It looks like recruiting in a helicopter has its rewards.
North Carolina State head coach Mark Gottfried picked up a huge commitment from five-star point guard Dennis Smith Jr. one day after making a trip to his home-town via a Wolfpack chopper, according to ESPN.
Smith, the No. 1 point guard in the 2016 class and the No. 4 player in the ESPN 100, chose NC State over Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina and Wake Forest. He is the highest-rated commitment for NC State since ESPN began ranking players in 2007.
The Greenville, North Carolina native has been a target for Gottfried and his staff for the past three years. Smith was the Gatorade Player of the Year in North Carolina last season and averaged 21.8 points per game in 2014-15 at Trinity Christian School in Fayetteville.
The 6-2, 190-pounder suffered a torn ACL in August while driving to the basket in the semifinals of the Adidas Nations event, but is expected to make a full recovery within the next 6-9 months.
“Growing up an NC State fan, I knew they would be one of my top schools,” Smith said in an ESPN interview. “Coach [Mark] Gottfried made me a priority, showing up, sitting in front to all my games in the live periods. That loyalty meant a lot to me. After giving the decision a lot of thought, we all felt State was the best situation for me.”
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
