P.S. – Basketball Team Lost Again

10-11 Basketball Sidney Lowe80

Not that it will surprise any of you, any more than it did the subdued crowd in Raleigh. The Hokies lead pretty much from start to finish, and close out a 77-69. Here’s the ESPN recap, if interested in a few of the sorry details.

Like most of you, I’m much more interested in coaching search news than in more game results. We plan to have profiles and discussion on some of the possible candidates in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

About BJD95

1995 NC State graduate, sufferer of Les and MOC during my entire student tenure. An equal-opportunity objective critic and analyst of Wolfpack sports.

10-11 Basketball Sidney Lowe

80 Responses to P.S. – Basketball Team Lost Again

  1. packalum44 02/03/2011 at 10:34 AM #

    Minnesota lost last night. Might fall out of rankings. Tubby, especially at 60, is not the answer. Folks please regain your sanity.

  2. gopack10 02/03/2011 at 10:43 AM #

    @ADVENTUROO – First off we do not have a “usual” starting lineup that you mention. We have had so many different starting lineups its unreal.

    And what do you mean a REDUX of Sendek if we get a new coach? A messiah? Really? When was Lowe ever a messiah after Sendek left? Sounds to me like you are the only Sid supporter left out there and I’m glad you are the last because his time here is done and he doesn’t deserve another year. He has the talent and can’t even win in a down year for the ACC. There is no reason why we shouldn’t at least be .500 in the ACC at this point.

  3. wolfy85 02/03/2011 at 10:45 AM #

    Glad to see some people giving CJL some props for really working his tail off last night, especially after a lot of people on this site ripped him a new one after he was basically singled out and blamed for the Clemson loss. He still took a handful of bad shots, but hell this team is so bad it must be hard to not throw up a shot every time you get the ball and see daylight. I thought it was very very good effort in a game that we were NEVER going to win.

    Does anyone have an update on Harrow, and any possible time frame for return? Not that it will change much, but winning/competing isn’t even a possibility without him on the court.

  4. ryebread 02/03/2011 at 11:12 AM #

    We should all agree to leave the players alone. What they do on the court is a direct reflection of the coaching — both what they’re instructed and what the mistakes that aren’t corrected. The talent is there and I’m happy to have all the kids that we have. They have my full support. I hope all the kids that are eligible come back next year.

    I feel sorry for TS. If I were him, I’d have probably red shirted. He wasn’t going to save this ship and it looks like his knee is still bothering him. I’d have focused on getting well and then putting in a “contract” year during my red shirt senior season. While I have no insider information, my guess is that he came back due to loyalty to NC State and to the coaching staff, and it’s a shame. It could have been grade related, finances or just being tired of school, but if it were those things, I don’t think we’d have seen those comments in the press from SL.

    The staff? Well, they’ve produced the same results regardless of players, line ups, injuries, etc.. If we face a mediocre to good opponent we lose. Along the way we see inconsistent effort, overall poor defense, questionable rotations, and a lack of rebounding (particularly on the offensive end).

  5. Wulfpack 02/03/2011 at 11:12 AM #

    There will be no NIT. In fact, we are squarely on the CBI bubble.

    The unthinkable has happened this year. Time for all of us to move on from this tragedy.

  6. nav 02/03/2011 at 11:25 AM #

    “I honestly believe that if he won out from here forward, he would still be gone. Which is about as likely as me winning Powerball.”

    I understand and agree with the sentiment but not entirely true. If Lowe won out that would mean that he won the ACC tourny, therefore got into the NCAA tourny, and won that tourny making us NCAA Champs. Yeah!

  7. ThomYorkepack 02/03/2011 at 11:28 AM #

    Moving beyond the Lowe era (is NC State most certainly will do soon), here are some numbers to make you either want to throw up or run out in front of a bus:

    ACC record by coach since 1990-91 season:
    Les 28-66 (.298)
    Herbert 72-88 (.450)
    Sid 22-50 (.306)

    TOTAL: 122-204 (.374)

    So, a school with the basketball heritage, culture, conference affiliation, and resources of NC State has lost 63% of our conference games since 1990. Let that sink in–63% losing over a TWENTY YEAR period. This is about 1/3 of the 58 year existence of the ACC.

    Not only have we been irrelevant nationally since the late 1980s, we’ve been irrelevant in our backyard–the ACC. It takes a special combination of administration and coaching incompetence and ambivalence to lose at that prodigious rate at a school like NC State. It really would have been hard for us to lose more had we set out to do so.

    Debbie Yow is soon going to have a chance to right this ship, and all it would take to do so in a relatively quick manner is the right program leadership. She has got to get this coaching hire right, and I am confident she will.

  8. tjfoose1 02/03/2011 at 11:40 AM #

    “Trip to Durham this weekend will be like having a root canal without any pain killer.”

    I disagree… a lot of us have been numb for some time.

    “Unless you listenend to the Post Game (I did not hear the pre-game), you did not KNOW that.”

    I didn’t watch or listen, but when heard Sid was wearing a bow tie, I knew why.

