The Detroit Pistons were elminated from the NBA playoffs last night, thereby freeing NC State Head Basketball Coach, Sidney Lowe to concentrate on his duties in Raleigh. We are not clear on how the previously announced “start date” of July 1st plays into anything at this moment.
We assume that start date was announced so that Lowe was not “official” until after he received his undergraduate degree in late June. This start date should not impact Lowe’s ability to take the NCAA compliance test and become “qualified” to speak with recruits (at appropriate times).
The media has written quite a few Lowe-focused articles recently. The following are a few of them that you may have an interest:
(1) Sports Illustrated on Saturday, June 3rd – Link to Waiting game: ‘Pack assistants keep program going without Lowe
Lowe is staying in contact through any available means, from e-mails to instant messenger, Strickland said. The staff even managed to squeeze in an unusual meeting last week when Lowe stopped in Raleigh before Game 3 of the Detroit-Miami series in the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals.
Harris said the staff boarded a plane and worked with Lowe through the flight — and some scary thunderstorms — before landing in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. From there, Harris said the assistants had enough time to grab some popcorn before getting back on the plane to return to Raleigh. Lowe caught a cab and headed to Miami.
“We talk to Sidney every day and he is running this program,” Harris said. “I’m really excited each and every day that I communicate with Sidney. You can just feel the energy.”
(2) Greensboro News & Record had a similar article (to SI) on Friday. (Link)
(3) Earlier in the week, Caulton Tudor took a look into next year and said that “Lowe, Pack still aiming high” despite the loss of Cedric Simmons.
After those four teams (Carolina, Duke, Georgia Tech, Boston College), expect a grab bag that will include Lowe and the Wolfpack.
“I’m still optimistic, even after this decision by Cedric,” Lowe said. “It’s obvious we would have been a better team if he had returned, but I still think there’s talent in the program.
“It’s always easy in these kinds of situations to say, ‘Oh no, look at who we just lost.’ But we can still be a good team, and that’s still going to be our focus. That part of it doesn’t change.”
Lowe’s biggest opening challenge will be depth, and that is where the departure of Simmons hurts most.
Lowe will need seven or eight dependable players to implement the faster playing style he envisions for the program. There’s little chance he’ll have that much depth next season.
Depending upon the team’s ability to dodge fouls and stay healthy, the Pack could finish as high as fifth or as low as eighth or ninth.
