N&O: 15 Reasons for 15 Losses

07-08 Basketball NCS Basketball73

SFN will have a lot of analysis regarding the 2007-2008 NC State Basketball season and the future of the Wolfpack Basketball Program when this season mercifully comes to a conclusion.

Today, the News & Observer‘s Chip Alexander chimed in with a very good look back at 15 reasons why the Wolfpack stunk it up this year. The article is a quick read despite its thoroughness.

The 15 individual points can be grouped under three primary categories that we discuss below:

(1) Point Guard
Alexander specifically mentions the key injury to starter, Farnold Degand, in the 10th game of the season as point #4 but more than half of Alexanders points have some relevancy to the point guard position.

There is NO DOUBT that Degand’s injury took the Wolfpack off course for the season; there is also no doubt that Degand’s injury did not take the Wolfpack as far off course as the ship ended the season.

If Degand can stay healthy, the Wolfpack’s prospects at the point guard position improve next year as both Degand and Javi Gonzalez have shown flashes of skills and all indications are that in-coming recruit Julius Mays can provide stability and leadership as a combo-guard. If everyone remains healthy, I don’t expect Marques Johnson to see any time in a Wolfpack uniform for the foreseeable future. See the third category – Personnel – for more on this topic.

(2) Coaching
Alexander’s comments politely address the significant coaching problems that came to the surface in obvious ways this season. He addresses some of the ‘macro’ (organizational) issues in point #15, and discusses some of the ‘micro’ (execution) issues with points #9 – Scheduling and #13 – Smarts.

Alexander hints, but doesn’t go as far as to be as blunt as we will – the coaching job for this season was nothing short of atrocious. It was an unmitigated disaster. As we stated in the previous paragraph – State’s problems are both macro and micro in nature. Not a good combination. There are fundamental problems that stem from a horrendous organizational framework as well unprofessional execution.

The problems started the moment the Wolfpack lost in the NIT to West Virgina. Most of the staff spent most of the summer lobbying for money and spending inordinate amounts of time alumni. The team ultimately reported for the season in the worst collective shape of any NC State Basketball team in memory. That was just the beginning….

We will have A LOT more on this key piece of the problem in the future. In short, Coach Lowe CAN improve the leadership and coaching within this program; but, it will require tough decisions and a lot of organizational changes.

(3) Personnel
Personnel is a key component to our woes that a lot people don’t like to discuss because they feel like they are being tough on the kids. Alexander chooses to discuss this topic in the following points:

* (7) N.C. State doesn’t have good overall team quickness. The Pack’s reaction time in rebounding, recognizing screens and providing help defense has been too slow.

* (10) – Player regression. Looking at the returning players from last season, a good argument can be made that Costner, Ben McCauley and Dennis Horner took steps backward this season in terms of player development and improvement.

* (11) – Limited offensive options. The Pack doesn’t have enough guys who can slash to the basket or break down the defense off the dribble, nor is it a good running team. That means State must execute its set halfcourt offense extremely well to win.

* (12) – Leadership. Does the Pack have a leader? If so, it was hard to discern.

It is perfectly fair and accurate to use this issue as a reason for optimism in the future for State fans.

Coach Lowe inherited a program that ONE player who had ever seen significant playing time (Engin Atsur) and only six or seven total scholarship players. This general dearth of scholarship players was accentuated by the 2006 recruiting class basically did not exist (Dennis Horner); no true point guards behind Atsur inside of the program; and players with skills that were more suited for Sendek’s deplorable offense.

This is the primary issue that warrants the need for fans to have patience and give Coach Lowe a full cycle of three to five years to see what kind of program he can build. By all accounts, Julius Mays and CJ Williams are both athletic players who can fill three positions on the floor and who have solid basketball IQs. Add a recovering Johnny Thomas to this mix and the general composition of the Wolfpack’s roster is undergoing a transformation that needs another year to complete.

Of course, with increased athleticism and talent Coach Lowe will need to improve his staff’s intensity and commitment along with their teaching of fundamentals, rebounding and defense. If all of these things can come together in the future, then the points that BJD made in this entry from last month will mean that 2007-2008 actually was a “learning year” as opposed to a harbinger of things to come for NC State Basketball.

