WEDNESDAY’s Red vs White Game

General NC State Administration NCS Basketball65

Let me start this entry by stating that I am really not trying to be difficult and look for things to criticize. To prove this, I am going to try to be open- minded and construct this in a matter that asks a lot of questions without a lot of criticism. I honestly am seeking responses that offer some insight and rationale into this topic.

If you didn’t know, Coach Sidney Lowe’s first Red vs White game is scheduled for this Wednesday night in Reynolds Coliseum.

What a wonderful opportunity to watch a little of Coach Lowe’s first version of the Wolfpack!! But, I am unfortunately not going to be able to make the event. Please don’t misconstrue my absence, or the absence of hundreds/thoughts of others, for a lack of interest in Wolfpack Basketball. You see, those of us interested in the event but who are unable to attend are just stricken with a prevalent and common affliction called “we-don’t-live-in-Raleigh-itis”.

As much as many of us would LOVE to show up to support Coach Lowe and the Pack, the folks at NC State have geniusly scheduled Sidney’s first Red/White game for a mid-week timeslot that makes it all but impossible for people who may live in Charlotte, or Eastern North Carolina or Southern Virginia to make the trip. Since the women’s game will preceed the men’s game, I expect that the men’s event will probably START around 8:15-8:30pm on a Wednesday night.

Can anyone name the last time that the NC State Basketball intra-squad scrimmage was NOT held on a weekend?

I’m legitimately curious about this^ because I can’t remember the last time a Red/White game was not played on a weekend. For 30+ years, hundreds of people around the NC State Basketball program – spanning at least four different coaching regimes – have scheduled the Red/White game on a weekend. What did all of these previous people NOT know that our Athletics Administration has suddenly figured out?

What suddenly changed that merits any alteration from the game’s traditional weekend scheduling?

And, what do we know that other schools don’t know? Think about the ‘losers’ at poor old Duke. Those idiots have scheduled their intra-squad scrimmage for a Saturday! LOL! When are they going to learn anything about basketball and fans? And Carolina. They have almost always scheduled their intra-squad scrimmages for weekends. If only these idiots at these second rate schools knews what the folks at NC State knew!

My father took me to Red-White games almost annually when I was between the ages of ten and eighteen. Sometimes the games were scheduled on weekends that included football games and we got to enjoy a double dose of Wolfpack fun. Those weekend trips to Raleigh were fantastic bonding events for us; and my connection to the Wolfpack escalated during those trips to be able to be so close to the basketball players that I got to see on television during the week. I guess like so many things, ‘those were the days’ – the days when you didn’t have to live in Raleigh to be be able to conveniently go watch your Wolfpack practice.

I know that it doesn’t mean anything anymore…but, wouldn’t it be kind of cool for the kids who love the Wolfpack from all over the region – not just the ones who live in Raleigh – to have the chance to experience a day with the basketball team program? How many parents in Charlotte or Hickory or New Bern or Wilmington can justify the negative impact on their child’s schedule and school work to get home after midnight on a Wednesday night?

Look…I get the point and understand most of the pending retorts – ‘if I REALLY wanted to come see the Red/White event then I would leave work early on Wednesday to drive 3 hours to watch the game and then drive back to get home close to 1am like I do during the basketball season. What is one more expensive night sacrificed to the road for the Wolfpack?’

But, it is not about “me”. These events used to always be much more about the experience and the bond that they create with young fans. Not those like me that are already hopelessly committed to the Pack.

Regardless, there is a BIG difference between the schedules that are put together by the ACC that require balance/equity and the exercising of free-will to CHOOSE to schedule this event on a Wednesday night as opposed to a weekend. ESPECIALLY when the Wednesday night time conflicts with Chuck Amato’s radio show!!

What next? How about scheduling Coach Lowe’s FIRST REGULAR SEASON GAME on a weekend when the football team is out of town and the most rabid fans have already booked their travel to the football game! (I’ll save that one for another time).

I’m just looking for some insight into the “thinking” behind the “strategy” of this scheduling decision. Thanks.

SFN encourages you to click here for a very relevant and related entry to this topic.

