Two Coach Lowe Interviews (Updated 10pm ET): ‘Not that I can discuss at this point’

08-09 Basketball General Sidney Lowe94

Interview with 850TheBuzz

Interview with the media

The real story of the day may come from what was not said in Coach Lowe’s time with the media:

Q: Any other personnel changes?
A: Not that I can discuss at this point.

Q: Not just the players, but any other staff changes?
A: Not that I can discuss at this point.

The following are comments related to the 850TheBuzz interview:

Let me just say…I LOVE listening to Coach Lowe. Nobody is perfect, but I really appreciate his articulation of his perspective.

A couple of quotes from Coach Lowe:

“As a competitor, the only thing I was thinking about (at the end of the year) was getting started again”

“I really want to look forward”

In a morning show interview with candid answers, NC State basketball coach Sidney Lowe addressed a number of issues from last season and looked ahead to next season. Concerning the widely discussed chemistry issues that possibly stemmed from JJ Hickson’s playing time, Lowe placed blame all around, but focused on players accepting their roles in order to win as a team. Lowe, who is entering his 3rd year coaching the Wolfpack, also talks about what he has learned from working in the college game and the influences surrounding college players that the pros don’t experience.

* Good news is that the team only got 5 days off at the end of the year before being called back for conditioning. SFN Comment – This is in contrast to what appeared to be only 5 days of conditioning for the team for all of last summer.

* Adam Gold did a good job of probing what he wanted to probe. SFN Comment: This is not a criticism, but I would like to see that kind of probing

* Coach expects Brandon Costner to have a very good year. SFN Comment: We hope Brandon Costner has a very good year. However, the ONLY way that Costner has a year that resembles his freshman year instead of his sophomore year will be if he plays like a power forward who has a decent shot as opposed to plays like a wing forward who is too big and too slow forhis position.)

* AG brought up the post players and brought up Tracy Smith’s progress. SFN Comment: At first it felt as though Sidney sidestepped Tracy Smith which scared me due to the rumors that have swirled related to potential eligibility challenges. But, Coach finished his conversation about the post players with reassuring comments about Smith (particularly his

* Good question by Ovies near the end the interview about what Coach has learned/adjusted to?

About StateFans

'StateFansNation' is the shared profile used by any/all of the dozen or so authors that contribute to the blog. You may not always agree with us, but you will have little doubt about where we stand on most issues. Please follow us on Twitter and FaceBook

08-09 Basketball General Sidney Lowe

94 Responses to Two Coach Lowe Interviews (Updated 10pm ET): ‘Not that I can discuss at this point’

  1. Pack92 06/19/2008 at 4:32 PM #

    Afterglow, Sid could have talked to TOB OR Dick Sheridan!

  2. Hrryhood 06/19/2008 at 4:53 PM #

    Has everyone forgotten about Thomas? I know we haven’t seen anything from him since he was hurt last year. I’m pretty excited to see what the kid can do. I hope that he sees some minutes in the exhibition/preseason games.

    We definitely have the legs and talent this year, we just need Sid to put them all together.

  3. Afterglow 06/19/2008 at 5:54 PM #

    Johnny’s not coming along as fast as Farnold at this point. He’s doing pool work outs and is running on the treadmill as well.

  4. Trip 06/19/2008 at 6:04 PM #

    Thomas is a helluva athlete, he’s got size and (from what I remember) a 42″ vertical. He’ll be an excellent defender with those tools… I just hope his knee doesn’t kill that vertical.

  5. packpigskinfan23 06/19/2008 at 9:32 PM #

    I hate how everyone has given up on Javi… Hes NOT an ACC PG. No Shite. But it WAS Degand who was running the point when we lost to ECU and NO, and it WAS Javi running the point when we almost beat Duke.

    Degands ONLY upside to Javi is his speed. We dont even know if he will have that next year. Javi has more heart then the rest of the team take away Ben. I know thats what I want to see.

  6. Afterglow 06/19/2008 at 10:07 PM #

    Javi’s play did seem to pick up at the end of the season and I think with Degand (especially at first) we will see a lot of back and forth with this scenario. But, when it comes down to it-as great as heart is-you need speed in this league.

