SFN goes on the ‘Twitter offensive’; (obvious) analysis of the coaching search

Media NCS Basketball75

My flight landed in Houston this afternoon…and before I could get off the tarmac my phone was met with a barrage of texts and emails and phone calls about all hell breaking loose in the NC State men’s coaching search.

Maybe this is one of those times when it is beneficial to not be sitting around the office glued to the computer and therefore singularly focused on (any topic) the coaching search?

Now that I’ve had my fill of Berryhill Tamales and found a Panera to buy my $2 coffee so I don’t feel guilty for using ‘free’ wi-fi, I’ve secured a couple of minutes to chime in regarding the rapid developments of this afternoon — namely the reported ‘spurning’ of the NC State job by Shaka Smart, Gregg Marshall and Mick Cronin.

As you recall, the News & Observer reported late last week that (1) VCU’s Athletics Director said that NC State had not contacted Shaka Smart and (2) Gregg Marshall had not even been contacted by NC State.

…And today we learn that three coaches who had not even been contacted by NC State have ‘turned down’ NC State’s job! CLASSIC!!!

If you are new to SFN, then you may have missed this great entry from earlier in the year where one of our authors took the time to explain to you why some national sports media are…well…national sports media as opposed to members of MENSA or any well-respected profession or cutting edge corporate organization.

I very much encourage you to give it a whirl. It will help you understand how these ‘Einsteins’ can’t figure out what couldn’t be more clear to me right now — The moment I got the news that Mick Cronin and Gregg Marshall had ‘turned down’ a job that they were never offered, was the moment it became clear to me that Debbie Yow’s search for the next NC State Men’s Basketball Coach is over.

Unfortunately, the media is littered with morons like ‘SportsbyBrooks’, Gary Parrish and CBS’ Matt Jones who continue to prove that their depth of analytical thought runs about as deep as their paper-thin resumes and pre-pubescent looking pictures. (How old does one need to be to have a CBS Twitter account? Seriously?!)

So…the following is what we think/speculate is happening/has happened today:

  • NC State has either secured, or is very close to securing an agreement with our next head basketball coach.
  • The search firm has shared that information with other potential candidates and those coaches – like Marshall and Cronin – have run to the media and their fans ‘spurning’ jobs they were never offered. (Unfortunately, too many in the lazy media just regurgitate what self serving agents and coaches tell them to be true.) It is called saving face and politically posturing for their current situations. I understand it. But, I don’t like it.
  • To give credit where it is due, our local sports media seems to get it. 99.9’s Joe Ovies attempted to enlighten a self-proclaimed journalist (and rumored friend of Gary Williams) today with the following:

RT @joeovies @sportsbybrooks we’re at the classic point where coaches were informed they weren’t “they guy”

  • I do not know if this means a deal is actually finalized with our top ‘mystery candidate’. I would tend to believe that one, or both of the following statements are relatively accurate: (1) Debbie Yow felt as though her agreement was in a strong enough position to ‘release’ all of the other candidates; (2) Debbie Yow has an acceptable ‘fallback’ candidate who has agreed to the job if her top candidate should fall through during the home stretch.
  • Again, we’ve got no inside information...(ok…maybe we have just a little inside information)…nonetheless…we would expect this thing to be wrapped up by Wednesday/Thursday of this week.

If we are wrong…we are screwed.

For some fun, you can click on our Twitter feed for a review of some twitter interaction from today.

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Media NCS Basketball

75 Responses to SFN goes on the ‘Twitter offensive’; (obvious) analysis of the coaching search

  1. tann84 04/04/2011 at 8:25 PM #

    One I don’t know how many people really thought that Yow ‘walked on water’. But I think people just have the opinion that she was better than Fowler, thats it.

    Its clear that either we have an all-star coach who hiring will speak for itself. It will make all the national media writers who were laughing today have egg on their face for several reasons.

    1. For letting their preconceived notions about NC State and the fanbase blind them to the real sources and news that is out there.