General NC State Administration NCS Basketball

65 Responses to WEDNESDAY’s Red vs White Game

  1. wufpack 10/23/2006 at 4:50 PM #

    The GT game is November 4. The first exhibition basketball game is November 3. That wouldn’t have worked very well. I would imagine that in the future this will continue to be tied to football games, there just wasn’t one in the right time period this year. I agree that it’s piss-poor planning to do it on a Wednesday night, however.

  2. choppack1 10/23/2006 at 5:02 PM #

    “SFN: Students are around on the weekends as much as they are during the week. The Wednesday start time limits the potential audience for the event significantly more than a weekend schedule. I just don’t understand why they would not want to make the event as accessible to as many fans as possible.”

    Well, I’d say more students are around during the week than the weekend and they may be more likely to get student participation if it’s during the schoolweek, because there are more entertainment options on a weekend. Also, like I said, we should probably consider the women’s b’ball game as a potential factor.

    This weekend I’d be out anyhoo – going to Charlottesville.

  3. old13 10/23/2006 at 5:12 PM #

    Foulup needs to take the remedial course for finding one’s rear end with both hands! Then he needs to be FIRED!!

  4. Dan 10/23/2006 at 5:22 PM #

    What else is that there is the first ‘Canes home game in two weeks on Wednesday as well.

    Its almost the perfect screw up.

  5. joe 10/23/2006 at 5:45 PM #

    I know TV has controlled FB game times before, but maybe Lowe didn’t like the uncertainty of the game time while Sendek didn’t mind.

  6. Cardiff Giant 10/23/2006 at 6:02 PM #

    I’ll take “Lee Fowler Is A Dumb Ass” for $500, Alex.

  7. Jeremy Hyatt 10/23/2006 at 6:49 PM #

    I’m not going but I put my money on State. j/k

  8. redfred2 10/23/2006 at 7:28 PM #

    I am going to take a wild shot here and say that Red and White games are also for the players, maybe??? Possibly the new coach??? Kind of the intimate introduction between Wolfpack fans before the season. Only this one is ringing in a whole new era in Wolfpack basketball???

    Wednesday night. Just like the first team media event and the lack lustre introduction of Sidney at the BC game. Boy, all of the planning and the hoop la involved so far, these guys in the AD and SID are all over it.

  9. Jamie 10/23/2006 at 7:57 PM #

    Dang…didn’t realize the first real game was the night before Clemson…guess my seats will be empty for that one.

    Let’s not let that happen. I will provide a mailing address for any Basketball tickets that might want to come my way! Just putting that out there…

  10. Jamie 10/23/2006 at 8:00 PM #

    ^left the “”s off of Clarksa’s comment

  11. Slader4881 10/23/2006 at 8:04 PM #

    Face it the NCSU PR department is second rate. I really believe this kills us against other mid-tier programs. We do not have the power of Duke and UNC right now. But we should be able to hang with Wake, GT, and any other middle of the road school. If you look out there we are getting 0 attention and this is not just b/c we lost a lot of players. This is b/c the athletic dept. is not putting info out there to stir interest.

    This kind of stuff can really hurt recruiting. Thank goodness Sid was able to connect with JJ and reel him in. We will not have that ability everytime.

  12. redfred2 10/23/2006 at 9:10 PM #

    ^Lee Fowler is still ducking for cover and uncertain of every move he has made to date. He will not stick his neck out any further and he’ll keep a safe distance from the basketball program until he is absolutely sure it is safe, for his own skin.

    This great re-invention of basketball at NC State is being conducted just as it has been in the past, another totally hands-off venture by the whole Athletics Department.

    It is a HUGE non-event.

  13. Woof Wolf 10/23/2006 at 9:32 PM #

    The coaches and players get a weekend off. They probably won’t get two or three more for the next five months.

    How many fanatics like us would drive two or more hours on a Saturday, when there is a road football game on TV, to see an intra-squad game? 200? Surely no more than 500. All the guys with airplanes, and most with motor homes, will be in Charlotteville.

