Continue Relaxing, People

There will be plenty of time after the hire is made to score the search, and to try to piece together what actually happened. For the next 36-48 hours (at least – I use that timeframe because it’s the next “benchmark” – i.e., when everyone will travel to Texas for the Final Four weekend then), just relax and remember a few things:

1) We are not being publically rejected by anyone. No, I don’t care about what some jackass tweeted about Josh Pastner, etc.
2) Nobody really knows anything (which means that all we are discussing is our semi-educated guesses as to whether or not the continued radio silence is a good or bad thing).
3) Debbie Yow explicitly told us that this would be a very quiet – and probably lengthy – process.

If we (or you) try to parse, substantiate, and/or refute every snide sports radio remark and “tweet” out there…we/you will go completely batshit crazy. Don’t overreact to any “news” – positive or negative, no matter whether it supports your own personal theory/guess as to what’s happening behind closed doors. If things do drag on into the weekend and even next week – more interaction between sportswriters, agents, coaches, and hangers-on will just increase the noise level. Take it in stride.

Also, please remember that everyone in the Wolfpack community has frayed nerves and is thus pretty short-tempered. Take a time-out before you light into somebody. Use some discretion and self-awareness. Don’t poke a finger in anyone else’s eye, and don’t do anything to turn SFN into a piss-filled toddlers’ sandbox like so many other forums out there.

Now, I bid you good night. Time for some ice cream and mindless TV. Away from the f-ing computer.

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.

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111 Responses to Continue Relaxing, People

  1. Clarksa 03/30/2011 at 9:28 PM #

    Best article yet on this coaching search!

  2. redwolf87 03/30/2011 at 9:32 PM #

    This is good advice. We’re still in good hands. Just need to stay insulated from so-called media experts who don’t really know what’s happening but talk like they do.

  3. skippyjon jones 03/30/2011 at 9:36 PM #

    Agree x 2

  4. theTHRILL 03/30/2011 at 9:37 PM #

    smokescreen. well played.

  5. JT 03/30/2011 at 9:40 PM #

    Hell, I’m enjoying the search. A psych major should do a thesis on fans’ reactions to the situation. I think it’s an exciting time and I also think there are some damn good players the new coach will have to work with, i.e. no rebuild.

  6. Dogbreath 03/30/2011 at 9:41 PM #

    I was skewered on the forums for suggesting that our school has a severe problem of perception among the coaching community. I think Debbie Yow is trying, I really do, but this just feels like another futile attempt to land a big name. Some jobs just suffer from a vicious, unending cycle of bad endings, and we are one of those jobs. Coaches steer away from places like that, despite whatever money is offered up.

  7. jbark 03/30/2011 at 9:50 PM #

    An object at rest cannot be stopped!

  8. tjfoose1 03/30/2011 at 9:51 PM #

    No problem waiting.

    I’m not expecting it, but I still wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up being Miller.

  9. tvp1 03/30/2011 at 9:57 PM #

    Amen.

    And let me add a fourth thing to remember:

    4) No matter who we hire, he will be a substantially better coach than Sidney Lowe.

  10. mak4dpak 03/30/2011 at 10:00 PM #

    Does anybody know what time the tarheels are scheduled to play this weekend?????????? Ha! Ha!

  11. mak4dpak 03/30/2011 at 10:00 PM #

    Does anybody know what time the tarheels are scheduled to play this weekend?????????? Ha! Ha!

  12. Packfan in the grove 03/30/2011 at 10:11 PM #

    Well said BJD95. Debbie Yow is doing the right thing by not letting the “talkig heads of the media” determine who the next coach will be. Hopefully the ego of the past will be put aside for the betterment of the University. Debbie, do your search, make the hire and let us know.

  13. novawolf 03/30/2011 at 10:16 PM #

    Not only is UNC not playing this weekend, UNC-LA isn’t playing either.

  14. MickQ 03/30/2011 at 10:18 PM #

    I don’t know about you guys and gals, but I am worn out with anticipation. It has been an emotional roller coaster since the press conference ix-naying Sidney. We all loved Sidney. He bled wolf blood and was the best of intentions. A true gentleman and ambassador for the University. But we are moving on for the ultimate better of wins. Here is the chance to resurrect a dinosaur, a sleeping giant. Let DY do her magic and take the first step. It is going to still be a rough ride with perhaps no stellar rabbits out of the hat, but let’s trust in the new regime. Relax and be confident. Things will develop, and so will the Pack, and so will the new coach. He will be a good fit for the current state of affairs.

  15. theghost 03/30/2011 at 10:19 PM #

    ^^^Sid’s gone, folks. It’s over. We know he didn’t get it done, and he knows it. And I’m sure it kills him. Time to let him rest. We can have this discussion without continuing to beat on Sid over and over again.