    2. It will expose them for the tools that they are.

    3. For being dead wrong about the search and having to write those, ‘What are they thinking articles’ about said coach coming to NC State. Which everyone will be able to see through.

    OR it will be a hire that will rank up there to when Sid was hired. Then,

    1. We’ll have to continue to hear the national media’s condescension.
    2. We may have to admit that the public perception of coaches is the same as the national media.
    3. We’ll have to wait until an up-and comer who is looking to make a name for himself to come and win here.

  2. Packfan28 04/04/2011 at 8:25 PM #

    Uh Gumby, the pessimism tells me these guys have been faithful Wolfpack fans for a very long time, and come buy their pessimism honestly. I’m afraid I too am part of the dubious contingent who are afraid Shaka was our guy (after missing on Miller, Barnes, and Donovan). I hope I’m wrong – I do respect the opinions of StateFans and BJD a lot, so that does give me some hope.

  3. KDS73 04/04/2011 at 8:26 PM #

    Kingston never said one way or the other if Smart was offered. He didn’t say yes, but “don’t know where that’s coming from.” isn’t saying no either. If I had to bet money on it, I’d say Smart was definitely offered the job.

  4. PackMan 04/04/2011 at 8:27 PM #

    Seriously- can everyone just calm the f&%# down. No one here has any REAL information to make these wild extractions. Sit back, relax and if the hire sucks, then let loose. Right now you all make Pack fans look like a bunch of tinfoil hat whiners.

  5. Wufpacker 04/04/2011 at 8:31 PM #

    That is too funny Plz2B. If I saw zombie Herb outside of my kitchen window I’d scream like a little girl (much the way I often used to scream like a little girl while watching his offense).

  6. James 04/04/2011 at 8:33 PM #

    BJD, love the RIL reference! I literally laughed out loud.

    A home run hire, coupled with two key victories in football would make for a fantastic time to be a State grad at a certain law school. Please let this happen.

  7. IamGumbyDammit 04/04/2011 at 8:35 PM #

    Amen Packman – everyone wait and whine when you KNOW something (if you’re hell-bent on whining).

  8. bionicdoug 04/04/2011 at 8:35 PM #

    How can you have loyalty to the ‘Pack without insufferable pessimism? The last 20 years have killed any optimism. My top 10 optimism killing moments: 1) Collapse in ’03 ACC championship game vs Duke, 2) Collapse in ’04 ACC semifinal game vs MD, 3) Collapse against Vandy in ’04 tourney when we had the 3 seed, 4) Collapse against MD in 2000 that started huge losing streak, 5) losing undefeated football season to mediocre GT team in 02, 6) herb’s first year, blowing lead with flurry of turnovers in last minute at Smith center, 7) Combing back from 28-3 deficit only to lose to Tarholes in Overtime in ’98 football, 8) The “TA McClendon Game”, 9) losing to Tarholes in ’97 and ’07 ACC Title games, 10) The 06 basketball coaching search.

    Am I a pessimist, yes. I am I a loyal State fan, 100%.

  9. swamppack 04/04/2011 at 8:36 PM #

    I think the hire will speak for itself and DY doesn’t have any reason to set the rumors straight as they surface. When you are confident in what you are doing, you waste time and cause confusion by answering every speculation.

    I don’t think she’s a miricle-worker, but I do feel she has this search under control. Why be negative unless it is merited. I for one am so glad the AD’s office is being quiet regardless of what is happening behind closed doors.

  10. duggie 04/04/2011 at 8:38 PM #

    I hope we have our man. The idea of it being Stevens is a bit of a stretch. I can not believe he would have taken any amount of time, this week, to think about NCSU’s job. He is thinking of only one thing, a national championship!

  11. State Fan 04/04/2011 at 8:43 PM #

    James, are you following in my footsteps? I had to hold my nose all 3 years at Van Hecke-Wettach Hall. BJD, I also loved the reference.