I hate to say it, and it makes me mad as hell to do so. But 2007-08 must be written off as a “learning year” for Sidney Lowe. Despite being an ACC school with all the institutional infrastructure needed to win, NC State is employing yet another head coach who has to learn on the job…

Guys take plays, or even whole games off. Sid shakes his head in frustration (Note to Sid – that won’t accomplish squat) – he doesn’t seem to know what to do. I don’t know if it’s a question of preparation, motivation, or both. But it is Sid’s job to fix it. And it sucks to waste an entire (once promising) season because our coach isn’t ready and is learning on the job.

But our situation is what it is. There’s no way anyone should remotely consider tossing Sid (or any coach) overboard in their first two years of a rebuilding situation. It would be unfair, expensive, and definitely make our program look bad. We hired a guy who has to learn – so let’s see if he can do it. That does not mean SFN is handing out free passes. Writing off one year for “learning” is all that I’m willing to do. We need to see evidence of maturation in three categories next year. The mileposts are difficult, but necessary.

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07-08 Basketball NCS Basketball

73 Responses to N&O: 15 Reasons for 15 Losses

  1. packbackr04 03/11/2008 at 12:31 PM #

    ^^^”In fairness, Huggins kept a lot of Belien’s offensive principles in place for this season’s WVU team rather than installing an entirely new system … There was/is some decent talent on that team coming into this season, and Huggins maybe thought keeping similar offensive schemes for the guys Belien recruited might help WVU get to the NCAA’s this year”

    we kinda had some succes with the same thing last yr, and this yr sid started using his 1 on 1 iso crap and it stunk up the season. not to dwell on the past but maybe sid should have stayed with herbs system one more season until he really got some more quickness on the team.

    also, the #9 point in Tudors article about scheduling lies on QT’s shoulders. and he is sids boy, the schedule was horrid this yr. fix it or get out QT!

  2. Howler 03/11/2008 at 12:31 PM #

    The thing that puzzles me about our coaching is that our assistants have very good credentials, above average when compared to the rest of the conference. When Coach Lowe was hired, I think that the general feeling was that our assistants could help pull him along. I am hoping that this season was some sort of aberration, an (im)perfect storm of youth, lack of chemistry, lack of a PG, offseason problems, etc. The one thing I hope has been learned is that if Coach Lowe can’t get the job done in the next couple of years, we better have a new coach all but signed up before we make a change. And that coach should be an obvious no-brainer step up (like Rick Barnes). Otherwise we will be just rolling the dice.

  3. Rochester 03/11/2008 at 12:36 PM #

    And that coach should be an obvious no-brainer step up (like Rick Barnes). Otherwise we will be just rolling the dice.

    Easier said than done, which is why we are having this discussion instead of speculating on what seed we’ll get in the NCAA’s.

  4. Gratitude 03/11/2008 at 12:39 PM #

    Any improvement has to be rooted in this off season. Players at any level develop fundamentals in the summer. There needs to be a plan for each player that is specified to improve weaknesses and enhance strengths. The off season program needs to start a week after tournament elimination and it should require that all players remain on campus through most of the summer.

    The workout plans also need to be supplemented with intense conditioning both in the weight room and on the track. There should be no excuse for being out of shape.

    This is not the NBA with guys getting paid millions of dollars. These kids need a structure and a schedule. A summer of pick-up games is fine, but they need to systematically improve specific skills and conditioning.

    Sid and staff really needs to have already developed these plans in reality for implementation as soon as possible.

  5. robopack 03/11/2008 at 12:43 PM #

    Why cant they be coached to crash the boards often like they have a few times at end of game situations? Its like magic we get an offensive rebound. Wow how bout that. We’ve seem GG, and Big Ben do it, just not in the first 39 mins. And its not like we’re to busy getting back on defense. How can coach live with that???

  6. transylvania 03/11/2008 at 12:47 PM #

    There needs to be some kind of fallout after finishing the season (presumably) on a nine-game skid. An assistant coach or two needs to be let go. A few underperforming players need to be heartily thanked for their service to NC State and then kindly shown the door.

    I am not ready (yet) to throw Sid under the bus. He’s still green, no doubt, but in his defense he’s had a helluva a lot on his plate this year with his family — his father dying, his mother having a heart attack, a son likely facing serious jail time… He said all the right things about putting those things aside to focus on his job, but let’s be honest, any ONE of those crises (not to mention all three) would seriously hamper MY job performance.

    Given all that, I think he gets some grace this year, but I am expecting better things next season.

  7. choppack1 03/11/2008 at 12:48 PM #

    Howler – our coaches only had above average credentials if you think that mediocre HC = above average Assistant Coach. Often times, this is true, but not one of these guys came from a background as an assistant w/ a great program.

