Cothron commits

Late Thursday night four-star prospect Luke Cothron felt compelled to go ahead and commit to his leader North Carolina State.

"Last night I just felt that NC State was the place to go," said Cothron, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound power forward from Red Springs (N.C.) Flora Macdonald Academy. "Sidney Lowe and me have a great bond. I felt like it was the right place for me."

Cothron was also considering Alabama and Tennessee, and he actually might still be consider them even though he has publically committed to North Carolina State.

"I might still take some visits to other schools," he said when asked about his previously stated plan to visit Tennessee. "I probably will do some visits. But my mom wants me to stay in North Carolina and so do I."

Cothron, the No. 33 ranked prospect in the Rivals150, joins five-star point guard Ryan Harrow and four-star combo guard Lorenzo Brown in the North Carolina State 2010 recruiting class.

Luke Cothron scouting report:

From the haircut to his physical frame to his skill package, Cothron strongly resembles former Louisville star Pervis Ellison. A long, fluid athlete, Cothron can both beat his man down the court as well as chase down rebounds. And when he gets the ball in his hands, he knows what to do with it. Cothron is a skilled low post scorer with a variety of moves and has a dangerous face up game as well. Gaining strength and becoming more explosive in traffic will be important in Cothron's development as a college player.