NC State prepares to host big time four-star guard Judah Mintz
NC State is struggling on the court this year, sporting an 11-16 overall record. At 4-12 in the ACC, the Wolfpack find themselves seeded 14th out of 15 conference teams. The court struggles have not stopped Coach Kevin Keatts and the staff from getting work done on the recruiting trail. NC State signed two 2022 three star prep recruits LJ Thomas and Shawn Phillips, and they secured a commitment from five star guard Robert Dillingham from the 2023 class. Their 2022 class is not quite finished yet. It was evident the staff wanted to leave some space open for a program changing recruit.
Judah Mintz Overview
Judah Mintz is ranked #50 overall and the #9 combo guard via the On3 consensus. The four star has a visit set for NC State this weekend. In short, he’s the real deal, and this visit is a big deal. Mintz actually ended up committing to the Pitt Panthers back in June of 2021. Since then, a lot has changed. Mintz announced he was transferring from Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC. He elected to go to Oak Hill Academy for his Senior year to play a national schedule against elite competition.
Pitt started the year with a 15-point loss to The Citadel and Mintz decommitted the following day. After talking with someone who follows Pitt closely, they felt it was only a matter of time before Mintz moved on. As of now, all signs point to four finalists: DePaul, NC State, Syracuse, and Wake Forest.
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NC State Recruit Breakdown
Judah Mintz is a pure two level scorer right now with the ability to transform into a three level scorer in college. In the breakdown above I highlighted his jump shot, and it’s coming along fairly well. His improvement in just a matter of months is a great sign for his long term development. Once Mintz is able to go through his combination dribble series and start confidently pulling up with confidence, it will take his game to another level. Not every coach will allow that type of freedom, but Coach Keatts at NC State certainly will. It’s easy to see why Keatts likes him. A talented guard who can play both guard spots with good length at 6’3” seems like a common theme for this staff.
Judah Mintz and LJ Thomas do play similar positions but their games compliment each other very well. Thomas is a bit bigger, while Mintz is more mobile. The plus side is both of them should be able to play high major defense early on due to their maturity and athletic ability. After these four official visits, I anticipate Mintz making a decision some time in late March, early April.
