More “Coach Fowler” Wisdom

Fowler’s talking to Tim Peeler on gopack.com, so you knew that some unintended hilarity would ensue. Although there are actually some good points in the article (SFN heartily welcomes the promised changes in the basketball office), we can’t resist commenting on this nugget:

“Regarding basketball, when I was an assistant coach at the University of Memphis, our team experienced a similar turnaround. In the 1980-81 season, we were 13-14. By the third year, we were in the Sweet Sixteen and by the fourth year, we were in the Final Four.”

As you may remember, the secret of this remarkable turnaround was simple – cheating. We suppose the Pack could get a better PG with a shoebox full of cash. Is that Fowler’s guiding wisdom to Sidney Lowe?

Fowler spoke specifically to changes expected within the basketball program:

“In this off-season, there will be some changes made within the basketball office. Sidney is going back to square one, looking at what each member of the staff does to make certain it is the most efficient and effective way of getting things done. He is reviewing all facets of the basketball operation. He was at the Final Four, and, as all coaches do, he talked to people he knew in the business.”

We hope that means Sid talked to Larry Brown (between a few rounds of “rock, chalk, Jayhawk”), and that Larry pulled no punches. Naturally, a competent AD would have made sure a neophyte college coach like Sidney Lowe was doing that from Day One. Maybe Fowler has been reading SFN for counseling advice – see here and here.

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07-08 Basketball 08-09 Basketball AD & Department NC State Administration NCS Basketball Non-Revenue Quotes of Note Sidney Lowe

59 Responses to More “Coach Fowler” Wisdom

  1. Rick 04/11/2008 at 8:57 AM #

    I was gettting ready to link this article.

    Alot of interesting information.

    I) It is good to see Lee has his priorities 1) Finak four 2 golf 3) NCSU

    II) This quote floored me “My goal has not changed. I’m committed to building a program that reflects our integrity as a university and as a member of the ACC; a program that recruits and supports successful student athletes on the field and in the classroom. Our focus has been to update our facilities and bring them into that Top 25 category. With the completion of the track complex and softball stadium this year, we feel we have accomplished that. ”

    No where is there a goal of winning. He has dropped his stated goal of “top three in the ACC in each sport” he had earlier in his career. This just enforces the point that he has no set goals. There is no doubt why we are where we are. And it has been proven that good facilites are not the most important key to success. Godo coaching and leadership is.

    It is frustrating to read his floundering.

  2. Mr. O 04/11/2008 at 9:00 AM #

    It will be interesting to see if these changes actually include personnel changes in the basketball office. I was actually encouraged to hear those comments coming from Lee Fowler.

    In regards to baseball, his comments seemed like an attempt to take credit for the success so far this year. Avent deserves some credit positioning us to potentially host a regional through a very difficult 1st half to two thirds of a season. Big, big series against Duke this weekend.

  3. old13 04/11/2008 at 9:05 AM #

    The tool continues to demonstrate his incompetence in managing. I see nothing here to suggest any attempt to rise above mediocrity in Wolfpack athletics. All he does is talk about how “his” improvements in facilities equates to a better athletics department at NCSU, and that everything is now in place for a top athletics department – pure garbage! With the obvious attitude of the administration, I fully expect to see the “Ted Turner Era II” for the next 10-15 years.

  4. DRW 04/11/2008 at 9:08 AM #

    Ted Turner, the mouth of the south?! NOOO!!

  5. choppack1 04/11/2008 at 9:09 AM #

    Once again, Lee shows us why he’s probably in over his head.

    Most of us wouldn’t bring up ill-begotten. This would be kind of like an executive saying, “Well, we had a bad quarter at Enron, but 2 years we had our best quarter ever.”
    Yes, but you were good because you cheated – not because you were doing things by the book.

    I also like the “I’ve done everything I can do” comment. Does that mean Lee will be firing like 8 coaches this year? I’ll give him credit – he certainly knows how to spin. You read that article in our spring sports and you’re thinking that he’s doing a great job – did you know the golf team won it’s first tournanment since 1977? (By the way, isn’t the golf coach the same one who has been at State almost 20 years?)

  6. Rick 04/11/2008 at 9:09 AM #

    And is Sidney supposed to be worried by Foulup’s threats?

    Foulup “Sid, you are going to have to right this ship or I am going to have to make some decisions on your future at NCSU”

    Sid “Well coach, (snort) what are you going o do, fire me?”

    Foulup “I said no such thing. We will look at your whole body of work and compare that to my goals.”

