We first watched Farrar at our NC Junior Phenom Camp in 2016. He was a standout then, “2020 Nick Farrar is so polished on the block – lefty has great feet and hands with a touch over both shoulders.” He even made the events’ Five to Know (a list that included the likes of Josh Beadle and Chris Ford who both carry multiple D1 offers in the 2021 class). Even following up with praise like, “Nick is a very dominant all-around player that has all the tools to build a strong foundation to a wealthy future. He is the opposing teams’ biggest nightmare. Possesses size, skills, strength and basketball IQ; simply has it all. He not only plays at a high level, but he also brings his teammates games’ to another level. Nick is a leader and motivates his team. ‘He is the future!’ A big man with handles, speed, and power.” Farrar went on to break his leg freshman year, which set him back a little, but more so put him out of sight out of mind during the crucial developmental time.
Nick Farrar at Phenom 150 Camp
Fast Forward to the 2018 Fall NC Phenom 150 Exposure Camp, Farrar showed up and won Camp MVP. After his standout performance at that, Farrar had arrived back on the scene in our eyes as we went pleading with college coaches to take a look, “Farrar was a brute the entire day. Physically bigger and stronger than most, Farrar was able to bully his way to the rim and in the post. However, what really set him apart was his ball skills, explosion and shooting ability. Farrar was able to initiate offense for himself from the wing. He showcased his athleticism with some back door lobs and generally playing above the rim. He showcased his shooting ability by knocking down at least 3 threes in each game. On the block, Farrar had pace and vision and he was a good defender, especially showing a knack for blocking shots. Farrar was awarded the camp’s Mr. 150 award, and is someone colleges should be looking at closely.”
Still playing for startup Apex Friendship and for a local AAU program, many coaches, scouts, and other influencers had still not seen Farrar. We showed up to watch Apex Friendship Vs. Holly Springs where Nick went for 21 points against UVa bound big man Kadin Shedrick and multiple offer 6’6” big Kaleb Scott … It was at that moment, before he had any offers, before college coaches even knew his name that we stated, “A blow up is impending.” Nick played like a high major prospect the entire second half of the 2018-19 season. He went into the playoffs to play against traditional power Heritage High School to have 35 points and 20 rebounds in the 1st round win … YES, 35 & 20 in the playoffs. Still, no offers at that point, but by this point, at least the likes of East Carolina and others were in the stands watching. After that game, we said, “Nick Farrar encapsulated every meaning of the word STUD in this one, skillfully and physically took over every aspect of the game.” We furthered that sentiment by saying, “Nick Farrar is absolutely electric in every aspect, mentally, personality, explosion, game style. An unbelievably underrated player.”
Still, walking into the NC Top 80, to compete among the very best that North Carolina had to offer, Farrar carried no offers. However, it was after his performance here that things would change. After Farrar’s breakout performance at the NC Top 80 Phenom Hoop Report Founder Rick Lewis wrote, “Farrar has been one of the hottest names in the Hoop State over the past couple of weeks, partly because he has been an unknown, but also in part because he has simply been beasting on folks. Farrar is a terror on the block, with quickness, explosion, and strength. He also plays with a mean streak. His toughness prevails and we expect him to continue becoming one of the hottest names in North Carolina this summer.” The Phenom Mixtape group put out a video entitled “Nick Farrar BREAKS OUT in MAJOR Way at #NCTop80” (VIDEO HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdd6ASqfCMw).
After this showing, it happened for him Eastern Kentucky offered, and that was all he needed. After all the talk from the reputable scouting service, a school was finally able to see him … most of our talk of him was during the dead period, but the NC Top 80 was live-streamed and archived. After Eastern Kentucky came forward UT-Chattanooga and Stetson offered. Then his local team was picked up by Team Loaded and went up to Pittsburgh as Team Loaded RDU and the avalanche started … It wasn’t until before the July Live Period that the Power 5 Schools started coming as LSU and Texas A&M both stepped forward in the time between the June Live Period and the July Live Period …
However, Farrar wanted to go to NC State … The staff at NC State had been watching him closely, even having him come to Team Camp, but it was at Team Camp that Farrar was just too good to pass up. We watched, alongside Coach Keatts and the entire staff, as Farrar exploded for 40+, scoring any way he wanted, at every level, against everyone who stepped up (Video Here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVF1e1nBCak). … For 4 straight days, playing 3 games a day, Farrar dominated EVERYONE at team camp. The staff was courtside for each game, watching everything he did, every rebound he gobbled, every bucket he poured in … It was at that point the staff put the look test aside and said this kid is too good — we were there too, we saw what they say, we talked with the staff as it was happening, it was ridiculously impressive to all watching.
So here we sit, Farrar committed to a Power 5 program, just like we said was going to happen before he got any offers, before he even had college coaches at the LM level who knew his name … Many times, you can just tell with a prospect, this one was hiding in plain sight, but they listened to us and 25 offers and 3 months later, here we are ….