Ryan Harrow’s brother-in-law … Played at Holly Springs High School as a freshman … Played in the McDonald’s All-American game and the Jordan Classic after his senior season … Went for seven points and a game-high nine rebounds in 17 minutes in the McDonald’s All-American game … Had 19 points and six rebounds in the Jordan Classic … Ranked the 11th-best overall prospect by Scout.com and the No. 4 power forward and a five-star prospect … The No. 14 player nationally and No. 4 power forward according to Rivals.com … Ranked No. 11 on the ESPNU 100 list, and the No. 5 forward.

10-11 Basketball Basketball Recruiting

14 Responses to C.J. Leslie Inks With The Pack

  1. Plz2BStateFan 05/04/2010 at 7:25 PM #

  2. old13 05/04/2010 at 7:25 PM #

    Somebody pinch me! Is this REALLY NCSU today?!

  3. PoppaJohn 05/04/2010 at 7:44 PM #

    What’s the deal with D Glenn and the supposed recruiting infraction?

  4. Pack78 05/04/2010 at 7:45 PM #

    Great day to be a Wolfpacker-it will be interesting to hear a recap in the coming days of how much influence Lisa Leslie had on CJ’s choice (I’m betting it was a lot!)-thank you Momma Leslie. If we were unx, she would already have a line on a six-figure job with ‘a representative of the University’s interests’.

  5. wayofthemaster 05/04/2010 at 8:14 PM #

    A day like today makes you glad Sid is our coach.

    And makes you glad this guy isn’t …

    http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AldL1WkWeN3vtFOadKDCOvTevbYF?slug=aw-caliparibulls050410

  6. GAWolf 05/04/2010 at 8:23 PM #

    Again, congrats to Sid and his staff for getting CJ to see what NC State has to offer. That’s a tough sell to some of these young kids, but it should only get easier from here.

    I’m proud to be a Wolfpacker today. It’s been a while since I could say that with definitive certainty.

  7. LarryWorsley 05/04/2010 at 9:55 PM #

    OK, Sid. Now that you have the pieces, let’s turn this in to a long term, highly successful program that brings the glory back to NC State! You have my total support! I have been a Wolfpacker since the early 1960’s! Give ’em hell Pack!

  8. blpack 05/04/2010 at 10:09 PM #

    Great day for the Pack. Now that we have ACC talent, it is time to win some ACC games. Let’s go State!

  9. 44rules 05/04/2010 at 11:42 PM #

    Hosannas to the highest. I’m loving it. But, as a small word of caution, who here has watched these fellas play? I’ve just watched all the videos I can on this site, and I am impressed. But one thing I don’t see from CJ that would be extremely important: post moves. He’s shown fantastic athleticism and the ability to run, gun, dunk and block, but does he have an offensive array beyond the dunks?

  10. Conrad 05/05/2010 at 8:30 AM #

    44rules, Dont you worry about CJ Leslie post game because Smith & Howell, Paint will provide most of the inside power game. But he has array of different ways to score from any where on the court.

  11. packalum44 05/05/2010 at 8:45 AM #

    ^ Agree with Conrad. Howell and Smith provide the post moves. CJ is more a Kevin Garnet type (according to Hodge) so I imagine him taking a dribble or two with a head fake and shooting a fade away if he’s ever got his back to the basket. I see more pick and rolls and 15 footers for him in a half court set. Apparently he can take his man off the dribble too and finish at the rim. Hopefully he can draw double teams and pass to Smith/Howell/Painter for a jam or kick out to Wood/Brown/Harrow/Javi for a trey. Moreover I pray pray pray that we’ll also see him score on the break with Harrow/Brown leading the charge.

    In this respect, don’t bee surprised to see Painter log significantly more minutes this season because he’s extremely athletic and could thrive on the break. Beyond that his offense was limited last year but he’s got talent, no doubt about that.

  12. wekiser 05/05/2010 at 10:59 AM #

    Very excited about this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  13. KChill 05/05/2010 at 11:21 AM #

    CJ will be our first intimidating presence on defense since Ced Simmons. Our team will lead the ACC in blocked shots next year.

  14. XtraCrispy 05/05/2010 at 12:22 PM #

    Great article with some telling quotes from Lowe based on the Guilford Co caravan stop. Lowe finally said what I’ve been screaming for years to those that DON’T understand college basketball recruiting. It takes 3-4 years to start recruiting kids now a days. He started recruiting Leslie and Lo Brown 3 years ago…he was behind the 8 ball his first 2 years recruiting. Maybe now more on this board will understand what it takes. Lowe’s about to put a hell of a team on the floor and a few of you will be eating a lot of crow….

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