Monte Towe On The PG Situation

07-08 Basketball General NCS Basketball Sidney Lowe20

“We can be good, we just need to stop getting hurt,” said assistant coach Monte Towe, a former playmaker for the school.

If the Wolfpack had lost Iowa State transfer guard Farnold Degand, then there would be some cause for alarm. Degand is going to be the starting point guard. He will be the most scrutinized player on a team that is supposed to be an ACC contender and a legit NCAA Tournament team.

“Farnold is fast with the ball, he can really push it,” said Towe, who added that Farnold, who sat out last season, still needs to figure out when to pull it back and when to surge. Still, Farnold will be the reason the Wolfpack can run this season, much more than a year ago when they were led by steady guard Engin Atsur.

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07-08 Basketball General NCS Basketball Sidney Lowe

20 Responses to Monte Towe On The PG Situation

  1. RabidWolf 09/26/2007 at 10:47 PM #

    OMFG! First the FB team, now the bug hits the BB squad!!! We need someone to catch the injury bug and send it to CH!

  2. PackGirl 09/27/2007 at 9:05 AM #

    “Farnold…still needs to figure out when to pull it back and when to surge.” I hope this isn’t code for “Farnold is a turnover machine.” I am probably just paranoid after last seaon.

  3. Texpack 09/27/2007 at 9:22 AM #

    I sat through Spud Webb’s first year at State thinking the same thing about Spud. Monte and Sidney can only teach so much, so we’ll just have to see how good this kid’s instincts are. There will be help mid year in the worst case scenario. Hopefully, we won’t really need PG help at that point.

  4. noah 09/27/2007 at 9:51 AM #

    I was thinking about Kelsey Weems.

  5. Todd 09/27/2007 at 9:54 AM #

    Did you read the spotlight on State b-ball on Rivals preseason top 64? They talked about Johnson being a “pass-first” type of point guard and seamed to predict he would be starting as soon as eligable. Any opinions on that? I’ve mostly heard him called a combo-guard, and no other predictions of his starting.

  6. haze 09/27/2007 at 1:20 PM #

    We probably don’t have a single PG that any Pack fan outside of the team’s inner circle has ever seen play more than once or twice. We’re right to be concerned but probably wrong to think that there is any validity to our comparisons.

    This is a true box of chocolates.

  7. redfred2 09/27/2007 at 1:21 PM #

    I thank goodness he was here, I never blamed him for the *SLOW* style of play, and I will always remember Engin Atsur as one of the most reliable players ever in a Wolfpack uniform. But now, let’s see how it is when we are the ones who are relentlessly pushing it down the opposition’s throat for a change.

    It will hopefully be a smoother offense without all the constant pauses to stop, reset, and the start the offense all over again anyway. It’ll be like Christmas for me just to see someone push the ball across the timeline instead of walking it up.

    Again, even with the injuries, we already have options available in this second season. That’s unbelievable.

  8. packbackr04 09/27/2007 at 3:48 PM #

    GOD HATES US

  9. vtpackfan 09/27/2007 at 4:47 PM #

    ““Farnold…still needs to figure out when to pull it back and when to surge.” I hope this isn’t code for “Farnold is a turnover machine.” I am probably just paranoid after last seaon.”

    Stay on the positive side as the Coaches do in their way of thinking and communicating (well most Coachs until we got our hands on TOB and turned his like up side down).

    It’s not that the ability to push the ball down peoples throat creates a ton of TO’s that concerns me (and possibly the Coachs). Its that we have what most college teams don’t have, a Coach who saw it all as a player and thought much like a coach who has turned into a Coach who still see’s miss matchs and plays like he was still an abled bodied PG.

    What use is that if the current PG can’t control himself or the ball long enough to recieve and initiate a play? Sid does as much if not more play calling when the shot clock is moving and the ball is across half court (remember the whistle everyone).

    We were in dire straits after Atsur left. Wright wouldn’t come and most of the other talented pg had already been taken. Degand was available so we took him. He is not the “run the show” type PG if you define it as Lowe’ Show. He is a PG alot like the John Wall show, meaning it’s all about HIS speed, and HIS aggresiveness. I hope he plays solid defense and stays healty, that’s really all you can expect this early.

    I’ve seen MJ play a few times. He is strong and uses his body protect the ball well. Make no mistakes about it, once you see his outside shot you will ask no questions pretaining to the “pass first” mentality. In the running with GG for craziest looking perimenter shot.

  10. haze 09/27/2007 at 4:59 PM #

    ^ AG and Jules could get in that crazy perimeter shot game too…

  11. redfred2 09/27/2007 at 5:52 PM #

    It’s hard to figure that he has a bad outside shot because as we’ve discussed on here before MJ was listed mostly as a #2 in the HS recruiting rankings.

  12. Astral Rain2 09/28/2007 at 10:01 AM #

    What is it about here and weird-shooting SGs? Is there like some weirdness magnet on Hillsborough that attracts ugly-looking shots that work?

  13. nycfan 09/28/2007 at 11:03 AM #

    That does sound like coach-speak for turnovers are a problem, but if you increase the pace of the game, you can afford more turnovers b/c you have more possessions.

    I only know what I’ve ready about Degand since he committed to State, so I don’t know much about his game except that he is tall for a PG and reportedly quick and he has not played in a real game in 2 years, which could in and of itself contribute to turnover problems (but should also contribute to an ability to pull himself up the learning curve a lot quicker than an 18-year-old freshman). Who knows, though, maybe it is a blessing in disguise that he will probably go the first month with no back-up — a guy like that needs all the real game experience he can get.

