4/26/2020 basketball Edit

NC State lands top 50 junior Ernest Ross

Jacey Zembal • TheWolfpackCentral

Writer

Ernest Ross knew the time had been right for a few weeks in wanting to attend NC State for college.

The junior post player from Alachua (Fla.) Santa Fe High was offered by NCSU on March 24, and verbally committed April 26.

Rivals.com ranks the four-star prospect No. 47 overall in the country in the class of 2021. He joins Farmville (N.C.) Central junior wing Terquavion Smith in the Wolfpack's recruiting class.

NC State landed four-star prep prospect Ernest Ross of Alachua (Fla.) Santa Fe High on Sunday night. (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

“They were just out-recruiting everyone else,” Ross said. “They were just on it and nothing else in my mind had changed. That is why I committed.”

The 6-foot-8, 191-pound Ross, who is ranked the No. 11 power forward in the country, has enjoyed getting to know NCSU head coach Kevin Keatts, though the recruiting relationship has been altered some by the coronavirus.

The 18-year-old Ross hasn’t been to Raleigh before, so he is looking forward to his first unofficial or official visit in the future.

“They still were on top of it even with the coronavirus, and that was a great thing,” Ross said. “As soon as it’s over, I’ll be looking forward to seeing North Carolina State.

“I have already had my mind made up. They have been showing the love and that’s basically it.”

Ross knows incoming NC State freshman center Ebenezer Dowuona, who plays for Newnan (Ga.) Heritage School and the Game Elite FL traveling program. Ross is also with Game Elite FL and was poised to erupt this spring until tournaments got canceled.

“I was having conversations with Ebe on why he went there, and he was saying the same thing,” Ross said. “He said they were showing a lot of love while recruiting.”

Ross picked NC State over Florida, LSU, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, South Florida, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M and Xavier. He hopes to become an inside-outside force for the Wolfpack.

“Coach Keatts and the whole coaching staff have been outstanding, with [assistant] Coach Roy [Roberson] and Coach J.J. [assistant James Johnson],” Ross said. “They were also really on it and passionate about recruiting me.”

Ross earned a spot on the Gainesville Sun all-area team, after he averaged 16.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game for Santa Fe High.