4-star PF Latrell Allmond talks latest NC State unofficial visit

Shortly after four-star Richmond (Va.) John Marshall power forward Latrell Allmond was done putting on a show at the USA Basketball Club Championships in Rock Hill, S.C., earlier this week, he was headed to North Carolina. That’s when he decided to make a stop for his second visit to NC State on Thursday. 

Allmond, the No. 46 Class of 2026 recruit overall in the On3 Industry Rankings, received an offer from the Wolfpack in June 2022 and has maintained a relationship with NC State ever since. But this trip to Raleigh was more than learning about the program, rather Allmond was able to get to know coach Kevin Keatts better. 

That, in his mind, was a key piece of the visit to the Dail Basketball Center. 

“It was a smooth trip,” Allmond told TheWolfpacker.com. “I had been there before, but this time it was me and coach Keatts. I got a better feel for the program and him as a person.”

Allmond was focused on learning who Keatts was as a coach, finding out more about the eighth-year head man’s background and journey through basketball. And, well, it seemed like Allmond put it together pretty quickly.

“He’s a winning coach,” Allmond said. “Everywhere he goes, he just wins — no matter where he’s at.”

Keatts, most recently, led the Wolfpack to the Final Four this past spring after winning nine straight games to reach the pinnacle of college basketball. That impressed Allmond, who continues to attract high-major interest on the recruiting trail. 

Allmond averaged 9.4 points with 6.9 rebounds on 50% shooting in eight games with Team Loaded’s 17U team, playing up an age group this summer. He knocked down 8 of 16 attempts from beyond the arc before returning to his age group squad. 

The forward holds more than a dozen offers, including recently added Cincinnati and Kansas. Michigan State and Rutgers are also interested in the 6-foot-8 rising junior’s services on the hardwood.

But NC State’s consistency on the recruiting trail has stood out to Allmond.

“It’s awesome,” Allmond said of the Wolfpack’s recruitment. “It just goes to show that they really are prioritizing me as a player. They’re recruiting me heavy.”

The No. 7 power forward in the Class of 2026 seems to consider himself an underrated prospect. He talks with a chip on his shoulder, and quite frankly, likes the way NC State goes after lesser-ranked players and develops them into stars. 

Allmond watched the Wolfpack do that with guards DJ Horne and Michael O’Connell, as well as forward DJ Burns through the transfer portal and that stuck out to him.

“What stands out about them is the way they recruit,” Allmond said. “They don’t go after the big five-star kids too much. They go after the low ranking guys and they make them into dogs. Kind of like how they did it with last year’s team.”

While watching under-the-radar recruits blossom into stars for the Wolfpack turned Allmond’s head, he’s very familiar with sophomore wing Dennis Parker Jr. The two played together for one year at John Marshall, which culminated in yet another Virginia state championship for the program. 

And as Allmond has been able to watch Parker, who started 12 games last season, grow as a college basketball player, he has had a front row seat to NC State’s maturation process.

“You got to see him develop as a player from a high school player to a collegiate basketball player. His body is tuned up. Dennis is a monster right now. It just shows that their health and nutrition program is actually working and Dennis is living proof of it.”

In addition to seeing how Keatts is as a person and Parker’s continued growth within NC State’s program, Allmond got to see how he would fit into the Wolfpack’s scheme. The high-motor forward watched film of how the Pack used Mohamed Diarra at the four, running rim to rim, while also facing up on his competition. 

This trip to Raleigh helped show Allmond NC State’s playing style, which he was unsure of before making the drive. 

Although he made his second trip to NC State, Allmond has a ways in his recruitment before he makes a decision on where he will continue his career. But he does know what he is looking for in a program. 

“I’m looking for a school that’s going to allow me to be me and develop me as a player and a good person off the court too,” Allmond said. “Seeing the floor early my freshman year, that’s one of my big things. And having a coach that’s going to be honest with me about what I’m here for and what he’s expecting of me.”

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