N.C. State Basketball Recruiting: Connecticut offers Franklin Howard
2015 four-star shooting guard Franklin Howard is one of the top prospects in the recruiting class, and he boasts a strong list of early offers. You can add the Connecticut Huskies to that ever-growing list, as Kevin Ollie’s program extended an offer Howard’s way yesterday.
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Mark Gottfried and the North Carolina State Wolfpack have been recruiting Howard pretty hard, as they are one of his many offers, and he took an unofficial visit to Raleigh early in November.
The USF Bulls, Cincinnati Bearcats, Florida Gators, Virginia Tech Hokies, Seton Hall Pirates, SMU Mustangs, Georgetown Hoyas, Ohio State Buckeyes, Maryland Terrapins, Villanova Wildcats, and Miami Hurricanes have all offered the 6’4″, 175 pound Team Takeover standout. Kansas, George Mason, Virginia, Marquette, and Indiana have also shown interest in the D.C.-area recruit.
Franklin Howard has good strength, solid size, and his well above-average rebounding ability for the guard position makes him an ideal fit at shooting guard as opposed to playing the one. An athletic defensive player, Howard possesses solid handles and an emerging offensive game. A strong finisher at the rim, Howard is at his best when driving (especially in the open court), but he can knock down the deep ball. What he does need to work on is a better understanding of his own limitations as a shooter and ball-handler, despite being good at both. He just needs to realize that he isn’t great at either and shouldn’t force shots or try to make plays that he can’t make.
Overall, Howard is an excellent prospect and one to keep an eye on closely in the 2015 class. Just take a look at his list of offers. No other teams in the state of North Carolina have shown interest in Howard.
N.C. State offered Howard shortly after his visit to the school last month, and he is one of of the top 50 recruits in the 2015 class. He has a ton of upside with his good overall game and athleticism, so he is definitely a player for Wolfpack fans to watch going forward.
You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.