Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Bam Adebayo Meets With N.C. State Coach Mark Gottfried, No Decision Imminent
Edrice Adebayo met with N.C. State on Wednesday. (Photo by Kelly Kline/Under Armour)
Edrice “Bam” Adebayo met with N.C. State head coach Mark Gottfried and his staff on Wednesday, but no decision on a college choice is imminent, according to Karolina Diamonds coach Kevin Graves, who attended the recruiting meeting.
Gottfried made a splash by taking a helicopter to recruit both the 6-foot-10 Adebayo and point guard Dennis Smith Jr., two priority recruits for N.C. State.
“Yeah, they came in on a helicopter,” Graves said by phone Thursday. “I think they went to see Dennis Smith first in Fayetteville and they went to see Bam’s mom and they came to see Bam at High Point.
“I think Bam really likes the fact that they were the first to come out to see him during the opening period for coaches to visit.
“He likes N.C. State a lot, he likes the coaching staff. Coach [Orlando] Early was there, Coach [Rob] Moxley and Coach Gottfried.
Graves coached Adebayo for three AAU tournaments this summer when Bam wasn’t with Team Loaded North Carolina, coached by Dennis Smith Sr.
Meantime, Graves said no decision is imminent and no official visits are planned at the moment. Kentucky and other schools are also involved.
“No, man,” Graves said. “You can’t even get Bam to talk about recruiting. I’m serious. He’s just trying to be a kid right now.
“He doesn’t have any visits. The kid is just concentrating on school and getting in the gym and getting his work in.”
At the Big Strick Classic in New York August, Adebayo said he might like to visit Kentucky.
“I think I probably will,” Adebayo said then.
Kentucky coach John Calipari watched Adebayo take on Rawle Alkins at the adidas Uprising All-American Camp on Long Island in mid-July and then offered him later that month.
“I guess it means I’m a good player,” Adebayo told SNY.tv that night.
Adebayo has been linked to a potential package involving Smith Jr., who also holds a Kentucky offer but has been sidelined with an ACL injury.
“Yeah, he loves playing with Dennis,” Graves said. “They played together for so long on the circuit and they played so well together, I know if he got a chance to play with him he would love to.”
Still, Adebayo says there’s no guarantee the two will end up at the same school.
“We might,” he said in August. “It’s nothing definite.”
He added: “He’s a good guard. He passes the ball well. He shoot it, he can dribble and he takes a lot of pressure off of me.”
Still, Adebayo says he’ll make the decision that’s right for him.
“I’m going to do what’s best for me,” he said.
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
