Sidney Needs to Make One More Hire

General NC State Administration NCS Basketball39

A quick suggestion for NC State’s new Basketball Coach — hire yourself your OWN media relations/marketing person to help run things for you; because if you continue to leave things up to the same folks who have been running things for you then you are going to always be behind the 8-ball.

Wednesday’s NC State media day was just another glaring example of how little strategic thought is invested in important items such as media relations and brand management — Sidney’s brand. Ned Barnett was so flabbergasted by the flub that he wrote an entire piece on it in the News & Observer.

When he coached in the NBA, Sidney Lowe would get so consumed by some losses that on his way home he would miss his exit and be 20 miles past before he realized it. On Tuesday, N.C. State’s new coach was so consumed by trying to win he missed his entrance.

State held its men’s basketball media day Tuesday, and the focus should have been on who will be playing and how Lowe will be coaching. Instead, it was all about who won’t be playing — Andrew Brackman — and how Lowe will coach around the 6-foot-11 gap the power forward’s absence leaves in State’s already depleted lineup.

All that distraction could have been avoided by issuing a statement last week that Brackman has chosen to play baseball instead of basketball.

Brackman’s decision is obviously no surprise to anyone who visits SFN. (Link) So, why wasn’t someone from the media relations department on top of this from the start? Why wasn’t someone taking point and advising Coach Lowe on how to manage through the Brackman announcement in a manner that deflected the least amount of spotlight from the glow of Lowe’s first media day?

Ironically, Tuesday’s events away from Media Day also provided some support for this suggestion that Lowe hire someone to help him manage his brand and focus on marketing when Chris Wright chose Georgetown over NC State. Wright made his official visit to State on the weekend of the App State football game. Do yourself a favor and click on this link and read “Missed Opportunities”.

We continue to contend that NC State missed a HUGE opportunity to welcome/feature Coach Lowe during the App State football game in front of 60,000 Wolfpackers. Since nobody at State was astute enough to take advantage of the opportunity to show Coach Lowe love in front of Wright, nobody will ever know the impact that such an event would have had on Chris Wright’s comfort with the situation at NC State. But, we do konw that Chris Wright is familiar with Fox 50’s nightly television line-up and that he may be more inclined to use Alltel while he is waiting in line to buy some House Autry Mills.

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General NC State Administration NCS Basketball

39 Responses to Sidney Needs to Make One More Hire

  1. redfred2 10/12/2006 at 12:10 PM #

    Maybe I’ve missed it somewhere, but how about the timing of yesterday’s events? Which came first, the scheduling of a team media day or the scheduling of C Wright’s announcement? I have to think the media day event has been on for a while.

    Is it just me, or does anyone think that Sidney Lowe was planning to burst wide open with great news for the program yesterday? That is, right up until the events of the final hour rocked his whole world. It’s either that, or the timing of C Wright’s announcement should have come much earlier, or even later, to allow the events of this media day to focus on the guys who we already know will be suited up in Wolfpack uniforms this season? Add to that the Brackman debacle, which we were already prepared for but still consumed most of the otherwise, and supposedly exciting, TEAM media event.

    Too much for me to begin to comprehend timing-wise. But also not hard to believe considering the sources.

  2. redfred2 10/12/2006 at 12:27 PM #

    ^ What I was trying to say is that it seems the Chris Wright decision was timed to coincide with NCSU’s media day. ??? It was either scheduled in anticipation of a celebration, or in my estimation, a pitiful joke, or a cold, hard slap in the face.

  3. Master 10/12/2006 at 12:41 PM #

    Packaholic1 said it best in the first post – there is nothing we can do to change negative reporting at the N&O and other rags in the state. To think otherwise is to believe George W. Bush could get better coverage in the New York Times by getting another Press Secretary. They’re going to write what they want to write even if we ply them with booze and food at every press conference. Either get a thicker skin or ignore it altogether. Chuck ignores them and Reagan ignored them. A lonely ego looks for positive press. Show a little self confidence.

  4. redfred2 10/12/2006 at 1:42 PM #

    If there is one thing I don’t give a hoot in hell about, it’s some goober of a desk jockey supposed ‘analysis/opinion’ of sports, sports personalities, or sports programs. Hell, I’d still be enjoying TO’s football abilities if I couldn’t read.

