As speculated at the beginning of the recruiting period, head coach Kevin Keatts turned his attention to high-ranking North Carolina prospects Shakeel Moore and Josh Hall after netting three other impressive recruits earlier in the week. Here’s a breakdown of these two future Wolfpack stars, and how they each fit into the long-term vision.
Shakeel Moore
The first of two recruits from Moravian Prep, Moore joins a team that could potentially be loaded in the backcourt next season with fellow recruit Cam Hayes set to join, as well as other guards such as junior Braxton Beverly, junior Thomas Allen, who will make his long-awaited Pack debut next season, and freshman Chase Graham. There are also other players capable of playing guard such as freshman Dereon Seabron, redshirt sophomore A.J. Taylor and redshirt junior Devon Daniels.
Moore’s true position is at point guard, standing at 6-foot-1, so he may not see much playing time his freshman season with Hayes and Beverly set to alternate at the position. Despite this, Moore will enter Keatts’ system and will likely see playing time in the future as a defensive floor general.
Josh Hall
As one of the last huge recruits to sign to a program in the early signing period, Hall announced his decision to sign on with the Wolfpack on Monday night, via his Twitter account. Hall, a four-star recruit that was rated the second-best small forward in North Carolina, as well as the 10th best small forward in the country, joins a loaded recruiting class that includes aforementioned teammate Moore, as well as four-star point guard Cam Hayes and three-star frontcourt players Nick Farrar and Ebenezer Dowuona.
A highly-touted prospect, Hall had offers on the table from Alabama, Florida State, Louisville, LSU, Texas and others before visiting and then committing to the Wolfpack. Hall has high scoring ability, with the capability to knock it down from outside as well as finish around the basket. Though his defense is a work in progress, the idea is that the Wolfpack can surround him with talented defenders, like his Moravian Prep teammate Moore, and other talented Pack defenders like redshirt freshman Manny Bates, redshirt junior DJ Funderburk and Seabron.
Though the roster is far from final, and transfers have not come and gone from the program yet, here is a potential look at what the depth chart could be:
Point guards: Hayes, Beverly, Moore, Graham
Shooting guards: Daniels, Allen, Taylor
Small forward: Hall, Seabron, [freshman] Max Farthing
Power forward: [sophomore] Jericole Hellems, Farrar
Center: Bates, Funderburk, Dowuona
It’s safe to say the future of Wolfpack is in good hands with Keatts, whose class currently ranks as the fifth-best in the nation, according to 247Sports, behind only Tennessee, UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke and Kentucky. This is a safe bet to change as some higher tier talents still have yet to decide or sign on to schools, but the fact that NC State ranks above the likes of both 2019 national championship runner-up Texas Tech and national champion Virginia, as well as Kansas, Louisville and others, is wildly impressive.
With the Pack set to lose senior point guard Markell Johnson, redshirt senior guard C.J. Bryce, and graduate forwards Danny Dixon and Pat Andree to graduation, the new recruits, as well as returning players, will set the trend for NC State basketball for years to come.
