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Sidney Lowe may still be relatively new to the college basketball recruiting scene, but he's already learned this important axiom:

Relationships trump geography.

N.C. State got two more examples this week when guard Lorenzo Brown and power forward Richard Howell, highly regarded recruits in the class of 2009, committed to the Wolfpack.

Brown (Roswell, Ga.) and Howell (Marietta, Ga.) became the latest Atlanta-area recruits to pick N.C. State, joining J.J. Hickson and Class of 2010 point guard Ryan Harrow (Marietta, Ga.). Clearly, Lowe and his staff have created a pipeline of hoops talent that's running from Georgia to Raleigh.

How did it happen? Relationships.

Strangely enough, the first relationship was forged in Vancouver in 2000. At the time, Lowe was in his first season coaching the NBA's Vancouver Grizzlies, and his star player was Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Fast forward seven years, to 2007. The Wolfpack is vying for the services of J.J. Hickson. A key influence in Hickson's decision was his fellow Wheeler High School (Marietta, Ga.) alum &ellipses; Abdur-Rahim. Hickson played on Abdur-Rahim's AAU squad, a group originally called Team Reef but later renamed Worldwide Renegades.

"We were familiar with Sidney Lowe for years, even though he wasn't in college," said Desmond Eastmond, the director of Worldwide Renegades.

Abdur-Rahim was a power forward who had enjoyed a strong season in Lowe's offense. Hickson and those around him were convinced the same thing could happen at N.C. State.

"With a point guard or a power forward, you can't go wrong with Sidney Lowe," Eastmond said.

One year later, Hickson was a first-round pick in the NBA draft (19th overall, by Cleveland) and an enthusiastic endorser of Lowe and the Wolfpack to his younger hoops-playing friends back in Georgia.

"That opened up a lot of relationships," said Justin Young, national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com.

It opened the eyes of Brown, a smooth 6-foot-4 athlete who could be used as a shooting guard (Scout.com rates him No. 8 at that position in the Class of 2009) or as a point guard (Rivals.com rates him No. 9 at that position).

Brown confirmed Sunday what has been an open secret for weeks when he committed to the Wolfpack. According to Scout.com recruiting analyst Evan Daniels, Brown had discussed his plans to go to State with Howell, his friend and occasional teammate with the Worldwide Renegades. A day after Brown publicly picked the Wolfpack, Howell, a 6-8 forward (No. 59 Rivals, No. 74 Scout) with a face-up game who has come on strong recently on the AAU circuit, followed suit.

"Obviously with these kids, they talk," Daniels said. "When looking at college situations, it's always cool to go to a place where you might have friend there."

They talk to others in the Atlanta area as well. Harrow, a Class of 2010 commitment, doesn't play for the Worldwide Renegades. But he does know Brown, who has split his AAU time between Worldwide Renegades and Harrow's team, Louis Williams Elite.

More relationships, more commitments for N.C. State.

The Wolfpack next hopes to use its Atlanta-area ties to reel in power forward Derrick Favors, considered by many to be the top recruit in the Class of 2009. Beating out Georgia and Georgia Tech may be too tall an order, but even without Favors, State has established itself as a serious player in Atlanta. Right now, that's a very good place to be.

"It's probably one of the top hoops areas," Daniels said. "The past few years, I think Georgia has been one of, if not the best, places for producing top-level talent."

Contact Jim Young at 373-7016 or jim.young@news-record.com