  5. Mr O 10/12/2006 at 2:18 PM #

    Rick: Actually, the NC State basketball program was highly respected the last several years for producing quality teams and quality kids. That is how the media covered our coach and our teams. The very large majority who didn’t think highly of our program were NC State fans.

    In terms of the kids we were recruiting and marketing our program towards, almost every single top basketball player in the country isn’t an NC State fan, so maybe the PR firm was doing a large part of their job quite well. In terms of relating to the masses of NC State fans that didn’t approve of the job Sendek did at NC State that was much more of a struggle obviously. There may have not been anything the PR firm could have done about that.

  6. RAWFS 10/12/2006 at 2:27 PM #

    Michelletack,

    I respect your opinion when you say that the brochures “are pretty” but the advertising and graphics professionals I know disagree. I am around a lot of them because my wife’s in advertising and naturally, all of her work-buddies are in the same field. More than a few have NCSU degrees besides.

    Look at our football schedule poster. Nice concept, so-so execution at best. WSM paid for a four-color print run, and they had the oppurtunity for something special. They didn’t come close, IMO. For a view of some really good ones, go here:

    http://www.redandwhitefromstate.com/article.php?story=20060830053206967

  7. Astral Rain 10/12/2006 at 3:24 PM #

    Well, when it comes to fan PR, winning important games helps. None of the other stuff matters much, as long as you aren’t worse then Bob Huggins…

    One thing- it would help if some state fans were journalists, but not much that can be done about that.

  8. redfred2 10/12/2006 at 3:34 PM #

    ^nycfan- GREAT POST!!!

    Just a note to the friendly folk(s)??? down there in the SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT.

    You have one great opportunity, then it fades into a meaningless horse and pony show. You are well past prime time already.

    THESE ARE FIRST…you bunch of dullards, get up off of your unimaginative asses, BEFORE THEY OCCUR, put at least a small amount of effort into making them SPECIAL and welcomed events for the coaches and players!!!

  9. primacyone 10/12/2006 at 3:38 PM #

    We could do much, much, much better in all catagories.

    There is not any area that does not need improvement.

    The leadership in the department is lacking.

    A change needs to be made.

  10. redfred2 10/12/2006 at 3:45 PM #

    nycfan

    Just to add, it is apparent that the SID and administrators see no worth in what you are speaking of. It’s what keeps me around though.

    I blamed alot of it on Herb, and still do, just for not picking up on it and using it to his great advantage. But it is increasingly apparent to me that no one in any high position holds these things in high regard.

    They’ve all moved on, to a politically correct, generic version.

  11. Rick 10/12/2006 at 4:04 PM #

    “There may have not been anything the PR firm could have done about that.”
    No but there was alot a certain coach could have done but that is behind us.

    “Actually, the NC State basketball program was highly respected the last several years for producing quality teams and quality kids.”
    translation – everyone likes someone who is not a threat

  12. Wolfpack4ever 10/12/2006 at 4:22 PM #

    nycfan Says: “I honestly expected a barage of stories about Lowe’s years playing at NCSU, Towe’s years playing at NCSU and relfections on those championships, especially during the summer when there is always a shortage of filler in the sports sections.”

    Being a NYCity fan I can understand your expectations. Little known outside of Raleigh and Edmonton, a major championship was occupying the sports pages here well into summer. That would be something called The Stanley Cup.

    Further, being from NYC I can see how you and others would think the local paper would run feel-good stories about NCSU. NOT! To my surprise they did run stories on Lowe and Towe as well as Jackson and the coach who went to Arizona State with ole what’s-his-name, just not a lot of in-depth feel good stories. Being from NYC you wouldn’t know that feel-good sports stories are reserved for another University with a journalism school.

    This doesn’t preclude a barrage of stories being sent out, just not a barrage of stories making the paper.

  13. Packaholic1 10/12/2006 at 7:11 PM #

    Amazing to me that anyone professing to be an State fan can take anything the propaganda rag says seriously. Press relations are bad (according to propagandist) – NC State’s fault.

    You are reading the propagandist’s script for them…

  14. redfred2 10/13/2006 at 10:30 AM #

    ^Rick

    Good job. I would have probably gone off on a three page tangent there, but your two short and sweet statements summed it all up to a T.

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