Beejay Anya, the #3 rated center in the high school class of 2013 announced on Friday night that he will play basketball at NC State. Anya stands 6 feet 9 inches tall but has a 7 feet and 9 inch wing span. He averaged 13.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.8 blocks as a junior at DeMatha High School. Anya’s commitment gives the Wolfpack a Top 5 point guard, Top 3 center and Top 15 power forward for the 2013 class!!
The Washington Post has an entry on Anya that includes a video of his announcement linked here.
Indeed, with Anya’s commitment to the Wolfpack, the ACC program has added a precious piece to its 2013 recruiting class. The highly touted All-Met chose N.C. State over the likes of Indiana and Pittsburgh by pulling an N.C. State hat out of a black bag midway through Friday’s festivities.
Anya said he made up his mind following an official visit to the Raleigh campus on the weekend of Oct. 26, citing the family atmosphere and good vibes received from Coach Mark Gottfried.
“They just treated me like family and I loved it every time I went down there,†said Anya, who ESPN ranks as the 31st best player in his class. “I told my parents after that visit that this was the place for me. Then I figured tonight, with everybody here, would be the best time to tell everybody my decision.â€
The 6-foot-9, 265-pound senior brings a post presence to the Wolfpack, which will lose its starting center to graduation after this season. Anya averaged 13.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and a school-record 6.8 blocks for the Stags last year.
“BeeJay has an opportunity to step up next year and fill a potential void in the middle for N.C. State, so I think it’s a great fit for him,†Stags Coach Mike Jones said. “I accompanied him on an unofficial visit there in August and could tell he enjoyed it.â€
BeeJay Anya, a 6-8, 275-pound center at Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha, announced for the Wolfpack and gave the program a big man to bolster the interior.
State beat out … well, no one really. Anya had narrowed his list to the Pack and Indiana, but the Hoosiers dropped out in order to focus on top-10 forward Noah Vonleh (who has since committed to IU). Thus, Anya’s decision in favor of NCSU has been a near-lock for a couple weeks, but he chose to coordinate his official proclamation with DeMatha’s season-opening festivities.
Anya’s primary attribute is, not surprisingly, his size. He’s a massive young big man whose lower body enables him to root out nearly any opponent defensively and also makes him potentially a tree when he posts up inside. His offense suffers from lack of skill, however, and fans shouldn’t expect much scoring during his first season or two in Raleigh.
The configuration and scholarship spacing for NC State’s men’s basketball program is currently comprised as follows:
Senior Class
(1) Scott Wood (Wing)
(2) Richard Howell (PF)
Junior Class
(3) CJ Leslie (PF)
(4) Lorenzo Brown (PG/SG)
(5) Jordan Vandenberg (C) (Redshirt)
Sophomore Class
(6) Thomas de Thaey (PF)
(7) Ralston Turner (Wing) – transfer from LSU sits out 2012-2103
Freshman Class
(8) Tyler Lewis (PG)
(9) Rodney Purvis (PG/SG)
(10) TJ Warren (F)
2013 Commits
(11) Anthony Barber (PG)
(12) Kyle Washington (4F/5C)
(13) BeeJay Anya – (4F/5C)
(1) Departure of Scott Wood – wing target
(2) Departure of Richard Howell – hold for Julius Randle
(3) Projected departure of CJ Leslie
2014 Commits
(4) Caleb Martin (wing)
(5) Cody Martin (wing)
