Looking back at first prep signee of recent NC State coaches

NC State coach Justin Gainey was able to land his first prep recruit with the commitment of senior point guard Kingston Whitty.

The Rivals three-star prospect was a standout his senior year at Arden (N.C.) Christ School, which is outside of Asheville. Whitty originally signed with West Virginia, but opened his recruitment back up April 9, and Gainey made his move.

Here is a look back on the first high school commits of the last five coaches, and how the players ended up doing.

Herb Sendek, Class of 2006

• Damon Thornton (6-8, PF, Virginia Beach (Va.) Atlantic Shores Christian School) From Norfolk, Va.

The bruising, athletic Thornton proved to be an effective rebounder throughout his NCSU tenure. He averaged 7.0 rebounds per game as a freshman — he was named to the ACC All-Freshman team — and exited averaging 7.2 boards a contest as a fifth-year senior.

Thornton enjoyed his best season as a redshirt junior in 1999-00, averaging 9.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks a contest, and he shot 53.5 percent from the field. He ranked eighth in the ACC in rebounds, ninth in field-goal percentage and sixth in blocks that season.

Thornton finished his career with 771 rebounds and averaged 7.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks a contest. He shot an impressive 54.7 percent from the field.

Sidney Lowe, Class of 2006/2007:

• Bartosz Lewandowski (7-2, 245, C, Bridgton (Maine) Academy)

Lewandowski had a heart condition and was a medical redshirt at NC State.

Class of 2007:

• Johnny Thomas (6-5, 210, SF, Greensboro (N.C.) Day)

Thomas suffered a defect in his knee before arriving at NC State that affected blood flow. He had 39 points and 42 rebounds in 25 career games during his two years at NC State. Thomas transferred to Marshall and averaged 9.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game in his lone year (30 games) in Huntington, W.Va. Thomas went on to play for the Harlem Globetrotters and into coaching.

Mark Gottfried, Class of 2011:

• Thomas De Thaey (6-8, 235, PF, Canarias Basketball Academy) From Dendermonde, Belgium

Gottfried signed De Thaey shortly after getting hired, and he had 38 points 28 rebounds in 22 career games at NC State. He played overseas in his native Belgium, among other places from 2012-2025.

Kevin Keatts, Class of 2017:

• Lavar Batts Jr. (6-2, 160, PG, Concord (N.C.) Robinson)

Rivals.com ranked Batts the No. 96 overall player in the country. He had signed with VCU during the November signing period, but then coach Will Wade left for LSU. Batts quickly signed with NC State and took Thomas Allen’s slot.

Batts was known for his defensive energy as a reserve guard, but he struggled offensively. He shot just 58.9 percent from the free-throw line, 18.8 percent on threes and 32.1 percent overall en route to averaging 3.7 points and 1.5 assists per game in 30 contests.

After his lone season in Raleigh, Batts transferred to UNC Asheville and found a better footing. His first year there, he contributed 12.7 points and an impressive 1.8 steals per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the field. Batts fell off his junior year and averaged 4.9 points and 3.2 assists in 21.8 minutes per game. He announced he would play at Georgetown College in Lexington, Ky., but never did.

Will Wade, Class of 2025:

• Matt Able (6-4, 180, SG, Weston (Fla.) Sagemont Prep)

Wade quickly targeted Able, who had signed with Miami (Fla.), but then coach Jim Larranaga retired. On3.com had the Wolfpack legacy ranked No. 19 overall in the class of 2025 and a four-star prospect. 

Able averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per game his freshman year at NC State. He shot 41.6 percent from the field and 35.5 percent on three-pointers, while coming off the bench. 

Able scored in double figures in 14 games, and had a season-high 19 points, six rebounds and went 5 of 7 on three-pointers in a 82-58 win over North Carolina on Feb. 17 at the Lenovo Center.

Able entered the transfer portal and ended up picking crosstown rival UNC.