NC State had four players test the waters for the upcoming NBA Draft, and at least three could remain in the draft.
ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman has reported that freshman post player Ted Kapita is “likely” to sign with an NBA agent. Kapita averaged 4.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game. The 6-foot-8, 219-pounder from Kinshasa, Congo, shot 60.8 percent from the field and 82.1 percent from the free-throw line and seemed a natural fit for new head coach Kevin Keatts and his fullcourt style of play.
Kapita went through a difficult time to get on the court in college basketball. He arrived to the U.S. in 2012 to attend Melbourne (Fla.) Florida Air Academy, and established himself as a Rivals.com four-star prospect. His recruitment took off and he transferred to powerhouse Huntington (W.Va.) Prep, but suffered a season-ending injury.
Kapita ended up signing with Arkansas as a member of the class of 2015, but failed to qualify academically. He was rumored to be pondering professional opportunities, but elected to attend a post-graduate year at Daytona Beach (Fla.) DME Academy under famed coach Chris Chaney.
Kapita raised his test score and verbally committed to SMU, but then that plan fell apart, and NC State quickly swooped in and signed him. Former assistant coach Butch Pierre had a long-time connection to Coach Chaney.
The athletic big man wasn’t immediately cleared to play for NC State, but finally became eligible just prior to the season opener against Georgia Southern on Nov. 11, which he sat out. He was impressive in his season debut with 17 points and eight rebounds in a 86-61 win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Nov. 13, but then hit another snag. His wasn’t allowed to travel outside the U.S. to the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam Tournament, and missed three more games.
Former NC State head coach Mark Gottfried eventually phased Kapita out of the rotation and he didn’t play in back-to-back games against Pittsburgh and Wake Forest in January, but then responded with his best performance of the season in the 84-82 win at Duke on Jan. 23. He was the first sub off the bench and had 14 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out in 19 minutes played.
The Wolfpack also had freshman point guard Dennis Smith, sophomore small forward Maverick Rowan and freshman center Omer Yurtseven enter their names for the NBA Draft. Smith has yet to sign with an agent, but is slotted for the 6-through-9 range in mock drafts. Rowan is likely to remain in the draft and would play overseas if he doesn’t go in the two-round draft.
Yurtseven had success at the recent NBA Draft combine in Chicago, but is leaving open the option of returning to college. The 6-foot-10 center from Turkey is working out for the New York Knicks today.
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