Wednesday marked the end of a recruiting quiet period in college basketball, which meant that coaches everywhere were hitting the road to make sure they were seen and heard by their top priorities. For NC State's staff, that meant visits to point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and big man Edrice Adebayo, who are both in-state prospects.
Mark Gottfried didn't just drive to see these players--he procured a helicopter from an NC State booster so he could travel in style, and also show Smith and Adebayo how important they are to him. Naturally, this drew a lot of attention, both locally and nationally, which is entirely the point.