  16. FunPack 03/30/2011 at 10:25 PM #

    My palms haven’t been this sweaty since my first junior high dance.

  17. highstick 03/30/2011 at 10:25 PM #

    Since Nate just got a contract extension with Portland, I guess he’s not our secret West Coast coach!

  18. john of sparta 03/30/2011 at 10:32 PM #

    FP: my junior high school was the last time we were relevant

  19. choppack1 03/30/2011 at 10:32 PM #

    There seems to be a lot of buzz around Shaka Smart. I don’t know if it’s a smokescreen or not – but he’d be a great hire if only for the positive buzz it would create. Still holding out a little hope, but I think most of us on this site understand how these things can go.

  20. wolfie91 03/30/2011 at 10:44 PM #

    Dogbreath, I believe too that Yow is really really trying. I don’t believe any of this is a smokescreen, redirect, etc. I believe she has been exercising due diligence, contacting coaches (or doing that via the search firm) and seeking to land the best coach for us that she can. And I believe that she will pick the person she believes is best for us of the available candidates. But she cannot make anyone come here, even by offering a large salary. I don’t believe it is entirely due to coaches viewing our job negatively (although I don’t deny that). Coaches don’t seem to move around that much. I’ve seen other coaching searches go similarly for football and basketball, even at elite schools. And with the elevation of the midmajor, I don’t believe the ACC has the allure it once did.

  21. TOB4PREZ 03/30/2011 at 10:47 PM #

    WOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!! so, you’re saying there’s a chance!!!!

  22. Wufpacker 03/30/2011 at 10:59 PM #

    ” I think Debbie Yow is trying, I really do, but this just feels like another futile attempt to land a big name. ”

    I’m quite certain that DY is doing everything in her power to bring in the best possible coach. I’m curious why you say it feels like another futile attempt, however. Not trying to single you out…lots of folks seem to be feeling the same way you do, but I’m not sure why.

    Is it the rampant rumors of big names being in town (or whatever), only to be proven false? Is it the tweets of twits who don’t know anything but still don’t mind taking a swipe at us?

    The only thing I know for sure is that we are currently conducting a coaching search. Some of the rumors reported have been so far fetched that I can’t believe anyone would pay attention, yet they seemed to fill the fans with such dread that they seem to be in pain. Aside from short-sighted hacks, most of the MSM seems to be with us so far, not against us. I can’t tell you how many of them have actually complimented our job, and the current admin. in the job they’re doing. That’s a huge switch.

    I’ve seen no credible reports of who, when, where, etc., either positive or negative. But, even if we do go after a few big names unsuccessfully, then make the best hire from those that remain, is that really such a bad thing?

  23. Hamlet 03/30/2011 at 11:08 PM #

    Okay, here is what I have gathered from sources and conjecture:

    I was told that we were waiting on a coach to make a decision, and it could have been concluded last night or today. Obviously, it was not, and either the window is already closed or darn near it. Also, Yow wants to go to the Final Four this weekend (no news there) to make the rounds, so this allowed a certain candidate time to truly think things over. I am led to believe that we were given a soft ‘no’ but the door was not shut, thus leading some to believe that this person was/is still a candidate.

    Unless a hail mary is completed, it will be next week before we know anything. Remember, I am not expecting a big name hire at this point, at least not a Miller, Donovan type name. But, coaches have certainly changed their minds, both to stay and to leave, so do not give up just yet. I would say the odds are very remote, but I am not getting the “We have moved on to such and such” yet. So someone still thinks we are in play with a top-shelf coach. I am less optimistic, but we’ll see.

  24. Hamlet 03/30/2011 at 11:09 PM #

    And for those wondering, the coach I am referring to is Rick Barnes.

    The real question is, would he be worth the money and would you take him over Anthony Grant or Shaka Smart? That question might seem silly on the surface, but we could really be kicking ourselves in a few years if we end up with a Brey, Stallings or Turgeon (and perhaps even Barnes…though I’d love to have him) and Grant and Smart are tearing it up somewhere.

    Quite frankly, I think Grant and Smart offer that kind of grand slam/unlimited potential quality that the others on the board simply do not have. All of those guys are good, solid coaches, but I want great, and I don’t think they offer greatness. Barnes is the only one that I would take ahead of them at this point, I believe, unless a mystery candidate is floating around.

    Let’s also not forget where the Final Four will be played this weekend 🙂

  25. SlapAbutch09 03/30/2011 at 11:20 PM #

    Thanks for the post BJD.

    I agree with clarksa, definitely one of the best reads yet.

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