Less than one week after taking his first official visit to NC State, four-star point guard Cam Hayes has committed to the Wolfpack as a member of the 2020 recruiting class.
That last part is particularly important, because up until this past Sunday Hayes was previously a member of the 2021 class. Now ranked as the No. 45 player and No. 5 point guard in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Hayes is the highest-ranked point guard to commit during the Kevin Keatts era.
The Greensboro (N.C.) native is entering his second year with Greensboro Day and looking to close out his high school career with a second straight state title. But with his plans set to move up to 2020, Hayes' relationship with the current staff was clearly one of the deciding factors.
"Man, it's always a great relationship with NC State," Hayes said earlier this summer. "Whenever I go there, there's a comfort level I don't feel with every program. I just feel like I'm cool with all the coaches and the atmosphere is great, so I always have a good time there. ...
"It means a lot, you know? It shows that they actually care and they want me to come to that school. But it's not just that they want me to come to NC State, they also want to see me succeed and are always willing to help me. That's really nice to know they care that much."
While he has connections with the entire coaching staff at this point after multiple visits to Raleigh, one member of the staff has a relationship with Hayes throughout his entire life. Sam Hunt, who played for NC State in 2017-18 and now serves as a grad assistant, has been a family friend since before Hayes was born.
"Sam's always been like a big brother to me since him and my older brother are close," Hayes said. "It's really cool since I grew up watching him, playing with him and now seeing him being a coach at NC State is really great. ... He's known me since before I was even born [laughs] so there's barely anyone that knows me better than him."
The 6-foot-1, 160-pound point guard has held an offer from NC State for more than a year and ultimately turned down offers from Louisville, Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, Florida State and several others to commit to the Wolfpack. While the bond he built with the staff was obviously crucial, there was also another important factor -- early playing time.
With Markell Johnson graduating after this season and both Blake Harris and Braxton Beverly only having one year of eligibility remaining after this year, there is a great opportunity for Hayes to be the lead guard. And after getting a chance to see the growth for Johnson in Keatts' system during games and practice, Hayes wanted that for himself.
"Markell is a great player and his abilities have come a very long way under Coach Keatts," Hayes said. "I feel like he has a shot to go to the league this year, actually. Just watching him, Blake Harris and Braxton Beverly running the point, you can see how much they run things through the point guard.
4COMMENTS
"It just shows how much Coach Keatts trusts his point guards and wants them to succeed. That's exactly what I want."
Outside of Keatts, Hayes' primary recruiter for more than one year has been assistant coach Takayo Siddle. Hayes has mentioned multiple times that Siddle made him a priority from the start and that the early offer meant a lot to him.
"That's my dude. We're really close," Hayes said of Siddle. "We have a really good relationship because he communicates with my parents every week. It was definitely good to be able to talk to him in person and keep building that bond."
That last part is particularly important, because up until this past Sunday Hayes was previously a member of the 2021 class. Now ranked as the No. 45 player and No. 5 point guard in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Hayes is the highest-ranked point guard to commit during the Kevin Keatts era.
The Greensboro (N.C.) native is entering his second year with Greensboro Day and looking to close out his high school career with a second straight state title. But with his plans set to move up to 2020, Hayes' relationship with the current staff was clearly one of the deciding factors.
"Man, it's always a great relationship with NC State," Hayes said earlier this summer. "Whenever I go there, there's a comfort level I don't feel with every program. I just feel like I'm cool with all the coaches and the atmosphere is great, so I always have a good time there. ...
"It means a lot, you know? It shows that they actually care and they want me to come to that school. But it's not just that they want me to come to NC State, they also want to see me succeed and are always willing to help me. That's really nice to know they care that much."
While he has connections with the entire coaching staff at this point after multiple visits to Raleigh, one member of the staff has a relationship with Hayes throughout his entire life. Sam Hunt, who played for NC State in 2017-18 and now serves as a grad assistant, has been a family friend since before Hayes was born.
"Sam's always been like a big brother to me since him and my older brother are close," Hayes said. "It's really cool since I grew up watching him, playing with him and now seeing him being a coach at NC State is really great. ... He's known me since before I was even born [laughs] so there's barely anyone that knows me better than him."
The 6-foot-1, 160-pound point guard has held an offer from NC State for more than a year and ultimately turned down offers from Louisville, Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, Florida State and several others to commit to the Wolfpack. While the bond he built with the staff was obviously crucial, there was also another important factor -- early playing time.
With Markell Johnson graduating after this season and both Blake Harris and Braxton Beverly only having one year of eligibility remaining after this year, there is a great opportunity for Hayes to be the lead guard. And after getting a chance to see the growth for Johnson in Keatts' system during games and practice, Hayes wanted that for himself.
"Markell is a great player and his abilities have come a very long way under Coach Keatts," Hayes said. "I feel like he has a shot to go to the league this year, actually. Just watching him, Blake Harris and Braxton Beverly running the point, you can see how much they run things through the point guard.
4COMMENTS
"It just shows how much Coach Keatts trusts his point guards and wants them to succeed. That's exactly what I want."
Outside of Keatts, Hayes' primary recruiter for more than one year has been assistant coach Takayo Siddle. Hayes has mentioned multiple times that Siddle made him a priority from the start and that the early offer meant a lot to him.
"That's my dude. We're really close," Hayes said of Siddle. "We have a really good relationship because he communicates with my parents every week. It was definitely good to be able to talk to him in person and keep building that bond."