    Sid “Well coach, (snort) I am meeting your goals. My players are getting their grades and being good people”

    Foulup “HMMMMMM, let me think about this some more”

  7. Wolf Dog 04/11/2008 at 9:17 AM #

    Fowler’s mouth has put Sidney in a bad position. Terrible article in Charlotte Observer today. Ken Tysiac previews the upcoming ACC basketball season. Pack picked 10th. Tysiac sums up his prediction by stating , “…and Sidney Lowe’s coaching ability is a serious question.”
    Most writers that cover area sports don’t go that far, but Fowler opened the door for the media and writers to blast Sidney with his public comments about out team chemistry and such. We better have a decent year or I fear we will have no chance at recruiting talent.

  8. packbackr04 04/11/2008 at 9:27 AM #

    i love this part…. gopack asks him a question about the baseball teams performance and fowler goes into a long rant about the facilities, and then gopack has to ask a follow up “no, what about ON THE FIELD dumbass? dont dodge my question” before he addresses any performance related info.

    GoPack.com: Baseball has played the toughest part of its conference schedule and is in the top third of the ACC. What do you think about the state of that program?

    Fowler: I continue to hear from people about how great our stadium, Doak Field at Dail Park, is and how much they enjoy going there. Attendance and fan support have increased greatly since all the renovations have been completed. We sold more season tickets this year than we ever have. It’s a great place to spend a day.

    GoPack.com: How about on the field?

  9. Noah 04/11/2008 at 9:30 AM #

    It’s always a great sign when in year three, you’re going back to square one.

    First of all, it demonstrates that the first two years, you didn’t know what you were doing. Secondly, it shows that you didn’t know what you were doing for TWO YEARS. If you had one bad year and figured it out, that would be one thing. But you weren’t even smart enough to realize it until AFTER the second year!

    That’s like leaving Omaha to drive to Canada and realizing that you were going the wrong way….after you hit Chile.

  10. newt 04/11/2008 at 9:32 AM #

    Here’s Lee’s list of athletics accomplishments –

    The women’s tennis team won a match.
    The men’s tennis team is at .500.
    Men’s golf won one tournament in 20 years.
    Women’s golf is top 30, which means betweeen 25-30.
    Men’s wrestling finished top 25, which means between 20-25.

    yay.

  11. Ed89 04/11/2008 at 9:33 AM #

    Reminds me that I had a friend that drove from Myrtle Beach to Charleston via North Carolina…didn’t know he was going the wrong direction on Hwy. 17 until he saw “Welcome to N.C.” That friend went to Clempson! 🙂

  12. Rochester 04/11/2008 at 9:35 AM #

    Noah, you know most guys hate to stop and ask directions. Maybe that’s all Sid’s problem is. Doesn’t want to admit to his wife that she was right about how to coach the team.

  13. Mr. O 04/11/2008 at 9:38 AM #

    Did our wrestling team finish top 25? We didn’t win the ACC tournament and I think we were only 4th or 5th in the regular season this year.

  14. old13 04/11/2008 at 9:49 AM #

    How is NCSU athletics overall better than it was 8 years ago when LF was hired? Aside from facilities improvements, data has been posted on numerous forums demonstrating that NCSU athletics has grown significantly worse competitively-speaking in that time frame. A person who cannot put aside his ego and evaluate objectively and meaningfully that which he is supposed to manage, much less set and effectively pursue realistic challenging goals, is destined for failure as a manager. In the case of NCSU athletics, that point was passed long ago under LF. Unfortunately the impacts go beyond the lack of on-field performance to include exposing NCSU and its fans and alumni to ridicule, embarrassment and impunity. Personally I’m fed-up with it all, and have been for several years now!

  15. Rochester 04/11/2008 at 9:52 AM #

    Tim Clark tied for 12th at Doral last month, five strokes behind Tiger. I think Lee figures that counts for a success for the NCSU golf program.

  16. Noah 04/11/2008 at 9:58 AM #

    “Noah, you know most guys hate to stop and ask directions.”

    Hard to believe it took so long for GPS to be invented.

    (signed….Mr. Could-Get-Lost-In-Broom-Closet)

    There’s a joke somewhere about how if you’re goin 100 mph the wrong way, once you figure it out, you don’t slow down to 50.

  17. primacyone 04/11/2008 at 9:58 AM #

    I get the feeling that Lee is going to try and screw us over as bad as he possbily can if he ever gets another job offer.

  18. redfred2 04/11/2008 at 9:59 AM #

    This a another of my generalizations, but…

    It’s not even that they don’t care. The fact is that they aren’t even aware that there’s anything wrong with the way they do things. NC State’s administration, just like many posters you’ll see here on SFN, honestly believe that they are doing everything so right and properly that NC State University is absolutely above reproach, regardless of their failures with what they consider a meaningless athletics program. Those now running the university view the general public as simpletons, or “lunatics”, and they truly believe that they know more about what NC State is and should be, than any of the rest of us who’ve been here forever.