    Comparing Harper’s situation to Lowe’s? And the loss to Duke to State blowing the lead against Clemson? Get some perspective, man. Unless your post is a poor joke, you need some help.

    Huge difference in the teams, programs, and the way the players of the teams work. One team is actually being coached. One is not.

  9. tuckerdorm1983 02/03/2011 at 11:46 AM #

    tjfoose1

    Trip to Durham, root canal, no painkiller

    Is this the situation?

  10. Wolfy__79 02/03/2011 at 11:58 AM #

    from a source, i’ve heard Yow brought in all head coaches from each nc state team and drew a line.. if you finish in the top 25 then there is nothing to discuss. this would explain some of TOB’s comments about the final rankings.

    not only is there a change needed for coach and to follow up on someone’s statement earlier… our culture, while very proud, must be rebuilt. nothing like a twenty year drought and a former rival pointing out that not only are we not their rival, WE ARE NOONES RIVAL. change the coach, this is the first step in changing our culture.

    i’m so excited about the reality of a coaching search. i’m really looking forward to the discussion on statefansnation! it may even help if anyone of importance is reading.. to hash out what we want to see on the court?! i’m really hoping for a mid-career to young coach.. one that will improve by playing/losing then adapting to beat the likes of the blue teams… maryland too. this is what i’m looking for, the benefit of playing against the top acc coaches is when you learn how to beat these top acc teams… you are best prepared to win!

  11. bradleyb123 02/03/2011 at 12:09 PM #

    Someone mentioned earlier that they’re not convinced Sidney will be let go until after NEXT year. I think there’s no way he can survive this. On TV, you can see the empty seats. That’s one thing I believe we will not tolerate — reduced ticket sales. Once that starts happening, it’s a sign that the fans have turned on the coach, and he is as good as gone.

    I think Sidney is as good as gone, if for no other reason.

  12. Wolfy__79 02/03/2011 at 12:12 PM #

    ^actually, let me correct myself.. hiring a competent ad with strong nc state ties was the first step in changing the culture.. then a new head coach/es.

    it’s sad to see tracy having such trouble with his knee. if he’s really still having any side effects from his injury.. he’s got to pull the plug now and rehab fully. i think he can make a roster in the nba, he’s not blake or lebron or even hickson.. but he can get some minutes IMO.

    i don’t want to throw any of our young players under the bus! it’s all about their leader/lack thereof! ya ya, cjl gets 8 boards a game.. why doesn’t anyone see the correlation b/t that and his missed layups/shots? not even just his, but each of our forwards that go up soft? what’s their problem.. the HC! cjl and lorenzo are superior athletes!

    i’m not happy where this team is with any particular stat, but i’m glad they haven’t given up. i hope they can keep that up.. i have my doubts as we will likely lose most of our final games.

    cbi? nit? ncaa’s? this team should not accept any postseason play other than the ncaa’s!

  13. Wolfy__79 02/03/2011 at 12:29 PM #

    earlier statement about whomever would be stepping in as an “messiah!”

    to an extent i agree, and hope for that very result. most, but not all has been bad. sidney stepped/backed in when we needed someone. so the trend continued of losing since the early nineties.. as it stands right now for the next coach if nothing else is inheriting a talented roster with each having nba aspirations. that is not bad, despite the personalities that go with a few of them.

    any coach in this coaching search that does not see the situation for what it is.. is not ambitious enough to compete in the ACC. to be the best, you have to beat the best (ACC).

    anyone making an argument for SL plainly isn’t being honest with themself. the numbers do not lie hardly ever, and especially in this case. if he were who we are seeking then his upperclassmen would not behave as they do! it appears, that under 3-4 years under their hc, cjw is the only one that has benefited from his coaching.. but not much. i’m tired seeing our nc state players careers end at nc state!

  14. Wolfy__79 02/03/2011 at 12:30 PM #

    ^*a messiah

  15. Southbeachstyle 02/03/2011 at 12:33 PM #

    Passion has turned to apathy.

  16. 87stategrad 02/03/2011 at 12:38 PM #

    This poor dead horse has been beaten to a pulp.

  17. tripnipp 02/03/2011 at 12:50 PM #

    First post here…
    I love NC State. I love our alumni. I think Sidney Lowe is probably a good guy. I’m glad he is a part of our history and always will be. I think to fire a man from his job is a serious deal and should not be taken lightly. I also agree, however, with the masses that believe Sidney should NOT be our coach. There are many reasons for this, but the bottom line is he is incapable of taking us to where we want to be. I don’t want the guy to lose his job. I hope he gets another one soon (although you would have to be a fool to put him in a head coaching position – see Lee Fowler for details). All this being said, NOW is the time for the change.
    Here is my plea:
    Debbie Yow, please remove Sidney TODAY! Yesterday even. I know there is only a month left of this disaster and you are trying to spare some of his dignity, but PLEASE!, think of our current players. My contention is that if we wait till the end of the season, we may never again see our Freshman class. If we pull Sid out now, these boys may have the opportunity to see that things can be done differently. Make Monty Towe our interim coach for the remainder of the season. Obviously, we will not be finding our next head coach now (as Towe is likely not the answer), but the statement made by removing Sid will have a dramatic effect. My guess is that Towe would do things very differently than Sid. Its not like it can get any worse, so the important thing is to let the kids know that and convince them that Lowe IS in fact the problem and not a combination of events they can escape by leaving NCSU.

