Do you hear that? It’s the giant domino falling off the table. On Thursday evening, NC State struck on the recruiting trail and it wasn’t just another quality add; it was a commitment from arguably the most explosive lead guard in all of high school basketball. Dennis Smith, a 6-foot-2 guard out Fayetteville, North Carolina, decided to end things in one small swoop, giving his word to Mark Gottfried and his staff.

A superb and electric playmaker with the ball in the open floor, Smith flourishes on the break and loves to attack the basket with an elite change of speeds and a killer first step on the blow-by. Running with the Team Loaded North Carolina bunch this past summer on the travel circuit, Smith averaged closed to 18 points, seven assists, and five boards per game, and came away with two steals on top of it all. To put it bluntly, the commitment out of the in-state recruit changes the game for the Wolfpack.

Now, the next few months will be very, very crucial for Smith. Sure, he shot a very poor 25-percent from off the perimeter and his overall field goal percentages weren’t the best either, but the greatest question mark at this time comes around his health. Smith recently tore his ACL at the beginning of August and for such an electric ballplayer that relies so heavily on his athleticism, bouncing back off such a tough injury will be something worth keeping an eye on. However, the Trinity Christian senior has done a great job in recent months of improving his half-court contributing skills in remaining more under control against zone defenses and in facilitating and distributing to his teammates.

What is up next for the program out of Raleigh? After landing Maverick Rowan a few weeks ago, a top-50 commit who reclassed into the 2015 class, and now a top-10 recruit in the 2016 class, it is Smith’s buddy and grassroots teammate in Bam Adebayo that is the primary target for the ACC program. Many have believed that Smith and Adebayo will play college ball together and now with NC State receiving a commitment out of the former, could the latter follow suit?