Fowler on 850 The Buzz: “Program Is On The Way Up”

General NCS Basketball48

Heads up in cube land. Coach Lee Fowler is supposed to be on the Buzz at 4:05pm. Here is a link to comments and audio.

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General NCS Basketball

48 Responses to Fowler on 850 The Buzz: “Program Is On The Way Up”

  1. topOtheorder 03/13/2006 at 6:28 PM #

    I have no confidence in Fowler. I mean, unless you are an extra on That 70’s Show, you can’t be taken seriously with that moustache…

    BUT, he did seem a lot different than in years passed. I would imagine that even a jethro like LF would get tired of having to defend Sendek EVERY year…in addition to watching crappy basketball vs crappy teams game after game for most of the season…

  2. Cardiff Giant 03/13/2006 at 6:33 PM #

    “He did not take shots at the fans after Gold seemingly BEGGED him to,”

    That’s a very good point. Perhaps he’s learned something from the well-deserved barrages of poop he faces after each excercise in fan-bashing – now leading to as many calls of “Fire Fowler” as “Fire Sendek.” Or, just possibly, he’s figured out that the fans have a point and there is little to gain for him in antagonizing us further with with dumb comments. Not that the comment he DID make weren’t dumb enough.

  3. Cardiff Giant 03/13/2006 at 6:35 PM #

    “There was no talk of 100% certainty of Sendek being the coach for next season.”

    Adam Gold didn’t ask him about that, though. I am sure that was agreed upon in advance by the Sports Information trolls.

  4. 4NCST8 03/13/2006 at 7:38 PM #

    I have no faith in Fowler. His hand will have to be forced for us to make a coaching change.

    Making excuses for Herb’s lack of emotion and passion for the Carolina games is just pathetic on Lee’s part.

    I can partially agree with some of what he said.

    But Herbert does not play up the UNC game. Amato does. Dick Sheridan did.

    Anybody who coaches at NC State would have to be a complete and absolute fool not to hype up the UNC game.

    Herb just takes it as another game.

    He’s beyond out of touch with the fanbase.

    Sendek’s lack of zeal for the NCSU/UNC rivalry is utterly appalling.

    If Herb would just say, “Look, I’m tired of losing to UNC, too. We embarrassed NC State tonight (when they lost to UNC by 24 in Raleigh). I apologize to the fans. It was terrible.”

    Herb doesn’t have the humility fan relations savvy to do this.

    I’m ready for someone who is chomping at the bit to take on Duke and UNC. We might not get ’em next year, but let’s just have somebody who will discuss the importance of these games for NC State and someone who, by his fourth or fifth year, is beating them with some degree of moderate success (30-40% of the time).

  5. HeelsFan 03/13/2006 at 9:20 PM #

    You guys at SFN are absolutely right about wanting a coach who wants to challenge Dook and UNC. As a relative “old timer” around here I really would enjoy a State b-balll coach with fervor and a passion to beat us (the Heels). I loved having Sloan and V around. The passion from Roy and K are fabulous and it makes national news.

    With the right coach State could attract the top players to make ALL the games in this area national stories.

  6. lumberpack 03/13/2006 at 9:48 PM #

    There comes a point where if you are a person’s friend and boss, you try to craft a situation where your friend and his family gets as soft a landing as possible. All ugly comments aside, this is what I would expect Lee to do, try and give Herb the best golden parachute as possible or send him somewhere else.

    It’s rare to serve out your career at one University in the sports field even if you are generally popular. Terry Holland didn’t, Norm Sloan didn’t, Bill Foster didn’t, Dick Sheridan didn’t, Vic Bubbus didn’t, etc.

    Herb has his best chance to leave now, because next year wil probably be a disaster. Then it will get really ugly.

  7. TVP 03/14/2006 at 12:10 AM #

    Just saw this – anyone hear this call after the Fowler interview?

    http://mb17.scout.com/fnorthcarolinastatefrm1.showMessageRange?topicID=54499.topic&start=1&stop=20

    Spot on.

  8. class of '74 03/14/2006 at 6:52 AM #

    Finally Carlton Tudor has is right when he says in todays column: “That doesn’t mean State should surrender and settle for third. It definitely should not. The goal should be to have the best program in the country, meaning the best on the block. That’s why there needs to be decisive action and fast. After 10 season, the school has to know whether Sendek is right or wrong.”

