Wiederer: ‘State Doesn’t Need Wall’

Dan Wiederer of the Fayetteville Observer has an intriguing must-read column regarding the latest GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational. Even if you are not interested in prep sports or college recruiting, take the time to read Dan’s impressions of incoming State and UNC prospects.   Regarding Lorenzo Brown and John Wall:

“Sure, it’d be nice to snag the Class of 2009’s crown jewel. But the Wolfpack already has its game-changing point guard on the way in Lorenzo Brown, a senior at Centennial High School in Georgia.

“I never have to worry about Lorenzo, but I challenge him,” said Centennial coach Allen Whiteheart. “I’ve coached him in countless big games and he has always brought his A-game every time a big game comes. It started from the very beginning. He had the first triple-double in our school’s history as a freshman. He’s just a big-game player and a phenomenal teammate.”

That’s an interesting point of view.  One alternative take might be for Wall to have his year in a Wolfpack uniform with Brown as his understudy, which leaves one to wonder where Farnold Degand, the incumbent starter might fit in.  Or whether there could be another chemistry problem on the horizon.

A bonus impression Wiederer gives is his take on John Wall’s current team-mate, C.J. Leslie:

Forget J.J. Hickson. C.J. Leslie may wind up being the most dynamic post recruit of the Sidney Lowe era.

Granted that Hickson was only in a Wolfpack uniform for one season, but that’s a pretty lofty comparison.  Considering that this may be Brandon Costner’s final year, a ready-to-go Leslie might be a must, not a luxury.

09-10 Basketball Basketball Recruiting General

101 Responses to Wiederer: ‘State Doesn’t Need Wall’

  1. GAWolf 01/06/2009 at 7:37 PM #

    First we lose by a lot…. check.
    Then we lose by a little…. UF/Davidson…check
    Then… gulp… we lose by a lot… UNC/DUKE/WAKE/GT….

    We might not get the ball across half court against some of these teams.

    The Florida game was painful… encouraging… painful… encouraging…. and then devastating. Had Florida not matched our crappy play for ten minute intervals they would have run away with that came. The same, I guess, could be said for us.

    My fear: Unless UNC shoots 10% and we shoot 60% we’ll lose big. That factors in the second, third, fourth, and fifth opportunities they’ll get each possession and the MAYBE one we’ll get.

  2. pack44fan 01/06/2009 at 8:39 PM #

    There are alot of things in place for success at state: a passionate fan base, great facilities, a wonderful school, and being located in a great city. The only thing that is lacking is leadership from the top down. How or when that problem will be solved is another question.

  3. GAWolf 01/06/2009 at 8:49 PM #

    Anyone else heard anything about a suspension and missing a game with ACC head coaches in attendance?

  4. Noah 01/06/2009 at 8:55 PM #

    If we’re indeed on the Titanic, step #1 would be handcuffing Lee Fowler to the plumbing in some storage hold under the waterline and making sure some out-of-control bint doesn’t break him loose.

  5. Ed89 01/06/2009 at 10:18 PM #

    Anyone who watched the UGA/Ga Tech game and thinks we’re on the Titanic, must think that both those teams are on the Hindenburg. I’d put our performance against FL against those two any day. I would easily say Lowe is a better X AND O’s coach than Felton or Hewitt. I hope a certain recruit from Georgia was watching – and comparing programs. GAWolf, I think BC just showed UNC isn’t invincible — the same BC many folks here were saying was in the lower third of the conference (and a probable win for us). I’ll agree we don’t have a Tyrese Rice, but our guards will only improve with each game.

  6. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 01/06/2009 at 10:22 PM #

    Noah,

    Unfortunately, Fowler will be on the top deck sipping a nice NC wine, no where near the plumbing. He would convince the staff that he must be on a life raft so that he can turn around NC State athletics. Moral of the story, Fowler lives!

  7. Ed89 01/06/2009 at 10:28 PM #

    Oh yeah, and to get back to the thread topic. I’m not sure where exactly Wiederer was going with the comment “State doesn’t need Wall.” Does UNC “need” Jon Henson, Dexter Strickland and the Wear twins next year? Does Duke “need” Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee???? Maybe he’s just trying to acknowledge Lorenzo Brown, but you’d never see the same headline for UNC or Duke UNTIL they didn’t get that certain recruit. Did we see it when Duke missed on Patrick Patterson or Kenny Boynton??? I don’t know much about the guy, so I don’t want to speculate. In other news…I hope Clemson holds on to beat Alabama, as I want the Pack to be the team to break their undefeated streak on Saturday.

  8. Ed89 01/06/2009 at 10:41 PM #

    ^^Unfortunately, Fowler will be on the top deck sipping a nice NC wine, no where near the plumbing. He would convince the staff that he must be on a life raft so that he can turn around NC State athletics. Moral of the story, Fowler lives!

