Dennis Smith to NC State: Wolfpack Land 5-Star PG Prospect

Dennis Smith, a 5-star point guard who hails from Trinity Christian School in Fayetteville, North Carolina, announced Thursday he will be staying close to home to play his college basketball for North Carolina State.

Evan Daniels of Scout.com reported the news of Smith's commitment to the Wolfpack:

Smith is regarded as the No. 2 prospect at his position in the nation and the fifth-best player overall in the 2016 class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

The 6'2", 180-pound floor general has done plenty to merit such gaudy praise. Smith has a remarkable blend of ball-handling skills, athleticism, leaping ability and floor vision to be devastating in transition and especially effective at running an uptempo offense.

Rick Lewis of Phenom Hoop Report weighed in on Smith's talent after watching him play in May 2015:

Despite being a wonderful point guard, Smith said in an April 2015 blog post for USA Today that he'd be open to altering his role in the backcourt moving forward:

"

A lot of people ask what I'll look at with my decision and there are a lot of different schools that are recruiting me that have point guards or may be recruiting point guards with me and I'm a competitor so my mindset is to always want to play against the best. I think I could play with another point guard too; it would have to be two dynamic guards though.

"

This type of team-first mentality has to be encouraging for North Carolina State, who can feel comfortable molding Smith to fit its scheme rather than being concerned about any discontent.

North Carolina State head coach Mark Gottfried now has the foundation piece he can build the rest of next year's recruiting class around. Smith is the first 5-star recruit the Wolfpack have landed since Rodney Purvis, who later transferred to Connecticut, and T.J. Warren in 2012.

Although his frame lacks bulk and he still has plenty of room to improve as a shooter, Smith is still just getting to college and merely scratching the surface of his potential. He has time to develop in those areas, and there's no reason to believe he won't.

Few players at Smith's size can play so high above the rim and be as efficient, whether it be finishing at the bucket or creating for teammates. Whatever he lacks in innate strength he makes up for in an aggressive, fast-paced style of play that will make him a force to be reckoned with as a true freshman.

The Wolfpack have to be thrilled to welcome Smith into the fold. His instincts and natural skills suggest a one-and-done college career, but he is the type of program-changing recruit who can instantly have a team thinking about a run to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament.