Not Tired Wolfpack is New Attitude

06-07 Basketball General Sidney Lowe90

On the back of this entry by Tom Suiter, we get more great praise for our Wolfpack today!

As I write this, it’s late and I’m tired, but if the N.C. State basketball team can keep doing it, I suppose I can stay up just a little longer. I know I can’t be as tired as those guys.

I don’t know what the State basketball team is eating and drinking but whatever it is we all need to have some of it. Somehow, someway, this team which has to be running on fumes, keeps playing winning basketball. They’re like that Energizer bunny: they just don’t wear down.

The NIT selection committee gave the Wolfpack, coming off four grueling days at the ACC tournament, the almost impossible task of having to play a fifth game in six days and do it on the road to boot. The Pack could have moaned and groaned said, “Who cares about the NIT. Let’s just get this over with and take a break.”

But not this team, which since last Thursday has found something deep inside them that has transformed this 10th-seed in the ACC tournament to something that is becoming a little bit special. It’s usually hard to get excited about a team that’s just 19-15, and I almost never care about the NIT, but the grit and determination that this weary team has shown has to be admired. At least that’s what I’m thinking.

Tuesday night, having been exiled to Philadelphia for its first-round game, N.C. State turns back Drexel, coming from behind to do it by the 63-56 score. Drexel was bitter about being excluded from the NCAA tournament. The way State’s gutting it out, they have more right to complain about being left out of the big show than Drexel does.

There’s no question State had to reach way down into the well of emotion to win this one, but again the heart was there.The legs got a little rubbery, but the will to win was very much present. There’s no question a strong will can overcome a lot.

I’m watching this game and State’s down 15-4 and I’m thinking, “Well they don’t have it, the legs are gone.” That’s what you don’t say about this group. Maybe a week ago you could, but you can’t now. These guys just don’t quit. State keeps battling.

Five games in six days, four of them wins, none of them at home. What Sidney Lowe is selling, the team is buying. “We talk about being mentally tough and focused, taking what we want and not what they’re giving us.”

Sure it’s just the NIT, but that’s a championship to be won.

Seems like it, doesn’t it?

I know that I don’t have to highlight this to a lot of you…but, don’t you see the beauty in this? Don’t you recognize the significant change around both the macro and the micro ‘attitude’ of the NC State Basketball program?

Suiter, and much of the country, are talking about NC State’s spirit and the renewed passion around the program. (So much for the myth that ‘continuity’ is so important to a program. That is bullshit. Continuity MAY SOMETIMES be relevant when taking a narrow view of looking at the ‘next season’…but it is irrelevant on the progress of a program).

Basically – NO EXCUSES will be tolerated. Allowing yourself to wallow in excuses and look for reasons to rationalize issues only opens the door to conveying blame onto

Sound familiar?

When was the last time we really had this can-do spirit in Raleigh? When was the last time a Wolfpack team seemed to openly welcome any any all challenges despite the odds? Even Engin Atsur’s injury this year was carefully positioned as something that was obvious, but was no excuse for not trying to make good things happen.

Even before the ACC season got rolling, beowulf indentified a trend directly related to the new spirit in Raleigh when he penned – No Lead is Safe from Sidney Lowe’s Wolfpack.

This was quite a departure for many Wolfpack fans who innately believed that once a Wolfpack team falls behind by 8 to 10 points then there is no chance for a comeback. Why should they believe differently? They had 15 years of experience that taught them to believe it.

Conversely, it is just part of WolfpackNation’s psyche to expect the bottom to eventually drop out of any lead that the Pack builds. And we aren’t talking about just individual ball games. Does anyone remember the entire second half of the 2001 season? Talk about mental fortitude!

It would blow all of us away if we went back and analyzed the differential between the number of ‘leads lost’ and ‘comebacks’ at NC State over the last decade. It would be staggering.

Hell, one year after collapsing and losing a double digit lead in the last ten minutes half of the ACC Championship game – Herb Sendek’s BEST TEAM in his BEST SEASON managed to be the victim of the worst collapse in ACC Tournament history and produce one of the Top 10 collapses in NCAA Tournament history within one week of each other!!

By contrast, Sidney Lowe’s first team pulled off the second largest comeback in the history of the ACC Tournament that was second only to Maryland’s defeat of Sendek’s Pack in 2004.

This is just one set of specific examples to exemplify the change in NC State Basketball. But, the difference in attitude and environment around the program is very important to publicly recognize and not to ignore!