    This can’t be true since I’m pretty sure there is not such thing as a “nice NC wine.”

  9. redfred2 01/06/2009 at 11:14 PM #

    Please “bear” with me on this analogy.

    Let’s say you have a farmer who plants a huge field of blackberries, mainly because he knows that they are low maintenance, that they keep coming back year after year, but he also knows that they’re extremely hard to get rid of once they take root. Then, and after all of that hard work, that farmer decides to sell his farm to someone else before some of the plants ever have a chance to mature.

    So, what do you think that next farmer will get out of that field when the next harvest time rolls around?

    Why blackberries, of course.

    But, what if instead of blackberries, what if that first farmer had cultivated for, and planted, some robot seeds instead? Then what kind of bounty should that next farm owner expect to see coming back to him from that same field, year after year?

    Why robots, of course, you dumbass! And once they get started, they are extremely hard to get rid of as well, just like the blackberries. As a matter of fact, I’d almost bet that a few of those robots might even own their own blackberries.

    That’s all true of course, UNTIL, that new farmer decides to bite the bullet for a couple of years, and starts cultivating a totally different kind, a higher end, and a more profitable variety of crop. One that is possibly costing him right now, and also one that may, or may not, come back year after year, but one that eventually will do more for him when harvest time comes again.

  10. wufpup76 01/06/2009 at 11:20 PM #

    “Anyone who watched the UGA/Ga Tech game and thinks we’re on the Titanic, must think that both those teams are on the Hindenburg.”

    ^Although it as a close game, it was pretty awful to watch … I would say State is definitely the better team when compared to either team based only on the “eye test”, but State could also very easily lose to either of those teams as well 🙁

  11. redfred2 01/06/2009 at 11:33 PM #

    ^That was stupid as hell, I know.

    Anyway, back to BB, and I won’t even go into any details except to note the reports on the found by the coaching staff, studied, chosen, signed, and incoming recruits. But even without that, I do not see how ANYONE can be thinking of a coaching change right now? Not at NC State, the Barnam and Bailey, three ring circus of how to hire a coach. The same circus where the same clowns will still be running the show when they’re forced into making another questionable hire, and where we’ll again have to wait even longer to see if that next one will pan out?

  12. JeremyH 01/06/2009 at 11:44 PM #

    isn’t Hewitt on the hot seat at GT?

    wow, GT fans are just as bad as we are:
    http://suckatsports.blogspot.com/2008/01/paul-hewitt-under-radar-terrible.html

    “Until Hewitt learns how to design an offense, teach rebounding, and manage the game better, be prepared for many years of Georgia Tech basketball coming just short. At least it’s exciting.”

  13. Classof89 01/07/2009 at 11:13 AM #

    so since there isn’t the slightest evidence that Oblinger, Bobby Purcell, or any of the big donors are in the least bit unhappy with Fowler, and since we all agree we wouldn’t want him running another coaching search, the entire discussion of other/different/better coaches is entirely moot, regardless of how you feel about Lowe, right?

    BTW, Les as AD was nearly as incompetent running the coaching search after MOC was fired as was Fowler in hoops three years ago. Remember how long it took for the job to fall into Amato’s lap, and then how it was spun as “we were being courteous to FSU by allowing Amato to coach in the National Championship Game”…

  14. haze 01/07/2009 at 12:52 PM #

    ^ Thank you and, yes, you’re right. Lowe is going nowhere (at least into year 6-7) with Fowler in charge, nor would we want him gone with Fowler in charge. Sooooooo, you may as well be patient with Sid.

    I have plenty that I don’t like in what we’ve seen over the last couple of years. That includes generally horrible D, rebounding and questionable leadership. However, it does seem clear to me that…
    1) Lowe can coach an offense under the right circumstances (see Spring 06-07).
    2) Lowe did learn something from last year’s horrendous off-season and attitude issues (08-09 team is working, if not particularly talented).
    3) Lowe can recruit (see Brown/Howell/Wood and Leslie/Harrow and in the running for more).

    Frankly, you add a couple more good recruits to the current sum of the 09 & 10 classes, then get another 2-3 good ones for the ’11 class, NC State is going to be pretty good. What’s more, that scenario isn’t a long shot, it’s actually pretty likely. Given this, I don’t get full blown pessimism for the staff. I don’t get NC dreams either, FWIW, but there is plenty of room for development here.

    Again, Fowler isn’t going to can anyone, so you may as well be an optimist while you wait.

