Coach Wade: “We’re going to have a damn good roster”

Coach Wade talking to the fans

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Key Dates:

• May 11-18 – NBA Combine
• May 28 – NCAA Last day to withdraw from the NBA draft and retain eligibility
• June 23 – First Day of Classes Summer Session 2

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Coach Wade made the rounds of local sports talk this week, including Inside Pack Sports, Pack Pride and 99.9 The Fan. Each did a terrific job with their interviews and if you missed them, I recommend you watching, or reading, each below. Not much new information was shared, but you have to love the confidence he brings and the first class attitude toward building the NC State basketball program. The Wolfpack is in good hands. Basketball season cannot get here fast enough!

Inside Pack Sports Article

Highlights:

• He pointed at May 28 in a couple of interviews as when we expect to have a complete, or near complete, roster. That aligns with the ongoing PJ Haggerty conversation. (To retain eligibility, the NCAA requires players withdraw from the NBA draft no later than that date.)
• He talked about Andrew Slater and how he’s got contingency plans upon contingency plans. It sounds like if our first option doesn’t work out, he has alternates in mind.
• When asked about completing the roster, he included the option of looking at a player to reclass into this year’s freshman class. He only intends to add two, or possibly three, more scholarship players.
• He mentioned that Paul Mbiya is still playing and his team could play in the post season.
• NOTE: Paul Mbiya – The final game of his team’s regular season was Saturday – In 31 minutes he scored 23 pts (9-10 / 0-0 / 5-10), and grabbed 20 rebounds (7/13)
• About signing 5-star Matthew Able. “I think Able sent a subliminal message as much as anything. It was don’t send us your trash. We’re not dumpster diving at NC State. We’re going to pick off the top shelf.”
• “We’re going to show our team Jimmy V’s 30-for-30 ESPN documentary. (“Survive and Advance”) We’ve got to get these guys a quick crash course on who we are. This is what we’re about. And we’re going to go out and play that way. That’s really, really important.”
• “We need a proven scorer,” he stated. “We have a lot of guys we know are going to make jumps and get better, but, look, you shoot 62, 65 balls a game. We don’t have all 62, 65 shots a game accounted for right now, so we need somebody who can take some shots and it’s a proven scorer. We’ll get one.”
• “[The fans are] going to see a team that plays extremely hard. Playing hard is a talent. Getting a guy that sometimes it’s ‘oh, that guy just plays hard. That’s why he’s productive.’ But that’s a talent, too. That’s as talented as being skilled or being able to do this or being able to do that. You’re going to see a team that plays hard, a team that cares, a team that’s connected. We want a team that’s really, really connected in all facets.”
• “We’re going to fill this thing out nicely. By May 28th, we’re going to have a damn good roster. We’ll fill this thing out nicely with another couple of pieces.”

“We firmly expect to be a top four team in the ACC. We firmly expect to make the NCAA Tournament. We firmly expect to have a team that’s good enough to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. That expectation hasn’t changed and will never change.”

Recruiting News:

• NC State has been in contact with Rodney Johnson, Jr. who’s transferring from Tennessee Tech. He’s a 6’5” 220 forward. He is a senior, but played his first two seasons at JUCO schools, so should qualify for the JUCO exception for another season of eligibility. At Tennessee Tech he started 20 of 25 games, and averaged 13 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.6 apg. He shot 51% FG%, 40.2% 3PT (33-82) and 60% FT.

• It’s also been reported the Wolfpack has extended an offer to 2025 Finnish guard Jayme Kontuniemi. It appears he made an official visit last week. He’s 6’3” and averaged 3.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, and 1.0 assists for Drive Academy.
• (I think he’s #11 early in the video and #1 later)