The Pack Pride here is reciprocal. NC State fans should be extremely proud of the Wolfpack’s 2006-2007! And, the NC State basketball program should be very proud of the support of its fan base who sold out Reynolds Coliseum in just three and half hours yesterday in hopes to show their appreciation and support to the team.

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06-07 Basketball General Sidney Lowe

90 Responses to Not Tired Wolfpack is New Attitude

  1. beowolf 03/15/2007 at 2:47 PM #

    Yeah, they need to come up with a better name that [name-of-the-coach]VILLE.

    “Lowe’s Den” might be better.

  2. primacyone 03/15/2007 at 2:57 PM #

    The LOWElands. The …ville is a take off of the Dukies K-ville.

    “It’s going to be sold out and it’s going to be loud,” said Lowe, who played his home games at Reynolds when he was the Pack’s point guard in the early 1980s. “I don’t think our players have ever experienced anything like they’re going to experience on Friday.”

    “They’ve never been in the environment that they’re going to be in, I can almost guarantee that,” Lowe said. “There will be NC State fans at their finest and their best in Reynolds. It’s just a different atmosphere. I’m just glad that we have another arena that we can still call home.”

  3. Dan 03/15/2007 at 3:02 PM #

    Red Jacket Station.

  4. beowolf 03/15/2007 at 3:05 PM #

    The Red Coats are coming!

  5. Cosmo96 03/15/2007 at 3:13 PM #

    Because I’ve been an NC State fan since the early ’90’s, the optimism was beaten out of me a long time ago, and it will take some time for me to fully recover it. I already start to feel a change, though. The games no longer follow the same script. I don’t have to worry about the game automatically being over if we fall behind by a little, or suffer with the knowledge that any lead we have is bound to be blown. I’m still getting used to it.

    However, the pessimist in me is stubborn and well-entrenched. There have already been rumblings about possible NBA interest in Sidney, and I’ve been wary all year about the prospect of Tracy Smith actually making it to campus. I also think people underestimate Atsur’s importance to the team and the run they’ve made. Degand or whoever will have very big shoes to fill, and I think that will determine the course of our season next year.

    I think the clouds over our program are starting to dissipate, and the forecast is good, but I still can’t see the sun yet.

  6. LRM 03/15/2007 at 3:16 PM #

    You know, Sunday afternoon while watching a Rick Barnes coached Texas team lose for the second time in a week to Kansas after blowing a huge lead each time — it’s inexplicable that a) Barnes was in zone in the last minute of the Big XII title game against a team that was hitting everything it shot and b) not getting the ball in the last three minutes of a tied game to arguably the best college basketball player since Tim Duncan — I kept thinking how close we were to having a Rick Barnes coached team that lost to Duke Thursday night in the tourney after McRoberts’ nasty dunk with a couple minutes to play.

    I thought we missed out big time on Barnes. I thought we’d hired the guy that we knew would say yes.

    Sometimes it’s good to be wrong.

  7. beowolf 03/15/2007 at 3:24 PM #

    Hiring Barnes would have told the basketball world IMMEDIATELY that NC State was a force to be reckoned with.1 It would have jump-started the resurrection process. That’s one reason I wanted Barnes so bad (others included his great job at Clemson and Texas, his stated interest in NC State, and his lack of fear of Dean).

    But I was jazzed about Lowe’s hiring because he truly is ONE OF US. I believed he would restore NC State’s tradition and competitiveness, and he has, a little faster than I dared hope. Now I hope that this mental toughness, never-say-die and never-back-down attitude we’ve seen is what we can expect from all of Lowe’s teams. Since it’s consistent with his attitude as a player — NO turnovers in the national championship game, several steals and baskets down the stretch, for instance — I have no reason to think we won’t.

    ====

    1. Ironically, our hiring of Boston College’s all-time-winningest FOOTBALL coach made that statement to the football world.

  8. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 03/15/2007 at 3:33 PM #

    “hey we are going to play ECU. so it cant hurt our OOC SOS RPI to play fordham could it..”

    We will always have the UNC-G, A’s, W’s and Florida Atlantics of the world on our schedule so Fordham won’t hurt our RPI. As QJackson said you don’t want to schedule Sid out of a job.

    Sid won’t be going to the NBA but Foul-up should be working to get Sid Barnes/Calipari money very quickly.