    Carlton amen bother amen!

  9. Jeff 03/14/2006 at 6:54 AM #

    Interest post that I lifted from Pack Pride on Avie Lester’s call to the radio. IMHO, FINALLY having former players speak up on this issue is very important ———————————-

    If I’m not mistaken, Avie Lester called in and spoke with Adam Gold after Lee Fowler gave his interview.

    Avie, if you frequent these boards and see this thread, good job! I really appreciated the insight you provided. I think you hit the nail on the head.

    Basically, Avie suggested that we Wolfpack fans are “crazy”. Adam initially took his term to be negative and started to play along that everyone listening would think he (Adam Gold) would have said that. Then, Avie came back and said that THAT is why he CHOSE NC State. He went on to say that when he was being recruited he attended the ECU game and that’s when he first noted how “crazy” NC State fans were. He said he heard some things that he never heard before. The fans’ passion is what helped him decide to attend NC State.

    He then went on to say that what Herb fails to do is connect with the fanbase. He said that V always made the Carolina games’ practices more intense. He always underscored its importance. Even if those games were the same statistically, V understood that they meant more for the fans, and that was important. He said Herb would go along way toward connecting with the fans if he would connect on this level.

    He also said with respect to fire and passion that his team was down by like 20 against Oklahoma one game and V broke everything in the lockerroom that wasn’t nailed down. Avie said that the players went out in the second half and played with a renewed enthusiasm because they didn’t want V to get a hold of them after the game.

    All-in-all, I thought Avie did a GREAT job communicating some pretty important points with Gold. Gold was essentially speechless (once he figured out who he was talking to), then concluded by saying that he agreed with MOST of Avie’s points.

    Another caller called in either before or after Avie (I can’t remember) and said that his grandfather played basketball at NC State under Case. Therefore, the caller said, he had been around State through the ’60s, ’70s’, ’80s through today. He said that he believes the younger fans don’t understand how integral NC State was to the success of the ACC even as recently as the ’80s. He said that he has spoken with some of the players and they told him that Herb does not teach them press defenses, does not teach them to offensive rebound (instead they are to run back on defense), etc…

    The comment about teaching them press defenses was confirmed later tonight on the Herb radio show. I called in to ask him why he didn’t employ the press defense earlier in the games where we fell behind, especially the Wake Forest game where they had struggles all year handling the basketball. Herb’s reply was that “they do what they do”, which translates into they practice man-to-man and don’t spend a lot of time on these other defenses, so therefore it doesn’t make any sense to employ a defense that they don’t feel comfortable using during a game (they might get further behind if they do it badly).

    Folks, please listen! It has become increasingly OBVIOUS that Herb is NOT a “good” coach! The divide is NOT all about his personality; although, that doesn’t help. The divide is about his coaching philosophies. His methods seem counterintuitive.

    As an Intelligence Officer in the Navy, I understand that you have to take the battle to the enemy. You can’t sit back in passivity and say, “we do what we do”. You have to think outside of the box. You have to take the battle to the enemy. Surely basketball is not war, but the principles are the same. As a coach, as an athlete, as a competitor, you have to understand that the object of the game is to win. Winning can only be accomplished when you take an active approach to the game. Just “doing what you do” is NOT always good enough. Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone and do things that give you the best opportunity to win. Should the American revolutionaries have won the war? They were clearly out numbered, they weren’t as sophisticated, etc…, but they thought outside the box, employed an unconventional method, and ultimately (with divine assistance) won the war.

    The ’83 team shouldn’t have won against Houston, but V thought outside the box enough to employ an unconventional method to put themselves in a position to win. During his postgame interview with Packer and Mustburger, V said he would have sent them to the foul line 20 more times, “they were going to have to do great things against us to win”.

    Well, another one of my posts that has turned into a novel, but I just had to get those things off my chest

  10. class of '74 03/14/2006 at 7:59 AM #

    ^ Something else the son of one of Case’s players said: “Hope is not a strategy.” I think Herb has used this “strategy” quite often in his tenure.

  11. choppack 03/14/2006 at 8:17 AM #

    “They are not building a straw-man….they are simply picking on one that marched up to them.

    Sendek is not a bad coach….he simply isn’t good enough.”

