Two recruits pivotal for Pack

RALEIGH -- There were 6,200 fans in Reynolds Coliseum for N.C. State's "home" opener against High Point on Saturday, including a group of victorious football players who took the floor during a first-half timeout to wild applause.

Really, though, State is playing for an audience of two this season.

John Wall and Derrick Favors are the two best high school basketball players in the country, and both are considering N.C. State. Wall, a point guard from Raleigh, is ranked No. 1 by rivals.com. Favors, a power forward from Georgia, is ranked No. 1 by scout.com.

The two attended the Wolfpack's first practice together last month, but the competition for both remains steep and nowhere near an end.

No matter what happens to the Pack on the court or in the win-loss column this season, Sidney Lowe has to present as optimistic a picture of the future as possible to the two potential recruits.

There's no room for embarrassing early season losses, like last year's upsets by East Carolina and New Orleans. So far, N.C. State has taken care of business.

The Pack opened the season last weekend with a six-point win at New Orleans and held off High Point in a 69-56 win on Saturday. The Panthers kept State's lead to single digits until the Pack went on a frenetic 14-1 run in the second half, using 10 points from Courtney Fells to extend its lead to 21.

Still, the Pack got away with plenty that won't pass unnoticed against tougher competition: The Panthers made 11 3-pointers; State forced just 12 turnovers; Brandon Costner and Ben McCauley were a combined 7-for-20 from the field, in an offense that verged on stagnant when Fells wasn't slashing to the basket.

As early as it is in the basketball season, it isn't too early to start thinking about next year. It's clear at this point that the program needs an injection of raw talent, particularly with the Pack's three most talented players in the later stages of their college careers. Fells and McCauley are seniors, Costner a redshirt junior.

Lowe needs to strengthen his hand. A pair of aces would do nicely.

The Pack already has a solid recruiting class in place for next season, with forward Richard Howell and guards Lorenzo Brown and Scott Wood all signed. That group is considered among the top 20 in the country.

Getting Wall or Favors would put State at or near the top of those rankings. Getting Wall and Favors would blow the rankings away.

An odd confluence of circumstances put the Wolfpack in the frame for both players. Wall is from Raleigh and likes the idea of playing at home. Favors is part of Lowe's Georgia pipeline that brought State J.J. Hickson last year and has delivered two of next year's commitments.

Just being in the running for not one but both of those players is good for State's basketball program. Now, Lowe needs to land one or both, even if it's just for a year or two. Favors would be a big body down low to replace McCauley; Wall is the elite point guard the Pack desperately needs.

But that's a long way away. Neither has made a decision yet and neither figures to make a decision until the spring. That gives Lowe a long time to paint as attractive a picture as possible, to display his vision of where the program is headed.

Saturday's game probably didn't mean much to either recruit, but there are bigger games down the road.

No one knows what the season will hold for the Pack (although being picked to finish ninth in the ACC isn't promising), but the sky is the limit when it comes to recruiting.

For Lowe, as long as Wall and Favors are considering the Pack, the future is now.