Brett Friedlander of the Wilmington Star-News has an interesting column this morning, in which he posits that so far this year NC State as yet to reveal itself as either a good — or a bad — hoops squad:
ACC Insider: Wolfpack Still Searching For Its Identity
Five games in, the Wolfpack remains just as much a mystery as it was the day coach Sidney Lowe rolled out the balls for the opening day of practice back in mid-October.
Oh, there have been some positive signs, particularly the resurgence of big men Brandon Costner and Ben McCauley – both of whom might as well have redshirted last year for all they contributed.
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At this point, the Wolfpack has the potential to be anything from an NCAA Tournament team to out of the postseason for the second year in a row.
A lot of the up and down play can be attributed to injuries, but at the same time, this is a Wolfpack team that has never been consistent — the same players were as maddeningly inconsistent under the previous coaching regime as they have been under Lowe. Perhaps that is what their identity is – a team that can beat nearly anybody but can also lose to nearly anyone they play as well.
As Friedlander says, the NCAA is a possibility – the talent is there, assuming Degand can man the point guard position for a majority of minutes and that his play returns to the level is was just before he hurt his knee last seasn. Also, Brandon Costner and Ben McCauley will have to play 100% every night, and at times, that has been a problem for the talented duo.
At the same time, a losing season in the ACC and a quick exit on the first day of the conference tournament is also a possibility. Were that to happen Sidney Lowe and his vaunted incoming class for 2009 would be under enormous pressure, and quite possibly Lowe could be coaching to avoid fan revolt – I would say his job, but anyone who knows anything about Lee Fowler and NC State sports knows that Fowler will sit pat no matter what happens.
Bottom line is that talent is indeed on the way for Lowe and his NC State team, but that’s next year and Sidney Lowe needs to maximize this year’s team and get the most out of it that it can possibly achieve. Slipping into the NCAA would certainly define him as a good coach and a good team-builder. Having a repeat of last year would leave him with major question marks and a fanbase thinking that he may not be the leader to return NC State to college basketball glory.