    OTOH, if you look at Herb’s initial staff of Miller, Groce and Harris – I think you’ll find some quality assistant coaches. After Miller left, Hunter came on board. IMHO, Hunter was a very big hire at the time. We could definitely use someone like him. I think he really knew his stuff. Don’t ask me to comment on Phelps.

  8. Howler 03/11/2008 at 12:54 PM #

    Choppack:

    I guess I do a lot of comparing w/ Duke’s assistants, who appear to come directly from active playing status. How the h*** does K manage to create assistants out of nothing?

  9. pakfanistan 03/11/2008 at 1:03 PM #

    “but not one of these guys came from a background as an assistant w/ a great program.”

    You are correct, Monte Towe was never an assistant with Norm Sloan for eight seasons at NCSU and Florida

  10. robopack 03/11/2008 at 1:08 PM #

    Id like to know just what it takes to be a good assistant coach. I mean playing collage hoops and being in the business of coaching for 20-30 years and still your players have limited or no fundamentals? I think we as fans have a little insight as to whats wrong on the court. Just what the hell goes on that we obviously know nothing about? It must be allot. Because there are so many glaring issues we think we could help fix or have the answers to.

  11. Par Shooter 03/11/2008 at 1:18 PM #

    I think that Sid’s biggest failing this year was that he never got the individuals to buy into the team concept and put the team above themselves. And to me this is the most important #1 job of any coach of a team sport at any level. Great coaches are great at this, good coaches are good at it and lousy coaches just can’t figure it out. Think of a great coach in any major team sport and I’d wager that the first thing you think of is that their players always function as a team.

    TOB talked openly about this very early on here. K is a master at it and last year, when he didn’t do as well as normal, they suffered by their standards. It’s the primary difference between Doherty and Roy Williams. Guys like Lombardi, Parcells, Belichek, Phil Jackson, Joe Torre, Dean Smith, Bobby Knight all made this a top priority. And Sid was simply horrible at this aspect of his job this year. If he doesn’t figure this skill out really quick then he’ll never make it here. He has to figure this process out and get guys to put the team first NOW, during offseason workouts, fall practice, etc. He can’t wait for next November, it starts this March. If not, we’re screwed no matter what sets we run or who he signs.

    The one guy who may be able to mentor Sid in this area is TOB since it is a skill he seems to firmly grasp from his military background and other experience (Welsh, etc.). LF should force Sid to go to TOB with hat in hand and ask him to help develop this skill. Probably take all of his staff (whoever that turns out to be) with him as well.

  12. choppack1 03/11/2008 at 1:21 PM #

    packfinistan – How many national and conference titles did Towe win as a coach?

    And I know it may seem sacreligious to say, but aside from 2 great seasons, did Norm Sloan produce consistent greatness?

    Howler – regarding Coach K – those guys played under him and they know what he demands. If you’ve seen the mixed results of his protegees – you’d see that maybe, just maybe, it’s more about K than it is about a process or set offense he’s teaching.

    Coach K demands gut-wrenching effort and intensity. From an X and O standpoint, there are better coaches out there. From a motivational standpoint, he has no peers.

  13. SMD 03/11/2008 at 1:23 PM #

    ^robo –

    That sort of opens the door to a similiar question I had. What did the staff do during last year that they are not doing this year? I mean, our record sucked, but that was primarily because of losing Atsur. We still beat UNC-CH at home and made a great run through the ACC, with our post players playing exceptionally well.

    From a coaching standpoint, what changed? That’s the head-scratcher.

  14. nycfan 03/11/2008 at 1:54 PM #

    Towe was a (junior) assistant briefly at State, AFTER Sloan’s glory years and Florida was something of a backwater team when they were there — maybe one or two NCAA tournament wins, one regular season title (the year KY was on probation). Towe’s history over the last 15 or so years (post-Sloan) prior to coming back to State is as a journeyman, with gigs in semi-pro, juco and low major teams. I don’t say that to be rude, just to say I don’t think there is much argument that he is an above average ACC assistant.

    In any event, I thought we saw something against Dook and in a couple of other situations that confirms that Lowe has the potential to be a very strong one-off X-O coach. What he very clearly seems to lack, however, is an understanding of how to run a college program and how to coach in practice situations.

    I think most elite college coaches do 90% of their coaching in practice. The kids are thoroughly and efficiently drilled, so that fundamentals are second nature and offensive and defensive sets are fluid, not mechanical.