    Well, if that was the case that most were making on the internet boards, you’d be right. Unforutnately, especially on another board, you’ll see Herb being called a bad coach and several posters agreeing w/ him. Most folks aren’t making the Herb is a good coach, just not a great one argument – they are saying that he sucks.

  12. RickJ 03/14/2006 at 8:29 AM #

    Thanks for the info concerning Avie. The treatment he received from NC State is one of few things I never expect to get over. As a high school senior, Avie picked us over Duke. Hard to believe.

  13. VaWolf82 03/14/2006 at 8:35 AM #

    Unforutnately, especially on another board, you’ll see Herb being called a bad coach and several posters agreeing w/ him.

    That’s what makes it easy for people like Gold, Swagger, and Vitale to make fun of State fans. The extreme end of the argument is wrong…and easy for the media types to pick on. That’s as far as many in the media are willing to go.

    Partly it’s because they are lazy and are not going to work any harder than necessary to understand or report on a given issue. Partly, it’s because they don’t think that anyone should or can strive to compete with UNC and Duke. Some of it is due to that BS philosophy that boils down to “I’m OK and you’re OK”….where we just all need to learn to get along.

    It’s not just some bizarre media conspiracy against State. Schools like Notre Dame, Florida, and Nebraska were called unreasonable when they went looking for new football coaches. People that let the media make decisions for them will end up getting exactly what they deserve.

  14. Rick 03/14/2006 at 9:49 AM #

    IMO Sendek is the worst kind of coach.
    One just good enough to stick around for a long time but not good enough to actually do anything significant.

  15. BJD95 03/14/2006 at 10:00 AM #

    ^ Agreed, Rick. As a Purdue fan friend of mine once noted, Sendek bore alot of resemblance to Gene Keady.

  16. class of '74 03/14/2006 at 10:38 AM #

    Interesting side note, 30 of the 65 NCAAT teams do not meet latest NCAA graduation guidelines. Guess what coach from our area falls into this group?
    Yep, LF’s own, academics are much better than 4 or 5 years ago, Herb Sendek. Well so much for improving program there Mr. Fowler!

  17. cfpack03 03/14/2006 at 11:17 AM #

    Can we assume the decision has already been made? My mind is made up and I’m ready to spend time looking for Sendek’s replacement.
    Do we have any shot at all for Andy Kennedy? Cinci is leaning toward not retaining him and he did study under Valvano in Raleigh.

  18. Jeff 03/14/2006 at 12:03 PM #

    ^Never happen. Kennedy has certain undertones and reputation in College BBall circles that we won’t want to deal with.

    Regardless…our job is NOT one for a coach that needs training wheels. Hasn’t the last guy proven that?

    Kennedy has had 4 months of head coaching experience. No way.

  19. class of '74 03/14/2006 at 12:43 PM #

    ^Besides CC of “Fire and Ice” fame says Kennedy, when he left our program, said several derogatory things about NCSU after he left. CC said he has no chance of returning in his opinion.

  20. RickJ 03/14/2006 at 1:48 PM #

    If we are going to hire Andy Kennedy, Johnny Dawkins, Bobby Lutz or anyone of similar background and experience, I will be sorely disappointed.

  21. site admin 03/14/2006 at 2:04 PM #

    ^ As we all would. But, isn’t that right along what you would expect from someone who has the definitions of success that Lee Fowler has?

  22. RickJ 03/14/2006 at 2:21 PM #

    ^I’m not sure we all would since I see these type of names mentioned repeatedly.

  23. choppack 03/14/2006 at 5:26 PM #

    “IMO Sendek is the worst kind of coach.
    One just good enough to stick around for a long time but not good enough to actually do anything significant.”

    True – we have a knack for that. We also have a knack for letting a coach hang around just long enough acheive a minimally acceptable result and letting things get really ugly – see Les, MOC, and Herb – all did poorly enough to get the axe. All but one, achieved some modicum of success afterwards. The sad truth is that in the age of the internet, once a certain negative momentum has been reached, it can’t be overcome.

    “If we are going to hire Andy Kennedy, Johnny Dawkins, Bobby Lutz or anyone of similar background and experience, I will be sorely disappointed.”

    Be prepared to be disappointed. I doubt any of the replacements I find highly desireable will either by offered or take the job. Heck, 10 years ago, we couldn’t even get Kelvin Sampson.

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