Two years ago, NC State basketball coach Kevin Keatts and his staff decided to make a splash with a trio of young in-state guards: Cam Hayes, Breon Pass and Terquavion Smith. At the time, all three were just beginning their sophomore years in high school.
Keatts and company took the trio to a home football game against Virginia and used the opportunity to offer each of the three a scholarship to NC State.
“I think all of those guys, when they left, were surprised they had an offer,” Keatts said. “The staff and I talked about it, that when these guys came to campus, we could sit them down and have a chance to offer them a scholarship.
“And I think that went a long way not only with the kids, but their families.”
On Wednesday, Pass and Smith officially signed with NC State, joining Hayes who had reclassified into the 2020 class and inked with the Wolfpack last year..
The group are part of Keatts' plan to get involved with players earlier and also re-emphasize recruiting in the state of North Carolina.
“I think it's becoming more popular for guys to come to NC State,” Keatts noted. “When I first came here, I had a theory that in-state guys, if they didn't get an offer at one point from North Carolina or Duke, they would look at it as a disappointment. And they would go outside of the state and sign with another Power Five team.
"That's a little different now.”
Pass, a three-star from Reidsville (N.C.) High, and Smith, a four-star from Farmville (N.C.) Central High, joined four-star forward Ernest Ross from Santa Fe High in Alachua, Fla., to make up NC State’s three-player recruiting class.
“The great thing about the guys that we've recruited lately is they all are gym rats,” Keatts said.
Here are the coach's comments on each player.
“Breon is the steal of our state. The reason a lot of people don't know about him is because he's been a two-sport guy [football and basketball] for all his life. He's decided, 'I'm going to concentrate on basketball,' and I think you're going to see a really good basketball player because he'll have a chance to spend all of his time on it now and work on his skills.
“He's also a combo guard who can really shoot the basketball. He's tough with that football background and has a little swagger about him. We are very excited for him to join our program.
“He and his mom are golden — it meant so much for this young man to come to NC State. When I first offered him as a young kid, I sat down with him and his family and his dad, who has since passed away. … A lot of times people forgot we offered him a scholarship because we offered it so many years ago.
“He's an unbelievable story. The kid's going to be really good. He's a winner.”
“Give credit to my staff — they did a tremendous job going into the state of Florida and getting a really good combo forward that can play. He's versatile, long, athletic, can defend multiple positions, and can step out and shoot it.
"By most publications, he's a top-60 prospect in the country. We're excited about him. I think he's going to be really good.”
“He's been committed for it seems like five years now. In today's climate, for a young man to give you a commitment as a sophomore, and then two or three years later, still sign a scholarship, says a lot about him and his family and how loyal he is to NC State.
"He is a bucket-getter. The kid can just score the basketball. He loves to play and is going to be a tremendous player for us.
"With his size, he'll be able to play some combo guard for us. I think he's got a chance to be one of those freshmen that could come in and play right away. We are really excited about him. He's super athletic and a major competitor.”
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