  9. RedTerror29 03/15/2007 at 3:39 PM #

    I think the NBA threat will force our hand giving Sid a big fat raise sooner than might be prudent. But, of course, as long as his teams come through on the court that’s a moot point.

  10. Dan 03/15/2007 at 3:49 PM #

    We need to drop ECU off our schedule until they go at least two years in a row in the RPI top 150. Its not that I hate ECU. I hate scheduling teams that kill our RPI and offer absolutely nothing postive.

    Fordham had a 108 RPI. Its a program on the upswing. I’d love to play them. Once they get that new gym built, we ought to schedule a home at home with Whitt. Get into NYC for some recruiting.

  11. primacyone 03/15/2007 at 3:58 PM #

    Cosmo96.

    Hang in there. It’s unfortunate, almost even an accidental waste of time on earth, but like many others you got Herbinized.

    When the pack lost you were depressed versus being pissed off at the other team. You were starting to believe the UNC game was just another game. You were okay with just falling back when down by 9 with 40 some seconds left in the ACC Championship game in 1997. You were lead to believe that shooting 35% percent from the three point line was better than shooting 50% overall. You were lead to believe that when a runner was on his way to a fast break slam that was a great time to call a timeout. You were told that timeouts were just to get some water and make sure everybody’s shoes were tied. It’s was suggested that if you had a big man that could take to it to the hole on anybody and everybody that he was better off standing at the top of the key so he could draw his defender out and someone else could get off a three with the shot clock expiring. It was suggested that no in game adjustments were ever needed and you should always stick to the game plan you thought up last year. Heck, you were probably on the verge of believing that the Wolfpack – the team that made the ACC what is today – would never again be able to compete with Duke and UNC.

    It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself. It happend to a lot of others. Don’t worry, all is not lost. You had enough energy to show up here. You had enough heart to tell the world you got Herbed. You had enough desire to not quit and to never give up. You know the sun is out there, you are just not sure what it looks like and if what your are seeing is for real.

    Just pick you head up, get up out of that hard ass Herby chair and go out and buy you a brand spanking new red coat. Don’t get any old red coat. Get one customed made – to fit just perfect. Get one with your named stitched inside. Get one you can give to your grandkids. You’ll need one soon and when you do, you will understand why and you will be glad you have it and you will understand exactly why you have it hanging in your closet.

    I’ve heard that over the past week even Lee Fowler himself has become a believer and has himself purchased a red jacket. And he was really Herbied. If there’s hope for Lee, there’s hope for you. Just hang in there and believe in your wolfpack faith.

    Sidney Lowe can coach like there is no tomorrow. Sidney Lowe can recruit with the best of them. Sidney Lowe knows what a time out is for. Sindey Lowe has already beaten UNC and Duke and he wore a red coat both times. Sidney Lowe would never work for Michael Jordan. Sidney Lowe is a believer. Sidney Lowe understands. Sidney Lowe has faith. Sidney Lowe is for real. NC State Basketball is for real.

    Go get that jacket. The son has risen.

  12. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 03/15/2007 at 4:10 PM #

    The red jacket is acceptable but do I have to buy a Norm Sloan jacket too? I want to see Sid get a white coat to wear with a red shirt and tie. Then again, basketball season isn’t during the time when wearing white is acceptable.

  13. noah 03/15/2007 at 4:12 PM #

    You don’t have to get a coat custom-made. You just have to have it tailored well. And that’s not going to happen somewhere like Belks.

    You’re going to look like a waiter with too-big armholes and odd lapels and you’re going to float in it (or it will be too tight).

    A good tailor can make an off-the-rack suit look really good.

  14. PackGirl 03/15/2007 at 4:17 PM #

    That would be cool if alot of the guys in attendance could wear red blazers tomorrow night. I guess it might be tough to find one on a moment’s notice. I’m thinking Sid will wear his – given the atmosphere for the game.

  15. Cosmo96 03/15/2007 at 4:18 PM #

    “You had enough heart to tell the world you got Herbed. ”

    “…even Lee Fowler himself has become a believer and has himself purchased a red jacket. And he was really Herbied.”

    LOL! I never hated Herb, but I realized a long time ago that he had plateued….and yet he remained for a long time after. That left me with the sense that no matter how good things seemed, it was only a matter of time before the other shoe dropped (I got Herbed). It’s a major paradigm shift just to get out of that mindset.

  16. redfred2 03/15/2007 at 4:21 PM #

    “THE TOMATO PATCH”

  17. CarnifeX 03/15/2007 at 4:26 PM #

    +1 Primacyone. Nice f’n post!

