Take A Look At The 2013-14 Freshman Class for Wolfpack Basketball

While the potential losses of players from the NC State program due to graduation, turning pro or even transferring will be heavy, the roster for next year will definitely see an infusion of talent into the program that will pave the way for a solid squad that will be the core of a potential ACC championship-level squad over the next few years.   The ’13-’14 class players are incredibly talented, have a high level of basketball IQ and are going to make the Wolfpack faithful quite happy while they are here in Raleigh.   They are

Cat Barber

The nationally third-ranked point guard in the class of 2013, according to CBS Sports, Cat Barber has the tools to be a starter in Raleigh from day one over Tyler Lewis, who proved himself to be an effective player at the ACC level in the second half of last season.  He has excellent speed — and a lightning fast first step — and has the moved to beat defenders off of the dribble into the lane.  There, Barber is a solid finisher with a high scoring percentage.  He’s also got good accuracy from beyond the three point line, making him a double-threat who will serve to loosen up packed in defenses that want to stop the Wolfpack bigs from scoring.  Barber is also in superb condition now — he won’t come into the program as a young stick-figure type still growing into his body.

One of Barber’s skills — jumping into passing lanes and going the other way on the fast break — will be something that can change games in a hurry and will be a skill that will suit the uptempo style of ball that has become the standard since Mark Gottfried came to Raleigh.

Here’s a couple quick looks at Barber:

BeeJay Anya

Hailing from Germantown, Maryland, BeeJay Anya follows a long line of Wolfpack players to come from top-notch DeMatha Catholic High School: former Wolfpack greats Kenny Carr, Sidney Lowe and Derek Whittenberg are former Stags, as are other great players such as Keith Bogans, Adrian Dantley, Joseph Forte and Danny Ferry.  He could well be the replacement for the graduating Richard Howell, a player who’s post presence was quite often the savior of many a Wolfpack offensive possession the past couple of seasons.  The 6’9″ Anya is a muscular 265 pounds, and will be a load for defenders to keep away from the rim.

He’s been described as an “old school center” – the kind of player who makes the paint his own and one who is not afraid to use his bulk to earn himself room to operate.  He’s also been described as having “freakishly long arms” – he has a 7’9″ wingspan but still needs to work a bit on his offense.  The upside on Anya is incredible, and depending on how quickly the young man grows his game at the college level, the Wolfpack could have Richard Howell’s replacement in uniform at the start of the season.

Kyle Washington

Kyle Washington, a four-star recruit, may have a lot to talk about with “Washington is an extra long and athletic lefty power forward that is oozing with potential,” according to ESPN.com’s scouting report. “He runs the floor effortlessly. Can finish drop off passes created by dribble penetration on the break and in the half court with length not strength.” Washington chose N.C. State over Louisville, Ohio State, Washington, Marquette and several other Division I schools.

Brewster Academy’s head coach, Jason Smith, told [bleacherreport.com’s Jon Hancock] of Washington, “Kyle is an excellent forward who can be successful at any program in the nation. He’s a tremendous young man who would be a great asset to any college community and program.”

Washington is also a good defensive rebounder, blocks shots, hustles constantly and often scores easy baskets as a result of his hard play.  From the looks of the tape I have seen, Washington has a sweet hook shot and in some ways recalls Thurl Bailey with stronger defense at this point in his career.  Those comparisons can be dangerous, however, as Bailey was a bona fide ACC stalwart who then had a 11-year stint in the NBA, followed by four in Europe before finally finishing out his pro days back in the Association for one last year.  Washington has yet to accomplish any of that, of course, but at first look, he definitely stirs memories of Bailey…and if he turns out to anything like Bailey was in a Wolfpack uniform, State fans will be happy indeed with this young man’s play.

Obviously, Gottfried does have some holes to fill, however, as the misses on Julius Randle and other players, plus players like Lorenzo Brown and CJ Leslie turning pro could leave the Pack in a pinch for bodies to put on the floor.  Some of that will come from Ralston Turner, the LSU transfer that becomes eligible next year, and still other help could come from SG Desmond Lee, a highly sought SG from the Juco ranks who’s visiting Raleigh this week.  CJ Leslie — whose draft stock took a dip in 2012/13 — could return and give the Wolfpack some scoring power.  If Leslie does return, and if his defense and mid-range jumper were to improve over the offseason, then State could be a young but quite dangerous squad in the 2013/14 season.