  18. NCSU84 02/03/2011 at 12:52 PM #

    Some of my colleagues have indicated that the last 20 years have been terrible for State BB, why should we expect anything different this (coaching selection) go round? Well there is a difference this time! Every wolfpack fan should be excited about this coaching search. Why you ask? The foundation for selecting the RIGHT coach is in place. We have a new chancellor who cares about athletics and understands the role athletics plays for the university. We have a new AD with the proven ability to select great coaches. These are the two things that have been missing in prior years.

  19. Packfan28 02/03/2011 at 1:20 PM #

    Was anyone here actually at the game last night? According to gopack.com, attendance was 15,945. I’m just wondering if that is anywhere close to reality.

  20. BJD95 02/03/2011 at 1:25 PM #

    JP Giglio indicated (in his N&O writeup) that it was most assuredly not.

  21. WolftownVA81 02/03/2011 at 1:34 PM #

    Saw most of the game on TV. Results = expectations. No meltdowns here.

  22. Lunatic Fringe 02/03/2011 at 1:46 PM #

    “Lowe is done. Finished. Period. I honestly believe that if he won out from here forward, he would still be gone.” – BJD

    Exactly what I told my buddy last night. Yow has been around basketball too long not to recognize a coach that has clearly lost his team & crowd size (actually in attendance) speaks for itself.

    I have seen some fundamental breakdowns out of this team that I have not seen in years…

    – Leslie throwing ball back under opponents goal as he “saves” it from going outside (Clemson)
    – Javy touching the ball in possession of an opponent during out of bounds throw in (VT)

  23. ncst8zr1 02/03/2011 at 1:49 PM #

    RE: our women’s team,
    Although I have attended an occasional women’s game over the years, I did not attend many and used the excuses of traveling too much, having other things to do, etc. But the reality was that having had season tiks for men’s BB since 1972, I really did not think the women would provide much entertainment. I was woefully mistaken. For the first time this season, I did purchase two season tickets, and my wife and I have totally enjoyed attending the 6 or so games that we have made. It is always good to be back on campus and in Reynolds Coliseum, but the real attraction is the team. My wife and I have seen more losses than wins, but we are impressed with the consistent hustle of the players (they REALLY work hard) and the generally fundamentally sound BB which we have witnessed. They play with a lot of heart, and K. Harper coaches with a lot of heart. Some of the skills that have been displayed have been impressive. We are hoping to attend games much more often in the future, because we think that we should support those who play so hard for our school, and we ENJOY attending. If you haven’t tried it, I encourage you to do so. Also, I will point out that we have a young team, and I expect us to improve with current and future players. Their play deserves our support. We find it easy to cheer for these young women who give so much effort. Give it a try!

  24. Daily Update 02/03/2011 at 1:50 PM #

    packalum44: Tubby lost his senior PG to a broken foot for the season 10 days ago.

    http://minnesota.scout.com/2/1042361.html

    He had 67 career starts, was 3rd all time in assists, and 2nd all-time in steals.

    A month ago he lost another PG averaging double figure to transfer:

    http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2011-01-10/joseph-to-transfer-to-oregon

    He also lost a freshman center on 12/29:

    http://minnesota.scout.com/2/1035046.html

    It has been a tough month for Tubby at Minnesota. It is important to understand what has happened at Minnesota that might derail what was a very promising start.

  25. PoppaJohn 02/03/2011 at 1:52 PM #

    I hate hearing Patrick & Elmore bash our coach on TV and therefore our school. Haynes & Thomas are admittedly homers, but have their hearts in the right place so I prefer to listen to the radio coverage, even with that frustrating delay.

    Yow must be watching the same broadcast we are – hearing Patrick & Elmore. She must also read the same media we do. (breaking & entering / drunk driving) I hope it is killing her, the same as it is the rest of us. I have to believe she is preparing a manifesto for her first major hire, including:

    1. Team discipline – character counts!
    2. Play hard every second you are priviledged to be on the court – otherwise that priviledge will be rescinded
    3. Defence is a priority – you don’t play it, you don’t play at all
    4. Play within the offense – No bigs pitching up threes or bringing the ball up court – bigs should be getting offensive rebounds ( a concept that apparently has yet to be introduced). Try setting a screen (another new concept, it appears.)

    I hope Yow’s standards for a BBall coach start with Gary Williams and go up from there. She watched him for a long time, so should have a pretty good idea of qualities you want in a coach that will run a successful program in the ACC. We don’t want the minimum standard to be ‘somebody better than Coach Lowe.’

    Coach Lowe has given us his best and we appreciate him. He means a lot to the school and the fans. He leaves the program in better shape than he found it. But even he must realize that he’s hit his ceiling.

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