IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY FOR BASKETBALL NEWS

Looking to challenge the 2009 NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball National Champions, the University of Norht Carolina Tar Heels, N.C. State gets another big man while the Virginia Tech Hokies loses a guard, but gaines a forward. N.C. State's basketball recruiting class got bigger on Wednesday in both quality and quantity.Forward DeShawn Painter (left), a top-75 prospect, committed to play for the Wolfpack in the 2009-10 season, increasing its incoming freshmen class to six. The addition of Painter, a 6-9 and 210-pound power forward, puts State at the scholarship limit of 13 for the upcoming season. Painter originally signed with the University of Florida but was let out of his Letter of Intent, he said. Painter, who spent the past season at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., grew up an ACC fan in Norfolk, Va. "I wanted to play closer to home," Painter said. "I love the coaching staff and I fit in with the [N.C. State] players." Did anybody mention t...