 

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103 Responses to Take A Look At The 2013-14 Freshman Class for Wolfpack Basketball

  1. newt 03/28/2013 at 9:21 AM #

    Glad somebody is finally taking the conversation this direction. This year’s team was not a once in a decade opportunity. Great programs simply reload. We have equal or better talent in our sophomore class and coming in next year. Wood, Brown, Howell – love those guys but not All Americans in High School. There’s a reason Yow emphasizes recruiting.

  2. WolfTrack 03/28/2013 at 9:55 AM #

    Our guard rotation has phenomenal potential. Tyler-Cat-Rodney-Turner. A little bit of everything.

  3. Pack Mentality 03/28/2013 at 9:57 AM #

    This is a great post. It is very nice to see one that isn’t based on doom and gloom. I am very optomistic about next year’s squad, and am not going to concern myself over who we are losing. Our future is looking up. I agree with Newt that a tie for 4th place and losing first round of the NCAA tourney is not a once in a decade team, and there is no reason that this squad will not be able to get better results.

  4. jbpackfan 03/28/2013 at 10:26 AM #

    State could have a pretty exciting perimeter based lineup.
    Potential starting lineup of Lewis, Barber, Purvis, Warren & Anya
    Turner, Lee & Washington off the bench. I’d love to see one more big… Josh Davis anyone… to complete the rotation. That’s pretty solid.

  5. rtpack24 03/28/2013 at 10:45 AM #

    Several posters on mentioning one player that will not be at State next year. I think most can guess who that might be.

  6. Alpha Wolf 03/28/2013 at 10:57 AM #

    I don’t think Purvis returns and I think his attitude may have been part of the problem.

  7. EdMar 03/28/2013 at 11:04 AM #

    jbpackfan. Could the other big be the player from Fayetteville? Have we offered Sidy Djitte or just looking ?

  8. jbwbubba 03/28/2013 at 11:20 AM #

    I look at Kyle Washington, and I see a lot of Devin Thomas from Wake this past year.

  9. BJD95 03/28/2013 at 11:24 AM #

    I think it’s fair to look ahead as follows:

    Gone – Zo, Calvin, RP
    95% Back – Buckets

    Add Desmond Lee to that mix, and we can still dance. As the caliber of this year’s bubble showed…that’s not really that difficult.

    Still, even with Lee, we only have seven guys. Again. I hope to hear more names from the JuCo and/or graduate transfer ranks. I really want 8 guys minimum, at least a “in case of emergency, break glass” guy who’s a better option than Vany.

    Never a dull moment. Though truth be told, I am glad for a clean slate and fresh start. MG needs to make sure everyone buys in this time. Lessons learned.

    My happiness for the clean slate does not mean that there are no expectations for success in 2013-14. And 2014-15 will be a crucial year for the program. No ifs, ands, or buts.

  10. Pack Mentality 03/28/2013 at 11:33 AM #

    Alpha and BJD….

    What about Purvis? I hadn’t really heard anything substantial about a problem with him. What was the attitude problem?

  11. Wulfpack 03/28/2013 at 11:34 AM #

    Hearing Purvis to UConn.

  12. jbpackfan 03/28/2013 at 11:50 AM #

    Ed: Forgot about Djitte- could be. I’d be very surprised if we didn’t add at least 1 more frontcourt player this spring. Coaching staff is smart and knows what is needed. We’ll get someone.

    RE: Purvis. Interesting rumors, not sure how going to UConn really helps him. Sit out a year to play in a horrific conference. Unless he has a personal issue with Gott, don’t understand the reasoning. He got plenty of PT, and sat when he wasn’t performing.

  13. BamaPack 03/28/2013 at 11:57 AM #

    Purvis is gone. Hopefully he’ll be the only current freshman to leave.

