The world was much different in 2001, with no social media, YouTube and less boys basketball events for the players to get to know each other.

The recruiting media is much different now, which combined with Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, allows players to cross state lines and get to know each other.

Guard Julius Hodge of Bronx (N.Y.) St. Raymond’s, power forward Levi Watkins of Rockville (Md.) Montrose Christian, power forward Josh Powell of Riverdale (Ga.) High, center Jordan Collins of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic and forward Ilian Evtimov of Kernersville (N.C.) Bishop McGuinness Catholic all signed with NC State in the class of 2001.

Watkins and Collins played traveling team ball, but it took a couple of weeks before Watkins heard Collins had committed to the Wolfpack, while reading the newspaper.

The Wolfpack Central takes a look at what the relationships were like among the recruits before they reached NC State and how they are 20 years later in this oral history.

Forty years of NC State basketball recruiting: 1980-85 | 1986-90 | 1991-95 | 1996-00 | 2001-2005 | 2006-2010 | 2011-2015 | 2016-2020

Oral history on NC State's class of 2001: Part I | Part II | Part III

Powell: “No, I didn’t. I knew about Julius, but not much. I started to learn about Levi, Jordan and Ilian after the fact. My step-dad was talking more so about them and was paying attention to that. I was more focused on myself because I had a unique situation. My last year and a half of high school, I was pretty much homeless. I was bouncing around, staying at people’s houses and sleeping on the floor, or sleeping in cars from time-to-time. For me, it was just like to get out of Georgia and get my own life started.”

Collins: “I knew Levi from high school. We were roommates my freshman year [with D.C. Blue Devils traveling team]. We had a little rivalry in high school, trying to be better than each other. I had no idea who Josh was and I had no idea who Ilian was. I knew that year, we had a game scheduled against Julius with DeMatha Catholic vs. [Bronx] St. Raymond’s. I knew he was a good player but I didn’t know what type of guy he was. He was a very good player. I did the [adidas] ABCD Camp one time but I didn’t even play AAU going into my senior year [on the Nike side]. I just played with my own high school team.

“I knew we were going to be good because everybody’s ranking was in the top 100 or whatever. I was just happy that I was going in with a group of freshman. You don’t want to be the only freshman going into a University and a big-time program. Having five plus Devonte Edwards gave us six at the time. Everybody started at ground level, so it was good.

“We were always together. All five of us, so if you saw one of us, you’d see five of us, especially with us being roommates with each other. Julius was the only one by himself [for roommates].”

Watkins: “Jordan and I were also AAU teammates with D.C. Blue Devils, so he and I were very familiar with each other. Josh, I actually met during USA trials in Colorado Springs. It was like the top 40 players regardless of class, and divided by the East, South, Midwest and West. Josh was there for the Southern team with 10 guys. I was on the East Coast team, so we ended up talking a lot. I didn’t see him in AAU. We never played the Georgia Stars even though we were on the Nike circuit. We just never ended up being in their pool. I knew Josh from that [USA hoops], and we kind of hit it off. J.J. Redick was on my team and we had a pretty good team.

“Julius, I had heard of him. He wasn’t a young phenom. He went from nobody knowing who he was to top five in one summer. I knew he went to [adidas] ABCD and was really good.

“I always knew Jordan. As a ninth grader, he was top 10 in the country himself and went to DeMatha, where he started as a freshman, which didn’t happen at a place like DeMatha. He played with some great players in Joe Forte and Keith Bogans.

“Ilian, I didn’t know anything about him at all. He signed in the spring and didn’t know anything about him. Coach Harris talked to me about him and said he could shoot and could be another guy who could help us. I knew who his brother was [Vassil Evtimov]. That was our relationships prior to getting to NC State.

“I didn’t even have their phone numbers. They had told me they were in good shape with Hodge. We didn’t call each other. Jordan committed to NC State two weeks after me I think, and he didn’t even tell me. I learned it like everybody else did. We were kind of rivals because we both wanted to be the best player in Maryland but were teammates. Everyone tried to compare us.

“I knew Josh was first [to commit] and he was a really good player. Then I followed, and then Jordan and Julius was the icing on the cake for fall recruiting.

“It’s just much different now because of social media and the access of players talking to other players all the time [in recruiting]. There are way more people around studying the different programs. Even back when I was in school, players didn’t have cell phones. I had a one day a week with my high school coach at lunch time. I’d go and talk to 4-5 ACC schools and that was it. I didn’t want to talk to anyone else. There are a lot more camps where players meet each other. A lot of players are helping recruit too.”

Hodge: “With Ilian, we may have played on the circuit once. There was one team I remember playing, and those dudes might have been running the Princeton [offense]. They always gave us problems with the New York Ravens. There was a bunch of guys, 2-3 guys, who ended up playing for Columbia, who was on that team. Ilian may have played.

“I knew Josh was a pretty good player. Levi was really good, a beast. Those guys were Nike, so I didn’t see them a lot. Back then as it is now, Nike and adidas only see each other if they play each other in high school. I did play Jordan’s team in high school, St. Raymond’s vs. DeMatha Catholic. They beat us in a tournament where him and [future Maryland post player] Travis Garrison were just huge, and I was the tallest guy on my team. I think that tournament was in Myrtle Beach [S.C.], and we played against [future NBA center] Kwame Brown’s team and beat up on them. I saw [future NBA point guard] Raymond Felton for the first time and was like, ‘Holy smokes. He was this little 5-11 point guard that was dunking, hitting threes and was super fast. He was such a good player.