  14. Luke12321 09/28/2007 at 12:47 PM #

    I have heard MJ is very strong with the ball, which might be what we need. Running and pushing the ball with MJ would probably be less but so would turnovers in theory. Anyone who has watched MJ play/pratice, rumor is about this ugly shooting form. I don’t care what it looks like, how effective is it? We just need someone who can knock down the 3 when they are standing wide open. With our post players, wide open 3’s will be presented quited often.

  15. redfred2 09/28/2007 at 5:39 PM #

    Not that we want him to focus on it, but Costner can definitely make the shot from way downtown. Unorthodox or not, Gavin Grant should let it fly this season, he has come through with some huge threes at the most critical times. We know Fells can shoot it too, if he’ll just stay involved in the offense. Same with Horner. But it would be great to have a competent defender who is a pure, cold blooded *SHOOTER*, and someone who is always in the back of the defender’s minds. Not likely again, but someone along the lines of a Terry Gannon. That would mean that the Wolfpack could pressure with speed, take it inside, outside, and all around the town.

    For the first time in forever, it will be a blast watching as this group of kids develops into the positions and the roles that they’re best suited to play.

  16. TNCSU 09/28/2007 at 5:52 PM #

    ^^We just need someone who can knock down the 3 when they are standing wide open. With our post players, wide open 3’s will be presented quited often.

    Horner, Fells, Grant, Fergie, Javi – in that order would be my guess.

  17. PackGirl 09/28/2007 at 6:11 PM #

    I’d put my money on Horner too. He was really looking good towards the end of last season. If he has continued to develop over the off-season, he should get more minutes and more 3-pt opportunties this year. I know he added 20 lbs since last year.

  18. vtpackfan 09/28/2007 at 9:03 PM #

    We were one of the top ten 2 pt. shooting fg offenses in the nation last year. That number really didn’t vary greatly when Atsur returned to the line up. It could be explained a little by what Red mentioned above about not have a cold blooded sniper outside yet, and partly because GG and Costner occupy the lanes more then the perimeter.

    It also goes back to the Tomatoe on the sideline with the trademark whistle. He see’s mismatchs in real time like a bird of prey spots a ruffle of tall grass made by it’s next meal. These mismatchs create quality high percentage shaots that also put the oppnent at risk of causing a foul. I love it, and when run right it creates such a high level of confidence in our players all the while demoralizing the opposing team (glad you already lost your hair Greenburg?).

    Three’s will be available, but it’s not this coach’s bread and butter. Leave the drive and pitch out to the hall of famers like K and Huckleberry Roy. When we get the right players in we will foul out all your big men and glue players till all you have left is five on the court practicing the weave and heave. Go Pack!

    (Can you tell I really caught up in football season now or what?)

  19. primacyone 09/28/2007 at 9:56 PM #

    “It also goes back to the Tomatoe on the sideline with the trademark whistle. He see’s mismatchs in real time like a bird of prey spots a ruffle of tall grass made by it’s next meal. These mismatchs create quality high percentage shaots that also put the oppnent at risk of causing a foul. I love it, and when run right it creates such a high level of confidence in our players all the while demoralizing the opposing team (glad you already lost your hair Greenburg?).”

    This is worth repeating a couple of more times. Because it is the truth. We really don’t need to talk to even talk about NCSU basketball in any other realm until the season starts. I know we will talk about plenty of other stuff, be we could not and it would all come down to this.

    I know a lot of people on here remember the greatness and incredilbe talent of Lefty, Norm, Dean, Jimmy V, Terry Holland in his prime, Bobby Cremmins in his prime, even Cliff Ellis to some extent. Just great basketball coaches, no matter who they had on the team. I know a of people on here don’t rembember the greatness of those.

    I do remember the great coaching ability. And I remember it from a analytical standpoint. So when I say this, I refererence what VT said and what I remember. Those that remember will understand, those that don’t remember will probably not really know what I am talking about, but based on what I saw last year:

    I truly believe that Sidney Lowe could be the best of them all.

  20. redfred2 09/30/2007 at 11:42 AM #

    ^Sidney Lowe played for the best in the country in HS. He was then recruitted by a coach who’d won a national championship, but he ended up playing for someone else. He played a key role, if not “THE” key role, in making that coach/university a national champion again. When you have a kid, a student, a player, or any person who really wants to accomplish in a particular field, they need spend time with the masters, folks who’ve already been there and know how to get it done.

    I watched Sidney Lowe play the game, he knows. He knows how to get it done NOT for the sake of Sidney Lowe, but for the sake of the team and the university, and while getting EVERYONE involved in the effort. He has it all in my opinion, and possibly not having the coaching pedigree that some would have wanted to see in Raleigh this time around, and not being the marque name (just YET), is the best thing that we have going for us in a Sidney Lowe. Just like back in 83, when he totally ran the show and took it straight to every challenger who ever underestimated him and his teammates.

    “I truly believe that Sidney Lowe could be the best of them all.”

    This is a coach who studied under the best and picked up bits and pieces at every turn, yet he’s staying he’s staying true to himself and not trying to copy anyone or be anyone else other than Sidney Lowe. If he can continue to do just that, and while being back at the school that shunned those memories for too long, then what primacy said ^ would only be natural progression.

    No matter what you thought of Jim Valvano, but purely in the aspect of teaching basketball, inspiration, and building confidence in young men’s lives for whatever they chose to after their college years, Valvano had few rivals that could even come close to his examples. I expect we will be seeing that same type of kid/leader/future coach being turned out again at NCSU, all inspired by Morgan Wooten, Norm Sloan, Jim Valvano, as passed along through Sidney Lowe eyes.

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