    Some guys don’t like being thrown under the bus while uperclassmen get to shit on the coaching staff and get away with it. So I can’t blame him there. Was his game comparable to his ego? Probably not. Will we miss him dearly? Is there a doubt.

  14. gopack10 03/28/2013 at 12:01 PM #

    Can someone please provide a link to a legitimate Purvis rumor outside of some fan board on another site? I haven’t seen or heard anything about him transferring. Hard to imagine that his relationship with Gott and the returning players has soured that much.

    As I said on another thread, some of you need to calm down with this gloom and doom stuff and stop giving fire to these transfer rumors.

  15. BamaPack 03/28/2013 at 12:04 PM #

    Purvis will not be here next year.

  16. packalum44 03/28/2013 at 12:13 PM #

    All the transfers up to this point are disturbing. Now we are losing Purvis?

    WHY??? punk kids.

  17. vtpackfan 03/28/2013 at 12:20 PM #

    What a tremendous opportunity for this three bonafide freshman and Ralston Turner to have.

    The basement of the freshman production potential is very comforting. One guy from DeMatha, one from Brewster and the other from Tidewater and has some very Allen Iverson type game in him.

    From Brewster site it looks like we already have a preferred walk on set in Charlottes Patrick Wallace. 6′ 1″ from Myers Park. Good shooter and more impressive a dribble and finish (score of dish) then what normally appears on our bench of walk ons.

  18. ncsu1987 03/28/2013 at 12:24 PM #

    First time I’ve heard the Purvis rumors, but I’m not particularly plugged in. Given his alleged friendship with Randle, might explain some things.

  19. BJD95 03/28/2013 at 12:24 PM #

    I wouldn’t say it like I did if I wasn’t 99%+ sure it was happening. Not based off “fan site” rumors.

    If you aren’t happy with us saying it, and/or don’t trust our sourcing, you are more than welcome to not believe it, or just look elsewhere.

  20. vtpackfan 03/28/2013 at 12:32 PM #

    I wouldn’t mind if we took a long look at near 7′ size big men from Europe. Australia and Belguim are usually not consider our last two attempts at overseas players holding much validity in the good vs bad argument.

    For instance: you insert Alex Len in Gottfrieds UCLA offense, and more often than not he would provide opponents serious problems. He would just disappear in what ever you call that Twerps offense (find Dez and pray for no TO’s). Turd John just would pour gasoline on Lens doghouse because he wouldn’t play his kill and take no prisoners Defense.

  21. Texpack 03/28/2013 at 12:41 PM #

    Sorry to hear about Purvis. After all the work State did to get him eligible its especially disappointing. If Purvis is going to have an NBA career, he will have to move to the point. His size and his outside shot aren’t sufficient to be an NBA SG. With our roster next year, he won’t get time at the point at NC State.

  22. OutWestWolf 03/28/2013 at 12:46 PM #

    Fleeing after one (actually more like .5) prickly year in college? Everybody has to make their decisions, but I would recommend to resist falling victim to the impetuousness of youth. Storrs, CT no thank you.

  23. ringo 03/28/2013 at 12:47 PM #

    Purvis is not an NBA PG, sorry. He can’t pass. Harrow has a better shot than him.

  24. MP 03/28/2013 at 12:53 PM #

    “I wouldn’t say it like I did if I wasn’t 99%+ sure…”

    What a refreshing concept!
    (That is, compared to some other recent commentary / topics.)

    I am far from close enough to have heard this on my own. Therefore I’m surprised by this about RP. Didn’t expect it since recent talk/speculation about the freshmen had centered around TJW (draft) and TL (xf).

  25. RedandWhite97 03/28/2013 at 1:03 PM #

    Having no inside ‘sources’ and just based on observations from the season, I’m surprised by the RP stuff. He always seemed engaged and looked poised to be a future leader of the bball program…..especially with the enthusiasm he showed during the games. Bummed to hear this and certainly not doubting what’s being said here is true. Just saying, strictly from the outside, he didn’t seem to have any attitude problems.

    He seems to be be a good kid. I wish him luck if he decides to leave (which seems he will).

    Edit – BTW, SFN thanks for what you do. You are my inside info. :]

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