  18. beowolf 03/15/2007 at 4:30 PM #

    primacyone!

  19. newt 03/15/2007 at 4:30 PM #

    If I’m the gopack store, I’m stocking a decent red blazer ASAP.

    The feelings expressed in this thread about Sid are no accident. Sidney’s first statement to the fans who came out to meet him after his introductory press conference was “You know what you’ve got with me because I’m someone who believes.”

    The question he was answering was not stated out loud, but he knew the question anyway, because he is one of us.

    So the change in attitude is not surprising. As he said, we know what we have.

    What we didn’t know that has been great to discover is how well he coaches the game of basketball.

  20. GAWolf 03/15/2007 at 4:37 PM #

    Sorry for double-dipping but I was right proud of these two posts that got left way back on the Marist thread:

    I’ve received several emails over the last few days from various people that say MJ wearing the red blazer could mean way more than we first realized. There’s a rumor floating around that the Bobcats might be trying to court Sid.

    If we’re going to give Fowler any credit whatsoever, it’s time to give Sid a raise and a contract extension. Maybe not a Pete Gillian-esque extension for umpteen years and a bajillion dollars, but we need to do something for Sid to show we’re committed to him and we want nothing more than for him to be committed to us.

    We can’t dream of competing with NBA money, but this game in Reynolds might be more perfectly timed than we realized. Hopefully this game will make Sid remember/realize that the college game has so much more to offer than the NBA from an intangible standpoint.

    I truly expect this game to be more electric than any game in Reynold’s history. While it’s hard to say that considering I saw us beat the #1 ranked Tarheels there while in college… this game has all the criteria for hysteria.

    1) Friday night: few of the fans will have to rise early and work… lots of boozed up and rowdy fans.

    2) Very late tip: this furthers the point of #1, but puts this concept almost beyond predictability. No work + lots of time to drink = possibly the roudiest collection of fans EVER at the Old Barn

    3) Excitement: The fanbase as a whole hasn’t seen this sort of buzz of excitement in a decade. There’s hope for better things to come and I think our fans’ demeanor will show that.

    4) Appreciation: Who doesn’t want to rub Sid’s bald head in admiration and love? We love the guy. The world loves the guy. Hell even the Big Bad Media loves the guy. This game gives us a chance to show our appreciation for Sid and our boys. We didn’t think we were going to have that opportunity, but amazingly enough we do. Something bigger than basketball will be going on inside Reynolds tomorrow night, and again I think our fans will be up for the job at hand.

    5) This is a big game: Like it or not, we’re in the NIT. We can prove to the world that we’re making a strong charge back to the upper-echelon of college basketball. There’s a lot on the line here.

    6) It’s Reynolds: Reynolds to our younger fans will be like a magic shop to a little kid. Expect the kids to pull a rabbit out of the hat and truly up the bar for even Pack students of yesteryear.

    7) The ticket sales: Beyond being a sell out, the tickets aren’t going to that many 80 year old alumni. When I was a student it was tough raising hell and looking up in the stands and seeing half of the upperdeck sitting in their seats. The big money guys likely weren’t on their toes enough to get too many of the seats. I expect the crowd to be young, enthusiastic and all around on their feets.

    All in all, this seriously could be the most deafening, ridiculous showing of fan support EVER in the history of NC State basketball. Seriously. Geterdid.

  21. RedTerror29 03/15/2007 at 4:55 PM #

    I will be there and rowdy. It’s going to be a long, LONG time before I get a chance to sit this close to the game again. Straining to see from the upper reaches of the RBC center just ain’t the same.

  22. redfred2 03/15/2007 at 4:55 PM #

    primacyone

    beowulf’s picture/post already hit it on the head, but great there man!!!

  23. packwolf90 03/15/2007 at 4:58 PM #

    I heard someone say that the endzone bleachers have been removed. so is there only seats on the sides of the court? i don’t understand this, i know it’s a really long building but if i had to sit in the endzone i would.

  24. PackGirl 03/15/2007 at 5:04 PM #

    Very nice article on packpride. My feelings exactly.

    http://northcarolinastate.scout.com/2/627068.html

  25. burnbarn 03/15/2007 at 5:24 PM #

    Just confirmed from my pal at WTVD

    This just in.. NCSU vs Marist on TWC 212 or 11.2 Saturday at 8pm!

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