    They are headed in a direction that will produce a sterile, techno-university. It’s not that they’re even interested, but rather that they have to have athletics because it’s the way things are, and always have been. Nothing about a bunch sweaty athletes is of any interest to that lily white, pencil pushing group of computer geeks who are just the latest in a long line who strive to downgrade everything that was once NC State University for the sake of their own well being.

  19. ADVENTEROO 04/11/2008 at 10:05 AM #

    This got “lost” yesterday.

    You need to follow the links to http://nacda.cstv.com/directorscup/nacda-directorscup-current-scoring.html

    I used the 12 ACC schools and did an Excel spreadsheet of their rankings…all the data that this site had. Went back to Todd Turner. TT and LR and LF’s record is DISMAL..We have been 8th or 9th. UNC, Duke and UVA have all had HIGHER and more CONSISTENT rankings.

    I have written Dr. O…got one response..

    I do NOT know what it will take to make changes.

    Perhaps some OTHER bigtime school will “lure” LF away (ala JA @ Dook)..

    Sidney REALLY needs some Assistance with College BB Management…he seems to be well versed in X & O’s and understands the game.

    It would be a CRYING SHAME for the AD and ADMIN to let him FAIL…

    Hopefully he will seek out TOB for counseling…

    Oh that TOB was our AD…then (wishfully put..), Mr. Cowher could be courted.

    GO PACK

  20. redfred2 04/11/2008 at 10:06 AM #

    ^correction…”just like many posters (who agree with them) here on SFN”

  21. Pack92 04/11/2008 at 10:36 AM #

    Did they by chance ask foul-up how things ended up at Memphis once they were going oh, so well?

  22. redfred2 04/11/2008 at 10:38 AM #

    Adventuroo,

    You only have to go back as far ” ” to see that the administration is totally hands off, will not guide and mentor, and will do nothing to aid their own coaching staff. They/Lee Fowler, talks a good game whenever a microphone is pushed under his nose, but nobody up there has the foresight or anywhere near the know how to accomplish even the simpliest task to help their own staff.

    Every event that could really mean something and build some momentum for the programs, as well as the coaches, ends up looking like it was conceived and produced by group of elementary school kids.

    But I do agree with you, and being an optimistic old timer, I honestly thought that Sidney would be just the man to rise above all of the nothingness that is now NC State. To date, it seems I was way off about that and that is what has absolutely frustrated me to no end about Sidney Lowe.

  23. ADVENTEROO 04/11/2008 at 10:48 AM #

    TO: redfred2

    If I didn’t know better, I’d think your comments were written by my wife…

    I am SO frustrated that LF and the ADMIN just keep letting things decline without ANY ackowledgement or action.

    I had actually done a spreadsheet, based on rankings/finishes from the ACC site for three years. My own “homegrown” spreadsheet had us at LAST this year and 9th and 11th for the past years. I SENT this spreadsheet to Dr. O…put a “RETURN when READ” flag on it. Never got the READ back.

    Decided not to waste my time…just curious as to how the “AD’s CUP” rankings were. They showed NO STATISTICAL improvement from TT to LR to LF…I used to be a pretty good Process Engineer that used Statistical Analysis to look for Process Changes (improvements, declines, trends, etc.). I did NOT even have to “chart” this one…

    WE STINK…VT is LOWER than us…BC is NOW living in the Basement…

    I think that Terry Holland WOULD BE GREAT for us…if he can forgive us denying Ralph Sampson his “ring”

    There has GOT TO BE A WAY to get some CHANGE…

    Thanks for the comments…

  24. redfred2 04/11/2008 at 10:57 AM #

    “I get the feeling that Lee is going to try and screw us over as bad as he possbily can if he ever gets another job offer.”

    Look at everyone who has left NC State in recent years, none of them ever have anything good to say about it once they’re gone. They may blame it all on urealistic fans and blah,blah,blah, but that is only a tiny bit of the overall picture. NC State is a black hole that sucks the life out everything that is sports related. They, the administration, then later the coaches once they’re around long enough, use the fans as their excuse for they’re poor performance there. It’s engrained, and it all starts at the very top, then filters down to anyone and everyone who stays around long enough for it sink into their psyche.

    They’ll tell you that it’s us, against the lunatics, and that they’re fighting unsurmountable odds and have done nothing wrong.

  25. packof81 04/11/2008 at 11:04 AM #

    ADVENTEROO says, “Perhaps some OTHER bigtime school will “lure” LF away (ala JA @ Dook)..”

    Why would any other bigtime school want LF? To build up facilities? Heck, they could hire consultants cheaper to do that.

    LF ain’t going nowhere. Why should he? He leads a charmed life. He is in the position of a lifetime. He is lining his pockets and living large for doing as little as he can get by with. What a snow job he’s pulled off! With the main 2 revenue producing sports programs languishing, a frustrated fanbase and demoralized players, the oblivious chancellor just gave him an award at a banquet. Where else is LF going to find a peachy set of circumstances like this?

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