NC State Signee Nick Farrar Scores 35: "I Tried To Give 110 Percent"

• BOX SCORE: Patrick School 70, Apex Friendship 64

NC State signee Nick Farrar‍ nearly led his Apex Friendship (NC) squad to a huge upset win over Patrick School in the opener of the 2019 John Wall Holiday Invitational.  

The 6-foot-7 forward was dominant, scoring a game-high 35 points while keeping Apex Friendship in the game throughout.

“I feel like I played great,” Farrar said after the game.  “We played team basketball, and I tried to give 110 percent. Being in Raleigh and going to play for the Pack, I knew I had to work my butt off tonight and show that I could compete with a guy like Kuminga.”

Farrar was a major factor in the second quarter, when he attacked Patrick School with a variety of moves.  Often matched up on 2021 five-star Jonathan Kuminga‍, who some consider the top high school player in the country, Farrar scored from three and off the dribble.

He was so productive that Patrick School came out of halftime playing zone against Apex Friendship, and that defensive switch led to a double-digit lead before Farrar sparked a fourth-quarter comeback.  

“They had trouble matching up in man, and we adjusted to the zone later in the half,” Farrar said. “We have great shooters and started to get some shots to go down there in the fourth quarter after we got the ball moving more.”

The Wolfpack signee can improve his physical conditioning and could have been more of a factor defensively and on the glass, but his team needed all of his energy on the offensive end to have a chance, and he provided it.

“For me, that’s the best I’ve shot the ball since probably the live period of the summer,” he said. 

Farrar wasn’t a big-time name in NC State’s recruiting class given he didn’t play on a major shoe circuit, attends a public school, and isn’t ranked very high by the recruiting services, but several top recruiting analysts were in attendance tonight.

“I think people will respect me more now,” Farrar stated.  “I know a lot of those recruiting guys were there, but for me it’s always the same mindset. I want to play the top guys and try to go out and destroy the best players on the floor.  That’s my mindset every game.”

Apex Friendship returns to action at 11am on Saturday versus Broughton, who they defeated in the season opener.

“We’re going to work hard and keep competing,” said Farrar.  “We played Broughton earlier in the season and beat them, but that doesn’t matter now.  We have to compete and play hard.”