ACC's Top-25 Players: No. 16 – C.J. Leslie, NC STATE

Somebody wrote, “Sidney Lowe has landed arguably the biggest recruit of his coaching tenure for a second time.”

Wrong. There is no “argument.” C.J. Leslie IS the best recruit Sidney Lowe has ever landed, and the 6’9 forward should make an immediate impact on a Wolfpack team that could surprise some people in 2010-2011.

No doubt, Leslie could be the most athletically gifted player in the ACC next year. He plays way, way above the rim. He’s a human highlight reel and is often compared to NBA star Amare Stoudemire (although we’ll hold off heaping that much praise onto the freshman). He does have great length like Stoudemire and he loves to crash the boards. On the defensive end, he’s going to make a lot of players think twice about driving inside, thanks to a knack for swatting the ball away.

Of course there will be some issues…there always are. Leslie is listed as a power forward, yet the kid fancies himself as a small forward. While C.J. is better facing the basket, there is work to be done on the ball-handling skills. Overall, he has a decent shot, but his range is about 15 to 17 feet, so look for opponents to back off and dare him to throw up the threes.

The fact is though, the kid has talent, he just needs time to learn the game. Luckily for him, he doesn’t have to be the star on this team. That man is Tracy Smith in the paint. He won’t be asked to run the show, that job belongs to senior Javier Gonzalez and incoming five-star freshman, Ryan Harrow. He doesn’t even need to worry about playing small forward and a ton of ball handling, Scott Wood has that covered.

All Leslie needs to do is play the part of UNC’s Marvin Williams…play to his strengths, develop his offensive game as the season goes along, swat every shot within eight-feet of the basket, grab any ball that bounces off the rim, and throw down spectacular dunks. That’s it.

#17 – GLEN RICE JR., GUARD – GEORGIA TECH

#18 – REGGIE BULLOCK, GUARD – NORTH CAROLINA

#19 – MASON PLUMLEE, FORWARD – DUKE

#20 – C.J. HARRIS, GUARD – WAKE FOREST

#21 – SETH CURRY, GUARD – DUKE

#22 – SEAN MOSLEY, GUARD – MARYLAND

#23 – JOE TRAPANI, FORWARD – BOSTON COLLEGE

#24 – MIKE SCOTT, FORWARD – VIRGINIA

#25 - IMAN SHUMPERT, GUARD – GEORGIA TECH