NC State Newsstand: Brandon Huntley-Hatfield drops top 4, includes Wolfpack
NC State might be in the Final Four, but it is not waiting until the end of the season to recruit in the transfer portal. The Wolfpack hosted Louisville transfer forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield on a visit immediately after it returned from the Elite Eight in Dallas.
During Huntley-Hatfield’s visit to Raleigh, he posted a top four in his recruitment and listed NC State alongside Pittsburgh, UConn and a return to Louisville on Monday night.
The Clarksville, Tenn., began his career at Tennessee during the 2021-22 season before he transferred to Louisville after his freshman year.
Huntley-Hatfield had his most productive season this past year with the Cardinals, however. He averaged 12.9 points and 8.4 rebounds in 30.8 minutes on the floor across 32 starts with Louisville.
The forward played well against NC State in the two meetings he saw the Wolfpack this season. He logged 13 points and 10 rebounds on Jan. 13, an 89-83 win for the Wolfpack in the Derby City. Huntley-Hatfield followed that up with 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the first round of the ACC Tournament, a 94-85 win for NC State, in Washington, D.C.
Huntley-Hatfield has not set a commitment date yet, but he has a visit to Pittsburgh set for later this month.
NC State has two open scholarships for next season at the moment. It is set to lose guards Casey Morsell and DJ Horne, as well as forward DJ Burns, to expiring eligibility. The Pack signed incoming freshmen Paul McNeil and Trey Parker, taking two of those spots, but sophomore guard LJ Thomas entered the transfer portal in March, opening up another slot on the roster.
Tweets of the day
The Wolfpack hasn’t trailed much during its run to the Final Four.
NC State and UConn both have their men’s and women’s teams in the Final Four.
Wolfpack guard Aziaha James has been the breakout star of the women’s tournament.
Quote of the day
James has been the star of the NCAA Tournament for NC State women’s basketball. Graduate center River Baldwin has raved about the junior guard.
“I’ve seen a lot of growth in Zaza since even the beginning of the year,” Baldwin said after the Wolfpack’s win over the Longhorns. “She has really stepped up as a leader, and we feed off of her energy. Just the growth in taking smart shots and being a reliable defender has been great to see throughout the season. And as y’all saw this weekend, she is that girl.”
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