In his weekly mailbag, Rivals.com basketball recruiting analyst Corey Evans was asked by a Wolfpack fan what were NC State's odds of landing Jalen Cone, a guard from Walkertown (N.C.) High who could be an option in either the 2019 or 2020 class, and Josh Hall, a class of 2020 forward from Durham, N.C. who is playing his basketball for Moravian Prep in Hickory, N.C.
Both Cone and Hall's stocks have been rising with colleges in recent weeks. Cone's potential to reclassify into the 2019 class led to an offer from NC State in April. The 5-foot-9, 150-pounder is currently rated the No. 59 player in the 2020 class by Rivals.com. He averaged averaged 25.7 points, 6.6 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game this season.
Hall, 6-foot-9, 190 pounds, is rated No. 139 in the 2020 class by Rivals.com but is likely in line for a rankings bump if he continues his strong play in the spring and summer.
NC State will land one of the two. Jalen Cone just completed his official visit to Virginia Tech, but the junior has quickly become a priority for the Wolfpack in the wake of the news that he could reclassify into the 2019 class. Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Wake Forest are the stiffest competition for him, but with NC State potentially losingJalen Lecque to the NBA and its close proximity to Cone, chances continue to improve by the week.
Josh Hall is a super-talented forward who has begun his national emergence. Florida, Kansas and Texas have offered in the past two weeks. Hall likes the idea of playing close to home, which is another strong selling point for NC State, but, of the two, Cone is the likeliest to play for the program and he could be playing for the Wolfpack as soon as next season.
——
• Talk about it inside The State of Basketball
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker
• Like us on Facebook