    Specialty situations (in-bounds, end-of-game shots, intentionally missed FTs, giving fouls when you are below the bonus, fouling the 3-point shooter up 2 with under 5 seconds, etc.) are taught in practice so that if they are needed in the games, the kids need only a quick refresher, if that. The basics are installed first on offense and defense, and then specialty plays (box-in-one, switch on every screen, whatever) are built on top of those fundamentals.

    Then there is the ticky-tack stuff like who do I look at on the bench to get an update on the number of Times-out remaining, how many fouls I have, etc.?

    The good news is that a lot of those are the things that can be learned. There are coaches who are way better at teaching offense or defense or rebounding or shooting form, but ultimately to be great they have to be organized, disciplined and efficient in the off-season and in practice time. But you have to have that foundation working for the little adjustments to make a difference between winning and losing.

    This season, State’s foundation seemingly was never even finished or, if so, crumbled pretty much instantly.

  15. graywolf 03/11/2008 at 2:02 PM #

    SERIOUS QUESTION……..

    Did Atsur = Phillip Rivers?

    Was Atsur the floor coach as Rivers was the field coach?
    If so then we will see the same think happen to Lowe as Amato.

  16. kyjelly 03/11/2008 at 2:51 PM #

    Astur was what you want in your point guard someone to run the show,coach on the floor or in our case coach period!

  17. Howler 03/11/2008 at 2:51 PM #

    It’s funny what an awful season will do. When Sid hired Towe for his staff, all I remember were posts to the effect that we had assembled a staff that could potentially take us back to the glory of the best NC State years. Upon reflection, it may be true that Towe was merely a journeyman; I just don’t recall that being mentioned two years ago.

  18. primacyone 03/11/2008 at 3:04 PM #

    Packer17
    “I don’t follow West Virginia too much, but it looks like Huggins is doing a hell of a job with Beilein’s players. He and Herb recruited similar players, which makes me question Sidney’s credibility. Now, I don’t know if WV was left with an experienced point guard, . . . . ”

    WV starting point guard is an experienced Senoir with a very good Sophmore playing backup. 75%/25% split from a time on the court perspective. Much different scenario at WV in relation to Point Guard.

  19. Girlfriend in a Coma 03/11/2008 at 3:07 PM #

    Until they play like they give a shit, nothing else matters.

  20. packbackr04 03/11/2008 at 3:17 PM #

    I cant wait to see that new play that sid drew up last game…. you know the one where costner stands out of bounds for the entire offensive set… yeah that was awesome

  21. boonami 03/11/2008 at 3:21 PM #

    ^or the one where we have .04 on the shot clock and no one is aware of it. that was a great play.

  22. packbackr04 03/11/2008 at 3:26 PM #

    i also like how javi continues to go behind screens at the top of the key, often leaving the most dangerous shooters wide open. thats good stuff too

  23. Wulfpack 03/11/2008 at 3:34 PM #

    I recall the Clemson game at home. It was right before the half, and Clemson was inbounding the ball from the sideline with about 3 seconds left. Purnell subbed Oglesby in at the dead ball. Here’s what happened — He got a wide open look from about 35 feet off a simple screen. He missed, but that pretty much told me all I needed to know about this staff and about this team. They have been badly prepared all year long, and if they have been prepared, then it ain’t showing and something needs to change. That moment, along with Fergie holding the ball with he and Sid’s hand up their collective arses as time expired on the shot clock, pretty much said it all about this team.

    Dumb.

  24. packplantpath 03/11/2008 at 3:38 PM #

    Come now, where did anybody see a difference between this years team and last years? Both were pretty bad, except last year there were a few more games that looked like the Duke game this year. I don’t know who to blame, and it’s not my job to figure it out.

    On the subject of Atsur brought up earlier, one thing I do know, is what success we did have last year can largely be attributed to Atsur. That guy was just basketball smart, and probably a coaches dream type player. Not dominant by any stretch, but smart. Less physical talent, and more brains.

    I think Sid looked better last year because Atsur was so well versed in the game, Sid asked for something and he could immediately do it. Javi and Degand just are not there yet, and may never get there. But then again, that type of ability is pretty rare.

  25. Ed89 03/11/2008 at 3:44 PM #

    I can think of a few great play calls, too. The Gavin drive and follow by JJ at the end of the Miami game. The screens for Courtney at the end of the FSU home game. I’d like to say the dunk by Ben at the end of the Wake game, but I think that was all hustle. I still say Javi will be a good PG for us in a year or so.

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