    In fairness to Degand, I don’t think we really got to see what he had or did not have as he went down pretty early in the season. He may very well never live up to his potential with his injury. But in contrast, he may be pretty decent as well. Time will only tell. My bets are on Degand just based on how Lowe talks of him.

    Javi was thrown to the wolves (so to speak) and after a rocky beginning he did start to come into his own towards the end. But even he coming into his own is not going to cut it. I think with him, you’ll basically see someone who will spell Degand.

    In reality, if we had someone like Wall playing on the roster last year, the likes of Degand or Javi would only materialize for mop up duty or rests. I don’t really think that either one of them are that good. We’ve adjusted (lowered) our expectations of what a point guard is. Face it, if in the 05/06 year, BC or Big Ben weren’t around and we had no other formidable souls, we would having adjusted our expectations on someone lesser like that tall guy that was once on our team.

  7. melikesncsu 06/19/2008 at 10:09 PM #

    agreed about Javi. He became one of my favorite players to watch last year. I mean popped douchebag Paulus in the face with ball, thats enough to put Javi near the top of my list. I am pulling hard for Javi to continue improving and continue seeing the floor over the next 3 years.

  8. wufpup76 06/19/2008 at 10:16 PM #

    ^^We’re going to need Javi, no doubt – but Coach Lowe keeps stating specifically that having Farnold healthy is a (the) key to this teams’ chances … Those are his words … It sounds like Farnold will automatically fill the starting slot at the 1 when/if healthy, rather than having to beat out Javi

    And I totally agree w/ ppf23 about Javi’s heart and competitiveness … I love that little guy … Favorite moments of last seaon were the elbow to Paaaaaulus and also Javi slapping Paulus’ hand check away … I heard the slap even up in my 300-level seats! Awesome!

    Don’t take no **** from them!

  9. packpigskinfan23 06/19/2008 at 11:10 PM #

    Afterglow- I agree our standard are horrible for a point right now… but Degand seems NO better than Javi to me.

    I really hope Lowe is speaking so highly of Degand because he REALLY sees something in him, and NOT because he is stubborn and wants to make it work. We saw how that worked with his substitution patterns last season… and for some reason I get the feeling that this is the same. I hope I am wrong. He is the COACH after all. I am just a fan.

  10. Afterglow 06/19/2008 at 11:59 PM #

    packpigskinfan23-I honestly think it just comes down to Lowe working with what he has. Of the two there is a marginal difference with maybe speed being the key ingredient along with some other intangibles.

    Don’t get me wrong, I loved the fire in Javi and who knows, he may turn out to be the guy-but more than likely if he is-it will only be until a better point guard can be put into place.

  11. Trip 06/20/2008 at 4:09 AM #

    I wouldn’t throw Javi out just yet… You’d be amazed what the off season can do to someone who has the drive to achieve. (*Cough* “Big Lazy”) The first UNC game I was cringing “ohhh noooo Javi!”… but by the end of the season he had really improved to the point where I was cheering “Fuck yea, Javi!”. He’s got an attitude and a hunger for winning, and besides, he’s a helluva ball thief.

    He may not be a “John Wall” talent wise, but he’s got the attitude of a winner and it’s not like he’s chopped liver talent-wise. He’s got a good stroke from outside and doesn’t mind beating the crap out of other point guards either.

  12. WolftownVA81 06/20/2008 at 6:15 AM #

    I too wish Javi the best this up comming year. His heart and all out effort was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disasterous season.

  13. VaWolf82 06/20/2008 at 6:16 AM #

    We definitely have the legs and talent this year

    I’m sorry, but this just sounds like wishful thinking to me. State had issues at PG, team speed, defensive intensity, and rebounding last year. I’m going to have to see improvement in these areas before I become optimistic about next year.

  14. graywolf 06/20/2008 at 6:55 AM #

    I still think you might see Degand and Javi together on the court more than you want. One thing we lack is speed and both of them on the floor will be better and just one then Ferg. comes off the bench.

    Fells MUST play the 3 position and not the 2….he is better suited and might get better shots if he is there as well.

