NC State landed its first recruit for the class of 2019 with the verbal commitment of five-star senior point guard Jalen Lecque of Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., on Tuesday morning.
The athletic 6-foot-4, 180-pound Lecque had officially visited NC State and Tennessee during back-to-back weekends in mid-September, and then shut down his recruitment. He had also listed Louisville, Oregon, Texas Christian, Texas Tech and UCLA.
“I’m relieved to have it done," Lecque told Eric Bossi of Rivals.com. "I’ve been working so hard that I feel it is the right time. I should be in a position to be a star, and they are going to put me in a position to do that at NC State.
“I don’t think it was any real secret that I liked NC State. I feel real comfortable with [NCSU] Coach [Kevin] Keatts, and he really made me feel wanted and needed."
Rivals.com has ranked Lecque as high as No. 9 overall in country in the class of 2019, and he’s currently at No. 28. He joins Kentucky power forward transfer Sacha Killeya-Jones as newcomers for the 2019-2020 season, and Killeya-Jones was also a former Rivals.com five-star prospect.
NCSU assistant Takayo Siddle went to Arden (N.C.) Christ School to evaluate Lecque in a workout and offered him on Sept. 14, 2017. Lecque followed up by unofficially visiting the Wolfpack nearly a year ago at Primetime With The Pack, but then waited 11 months or so to make a return trip. Lecque was impressed with how quickly Keatts rebuilt the Wolfpack, which will has one remaining scholarship for the class of 2019.
“They did a great job last year and Coach Keatts is a really good coach,” Lecque said. “He’s a winning coach, and he’s a good coach to be around. He went to all my games and followed me all around."
Lecque averaged 20.1 points, 9.3 assists and 9.1 rebounds per game last season at Christ School. He tnen switched from the Southern Stampede traveling team to playing with the New York Rens in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. Lecque then settled on Brewster Academy as a post-graduate player.
The Teaneck, N.J. native, who was born in the Bronx, N.Y., averaged 14.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in 21 EYBL contests (10-11 record). He shot 43.6 percent from the field, 65.6 percent on free throws and 15.8 percent from three-point land.
Lecque is the 11th five-star player — if he holds steady in the rankings — to pick NC State since the Rivals.com rankings began in 2002. With added improvement to his outside jumper, he could end up climbing the rankings.
“I’m making it more consistent. I showed at Peach Jam that I could shoot better, and I’m showing it even more now,” Lecque said. “I think if I keep on doing that I can be in position to reach my goal of making the NBA.”
——
• 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