    I’m not sure it was so stupid to play it when you probably attract more students. The big money guys who want to be there will be there. So they piss off a few of us, but do what is probably better for the students, players and coaches.

  14. Wolfpack4ever 10/23/2006 at 10:15 PM #

    When I saw it on the Jumbotron, I thought that it had to do with Kay Yow and promotion of breast cancer cure, although I find the other speculations here more entertaining. I remeber thinking how cool it was of Sid to do the announcement with her and how cool it was for Sid to play an active role in that. My second thought was that it might have something to do with promoting women’s basketball.

    I’ve had a change in life, something like male mental pause. I used to be so negative. 😉

  15. newswolf 10/23/2006 at 10:15 PM #

    Hopefully “I know basketball” has gained all the weight back from the tough month when he had to do his job.

  16. Woof Wolf 10/23/2006 at 10:33 PM #

    I can identify with “male mental pause.”

  17. redfred2 10/23/2006 at 10:39 PM #

    There should be an air excitement everywhere, for the brand NEW coaches they just hired and the kids who will be trying their hardest to get started on the right foot again. But whole this stinking university just lies there.

    It is being run by second rate individuals who are more low lifes than any so called “COW HANDS” that were here the previous twenty five years. Fortunately the school is pretty much carrying itself. Those deadweights in place are getting results to match their unimaginative management skills. The more closely I watch the day to day events as they aren’t unfolding around this NEW basketball program, the more I am losing interest and getting really fed up with this whole place.

    I’ve been beaten down too. I’m about ready to take the hands off approach to NC State University myself.

  18. Lock 10/24/2006 at 3:43 AM #

    M…maybe we’re just trying to make as many mistakes as we can this year, the year we know it’s going to be rough, so that everything looks that much better two, three years from now?

    Maybe?

    (No, I don’t buy that either. If we could turn all that pressure we put on Sendek and put it on Fowler now, that WOULD be nice if things keep up this way…).

  19. Pack Laddie 10/24/2006 at 7:42 AM #

    “This is so stupid. We are in desprate need of a media relations person… How about a NCSU v. VA big screen football game in RBC followed by the red – white game?”

    That would not be media relations job. Setting something like that up would fall to Wolfpack Sports Marketing.

    But, you would have the same problem of a lot of people being in C-ville, that would also like to see the R/W game.

    I think the women (Nora Lynn and Kay) had more to do with setting this up than Sid, or even Fowler. And that is my problem with it. I have no interest whatever in seeing womens basketball, and don’t like being force fed a doubleheader.

    I know in the past, Herb had 100% control of when the R/W game was going to be, and at what time it was going to be. So, the possibility of this being another QJ gaffe is very real.

  20. RAWFS 10/24/2006 at 8:08 AM #

    I’m wondering if Nora Finch had something to do with this….

  21. Pack Laddie 10/24/2006 at 8:15 AM #

    RAWFS–I would bet that she did.

    There is a reason that the womens basketball program is known as The Royal Family by the rest of the department.

  22. DRW 10/24/2006 at 8:47 AM #

    Received this email reply from ‘Jed’ Fowler concerning the R/W game:

    “Thanks. We always have done the games around home football games. Theschediule didn’t work this year. Sorry! Go Pack! “

  23. Girlfriend in a Coma 10/24/2006 at 9:19 AM #

    I can guarantee you this was set up by the Royal Family. QJ not having clue #1 just worked to give Nora and Kay 100% of the scheduling power.

    The QJ situation concerns me a lot more than the Red/White game.

  24. Pack Laddie 10/24/2006 at 9:25 AM #

    I have heard that the women will have their “scrimmage” first tomorrow night.

    I can assure you that was because Nora Lynn did not want to see the mass exodus that would have occurred if the men played first.

  25. Dan 10/24/2006 at 9:25 AM #

    Speaking of recruiting. CJ Williams bothers me a bit.

    1) Johnny Thomas is already a 6-5 “SF” that signed this year. Why are we accepting an early committ from a mid-ranked 6-4 “SF” for next year?

    2) Since when do three star recruits sign a year early?

    3) Lowe just landed JJ Hickson. He can recruit. Why not leave yourself more options?

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