  15. frankiepack 01/07/2009 at 1:31 PM #

    ^ I disagree with point 1 above that the 06-07 offense well not because of
    Sid ,but because Astur was back at the point.
    2] Jury is still out whether he learned from last year or not plus as the HC he has to keep his ship in order ,and also take some responsibility for some of that mess of a season last year.
    3]Ok he can recruit. I will concede that if all these so called “players ” make it here. On the flip side we have needed a great deal of help since that first year under Sid{ a pass ok I will give him that being a late hire}
    He is going to be here as long as he wants so we have to face facts about this. I wish someone would step in and hire a strong Xs and Os asst because Sid is in over his head when it comes to this side of coaching .
    From what haze has described above I am dating myself but Sid is George Raveling Lefty’s asst at Maryland great recruiter awfull head coach at southern cal.

  16. Rochester 01/07/2009 at 1:57 PM #

    Frankly, you add a couple more good recruits to the current sum of the 09 & 10 classes, then get another 2-3 good ones for the ’11 class, NC State is going to be pretty good. What’s more, that scenario isn’t a long shot, it’s actually pretty likely.

    This, moreso than Fowler being a complete boob, is why we should be patient. Of the five recruits in place for the next two classes, they all look good. As long as we’re adding players of that caliber things will improve. If Sid can keep learning how to coach, we could be very competitive in a couple of seasons. No, I don’t want to be that patient, but it ain’t going to happen any faster if he were to be replaced (which he won’t so I’m not sure why we speculate about it so much).

  17. statered 01/07/2009 at 3:17 PM #

    If you cannot see that Lowe is a pretty competent offensive coach I would say, in Noah’s words, that you do not know *&^)( all about basketball. And that goes for Noah too.

    Unless some of you have some off the court character type stories to share then why spew the negativity?

  18. Noah 01/07/2009 at 4:26 PM #

    Unless some of you have some off the court character type stories to share then why spew the negativity?

    Why would you want that posted on a free, public Web site?

  19. JeremyH 01/07/2009 at 5:48 PM #

    way to kill the thread Noah : )

  20. turfpack 01/07/2009 at 11:14 PM #

    I think this disscussion is mute-Sid is going nowhere -can he coach- maybe?-can he recuit -YES!can he beat ROY and K he- allready has!
    Does he have assitant coaches-I really don’t know.Has he made some wrong decsions -YES Has he made some prograss-YES Does he have a PG
    Don’t knows injuies$inexperience-MAYBE.
    ALOT OF QUESTIONS=IT WELL BE ANWSERED IN TIME!=that’s all we have…

  21. pakfanistan 01/07/2009 at 11:28 PM #

    I hate it when people do this, but that’s not going to stop me….

    The word is MOOT not MUTE

    It’s a MOOT point.

    As in,

    1 a: open to question : debatable b: subjected to discussion : disputed
    2: deprived of practical significance

    In addition to the conversation, I too am a little concerned about the inner workings of our basketball program.

    I don’t have any connections, but sometimes people talk way too openly (and loudly) on their cell phones.

  22. statered 01/08/2009 at 9:41 AM #

    Noah – I just don’t get the “trust me” type of stuff. You are making an argument without providing any supporting info. If you cannot provide data to support the argument, why make the argument at all? I cannot agree with your conclusion unless I know the information behind it.

    Very frustrating.

  23. blackdom 01/08/2009 at 9:52 AM #

    Would be nice to get Brown and Wall though

  24. redfred2 01/08/2009 at 10:28 PM #

    statered, AGREED!!!

    PLEASE tell me that you guys have something of some value to add to both of your chatty-girl innuendos above?

    Well Noah, pakistanfan, we are all waiting to hear you spill your guts with something that is really good, and worthwhile, and true, as well as something that actually affects our BB program.

  25. pakfanistan 01/09/2009 at 10:40 AM #

    My story is rather harmless so I’ll tell it.

    First, I seriously have nothing, except fear.

    I was minding my own business one day, walking across a parking lot, when someone talking loudly on a cell phone caught my attention with the tail end of a sentence that mentioned, in their words, “Sid”, “Lee”, “Q” and “Sid” having a “reputation to maintain”.

    For all I know, Sid(ney Raymond Eudy) Vicious baked cookies for Quincy Jones and Lee Majors and claimed they were his own special recipe, but “Q” found a recipe for the exact same cookies in the Americas Test Kitchen cookbook and threatened to tell the world that Sid is a cookie recipe bandit. So now, Sid Vicious and the Six Million Dollar Man have to stop “Q” before Sid’s reputation as an old timey cookie cooking country cook is ruined.

    As a matter of fact, I’m positive that’s what he was talking about, because I’ve never been able to identify the person I saw, even though I spent two weeks looking through pictures of AD employees.

    So, mystery man on a bluetooth headset, if you happen to read this blog, when discussing Sid, Lee, Q and the problems between them, please be more discreet, because someone without the ability to filter out background noise will hear you and get the wrong impression.

Leave a Reply