“At the time, it [other members of the class] didn’t sway my decision either way. It was intriguing to see that we might have a really good class and it isn’t just going to be me. That was my mindset and I still have that mindset.”

Evtimov: “I didn’t know them or their reputations. To be honest, I was on a mission and I just knew there was some good players. I didn’t know who was who but I knew some were ranked like top 10 or top 20 or top 50. I didn’t really care. I was there and I was there for blood. I was there to take my spot.

“I really didn’t care because I had left my whole family behind at the age of 15 [to come to the U.S.]. Some of the guys didn’t know what I had to go through to be where I was.

“I never questioned or ever looked at who was on the other teams were. I just scouted them. I never scouted them as ‘Oh my gosh, this is going to be a top lottery pick.’ I just went about the game, did my thing and went home and kept moving.”

Collins: “We have all gone our separate ways, but we were close those first couple of years. All of us have family now. I speak to Ilian once or twice a month, and to Levi probably every so often. Julius is more frequently, but he’s on social media. I pretty much speak all of them a little bit, and it’s easier to talk to each other. I don’t speak with Josh as much as I should, but I’ll get in contact with him.

“I’ve been coaching basketball in Vietnam over the last two years. In 2019, we’ve gone to the finals and in 2020, we lost in the semifinals. I’ve been coaching in China. Once Covid hit, I didn’t go back. I’ve played 11 years overseas and I’m better overseas than in America, as far as getting a job in coaching and skill development with guys over there. I’ve just recently moved to Nashville and lived in Raleigh before last year.

Watkins: “We are pretty close and we’ve all been successful. I am the only one that didn’t really play professionally. I got lucky where one of the assistant coaches, Larry Hunter, went on to Western Carolina, so Coach Sendek bumped everybody up and I came right on in on the staff. Everybody else played a long time.

“We still talk a lot. I probably talk to Julius every day and we have a couple of group chats. Josh and Jordan, I’ll talk to here and there. Ilian, every summer we’ll connect and I’ll see him in Raleigh sometimes. We are still pretty close.

“As you get older and have kids, but Julius and I are college coaches, so I’ll see him on the road. He’ll bounce questions off me about this and I’ll bounce questions of him about that. We are still good.

“We really take pride in our class. We’ll joke with the other guys like Marcus and Scooter and say, ‘We saved you guys. You guys were headed toward the dumpster.’ We came here and turned it around with the older guys that were there at the time.”

Hodge: “We are on the chat and we still talk, all of us. I still talk to Shoush [Evtimov] probably once a month or so. Jordan, the same. Levi, Scoot and I are still on a chat and still busting each others balls every day. Those dudes are family, like my brothers. Levi can come up to see my house and my fan in Arkansas. Coach [Larry] Harris, I still talk to him. [His son] Simon Harris, is like my little brother. Even some players that transferred, I still talk to them and are really close — Mike Bell. These guys are truly family. There are a lot of schools in the Triangle who say they have the biggest family or biggest brotherhood, or what have you. Maybe they do have their own thing, but we have it. We don’t have to publicize it. When you love your brother, you don’t need to publicize it to the freaking world. You just love them and love up on them. That is just our style. I loved my time at NC State.”

Evtimov: “I’ve spoken to Levi a bunch of times because I was thinking of getting into coaching three or four years ago. We’d speak very often at that moment. I’ve seen Jordan Collins a few times because I’d go [to Raleigh] in the summers. We’d often run into each other, speak and hang out sometimes.

“Julius, I’ve probably spoken the most with him over the years. He played in France and we played against each other and have stayed in touch. Julius and I have had the closest relationship from the rest of the guys on the team over the years than anybody else. It was just fun playing with him.

“The Princeton offense, I kind of made the decisions of how the play would go. Of course, we’d read the defense, but I had options. I’d just find Julius on the radar, see where he was and just make it so he’d end up with a backdoor shot or the backdoor layup or something, so he ends up creating in the end.

“I would just look at him, and imagine me being at one elbow from the opposite corner, just straight in the eyes to let him know it is coming. Next thing you know, Julius has a layup from a backdoor pass on a two-point layup. We had that chemistry and we lived together. There was ups and downs, we’d like it or didn’t like it. On the court, we loved playing with each other. I knew I’d get some open threes and he knew he’d get some open layups.

“I retired two years ago, and my wife and I are involved in the travel business. I’ve invested in a lot of real estate properties in the U.S., in Winston-Salem and Europe. Right now, I’m prepared to open up a gym in North Carolina, a basketball gym probably in the Raleigh area. That has always been a dream of mine and my dream is to come back to the U.S., my wife and I. We are in Sofia, Bulgaria.”

Powell: “I don’t know about that [staying in touch], but I do hear from Levi and we stay in touch. We aren’t every day all day, but Levi and I are cool. Jordan and I had the same agent. I haven’t spoken to Ilian in how long and haven’t spoken to Julius in a while. The last time where we were [all together], we actually played a game and scrimmaged against one of the teams.

"I think Sidney Lowe was the coach when C.J. Leslie was there. We came together in a scrimmage against those guys. We kicked their [butt]. It started off as one of those close games in the first quarter, but we rallied the troops and meshed together. To me, it’s a pride thing. I know they weren’t pleased once that final buzzer went off, and we made sure to let them know.

"They had been talking a lot of [junk] prior to the game. I will tell you like that, they definitely talked a lot of trash and that is what made it a lot of fun. That was the last time I talked to everybody.

"I bumped into Jordan a few years ago as far as that recruiting class. If there is a group chat? I’m sure it is but I say that as though I have no issues with anybody or anything like that. Everybody goes down their own way and gets families and kids and stuff like that.”

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