    Costner must play the 4…..he is NOT a guard even though he can shoot.

    McCauley needs to come in FIRED UP to fill lanes, rebound, and scrap for points.

    Unless attitudes and conditoning change we are dead last again and I fear that Coach Lowe is off the hot seat and into the fire.

  15. Rochester 06/20/2008 at 6:56 AM #

    I’m a Javi fan. I didn’t see enough out of Degand to make a fair judgment last year. I hope that the “we need a healthy Degand” is more than just a roundabout way of blaming our crappy year on his injury. It would be nice to have both of them ready to contribute, because we all saw MJ at the point and it wasn’t pretty.

    It seems too late for a transfer and I can’t picture a staff change this late in the offseason, so I wonder if the potential change involves bringing in a late recruit. Does Bartosz have a brother?

  16. BJD95 06/20/2008 at 7:09 AM #

    Degand is MUCH faster (and quicker) than Javi, but that’s certainly not the MAIN distinction, let alone the ONLY one.

    Degand is a much, much better defender. That makes a huge difference. Javi isn’t just bad defensively – he’s AWFUL.

  17. RAWFS 06/20/2008 at 7:14 AM #

    ^ While I agree, I’ll also point out that Greg Paulus might disagree with you on that count. If Javi played D like he did in the Duke game, well, that’s a horse of a different color.

  18. Sw0rdf1sh 06/20/2008 at 7:19 AM #

    I think Costner will have an entirely different game this year than last, much more like two years ago. From hearing all the work he has put in and weight he has lost, I think he is getting his body, and hopefully his mind, right.

    I also am looking for T-Ferg to keep breaking out of that shell. Keep in mind that Javi played pretty good for a guy that should have been redshirting (in my opinion).

  19. PackHooligan 06/20/2008 at 7:29 AM #

    Agree BJ, defense is by far the biggest difference between Javi and Degand. Javi is so small, the opponent can just move to wherever he wants on the court. Degand is much bigger, and was much stronger (I expect Javi’s strength will be improved this year).

  20. PackGirl 06/20/2008 at 7:45 AM #

    Lowe has been using Degand’s injury as an excuse for losing since early this year, even though Degand never looked that impressive to begin with. I hope he comes back better than ever, but based on what we’ve seen so far, I’d take Javi over Degand (as a starter). Especially if Javi keeps improving at the rate he did last season.

  21. BJD95 06/20/2008 at 7:54 AM #

    Javi can be effective offensively and at least passable defensively when he’s faster and quicker than the man he’s guarding. Unfortunately, Paulus is the only PG in the ACC who fits that description.

  22. StateFans 06/20/2008 at 7:57 AM #

    ^ That is absurd.

    When Degand went down we had won the Old Spice (by beating NCAA Sweet 16 Villanova), defeated Seton Hall on the road, and were in the process of beating Cincinnati at home. At the time of his injury we would have been an NCAA Tournament team if the Tournament were to start then.

    All of this^ in DeGand’s FIRST games EVER as a college player. It was also obvious that he was making strong strides in the couple of weeks before the injury.

    Not to mention the difference he made on the defensive end of the court with his height and quickness (that KILLED us when Javi was thrown into the mix).

  23. UpstateSCWolfpack 06/20/2008 at 8:19 AM #

    I know we will have more wins next year. And, as great as Hickson would have been for State next year, I believe that the team will be much better without him. The chemistry was crap last year, and as some have already said, players felt like their roles had been downgraded. I wish Hickson the best of luck, but now it is all about the team again, and not Hickson and everybody else.

  24. PackGirl 06/20/2008 at 8:27 AM #

    ^^We were also painfully blown out by Michigan State and lost to ECU and NO with Degand as PG. Javi was also playing his first college games ever, and was still recuperating from an injury early on. We’ll just have to see what happens this coming season. They may complement each other well and we’ll see alot of both of them.

  25. StateFans 06/20/2008 at 8:28 AM #

    The chemistry issues had as much to do with other players (like Gavin Grant) than they did Hickson.

    Gavin was leaving anyway…I would much rather have Hickson another year (and hopefully with more maturity) than not.

1 2 3 4

Leave a Reply