  12. Wufpacker 04/04/2011 at 8:44 PM #

    Soooo….will there be a coaching search-free national championship game thread?

  13. adub95 04/04/2011 at 8:46 PM #

    What?? We need a coach? I thought Les was doing a decent job with V’s leftovers…… (Unfortunately, this was the last time we were relevant in hoops!). Chill people!
    Regardless who we choose, they will have my support. I am tired of our fans constantly bitching about every coach/administrator tied to our school. There is a reason we have this reputation – us!

  14. Wolfman 9806 04/04/2011 at 8:50 PM #

    I love this search. Totally enthralling. Better than the best mystery or thriller novel. Can’t wait to till the conclusion. I have no reason not to fully trust DY. Still though, wonder if this will be a best seller or a flop?

    As a state fan, I’m used to being let down, but this time I really think she will get us a coach with talent and to be proud of.

  15. bmamba101 04/04/2011 at 8:59 PM #

    I believe the reports that they all turned the job down. Too many various reports, and statements from VCW and WS that State offered money but was rejected (surprise). Sounds like Lee Fowler to me.

  16. tann84 04/04/2011 at 9:02 PM #

    I think the reality is reality, by now either we have a great hire or a really bad hire. Whoever the coach is they will have my support. I will want him to succeed. I think most people share that sentiment. If you don’t like it, deal with it.

  17. wolfie91 04/04/2011 at 9:04 PM #

    I think the “we haven’t offered anyone yet” statement is technically true but you have to think we have been very interested in some coaches, had serious talks, but ultimately they told us know. If Smart had wanted to come here, we would have “offered” him. Whatever the wording, he chose to stay at VCU.

  18. packof81 04/04/2011 at 9:06 PM #

    If a coaching job is open, there will be coaches who try to use this as leverage. There are some big egos. I say they’re blowing smoke.

    It’ll be interesting to see what shakes loose.

  19. codebrown 04/04/2011 at 9:09 PM #

    It’s time to settle the MADNESS!

    Don’t we have to look at who’s left at this point?

    Mike Brey? Mark Few? The ace up her sleeve, Tubby?

  20. PackAche 04/04/2011 at 9:22 PM #

    i would take offense at those who say to be pessimistic is not to be a loyal pack fan – except that i have taken so much crap from unx fans, umd fans, uva fans, etc over the years, whats a few extra barbs from a fellow packer..

    go to the acc.com standings page and see where state stands compared to the rest of the league in all the sports. its laughable.

    when the search began, i was optimistic in regard to yow. i thought she had the potential to pull in the home run, but at least would pull in a solid up-and-comer. i figured she was a straight shooter, intelligent and tough, but with a lot of class.

    she sat there in the presser and said that if some coach said they got an offer, and really hadn’t, that she would call them on it. well, i haven’t heard anything about Smart et al.

    so that means one of two things: she has someone lined up already and is going to make an announcement soon, or, she is all bluster.

    hopefully she has a hell of a good reason to allow the ncsu name to be dragged through the mud yet again, day after day. being an ncsu pessimist i find that hard to believe.

    i hope i am wrong.

  21. highstick 04/04/2011 at 10:51 PM #

    If she can’t hire one, she better be ready to “man up” and coach ’em herself!

  22. mdref 04/04/2011 at 10:57 PM #

    I’ve been thinking for awhile our back-up is Todd Bozeman. He’s been “black-balled” for the last 8 years. Purgatory may be ending.

  23. 94MEGrad 04/04/2011 at 11:02 PM #

    “If we are wrong…we are screwed.”

    Well, looks like we’re screwed. D@#%!!!!

  24. Professor06 04/05/2011 at 8:45 AM #

    For what it’s worth (and I know I am a little late to the party here), I can say with 100% certainty that Gregg Marshall was offered the job around noon local time yesterday. While I can’t speak definitively about the other candidates, they may not have been actually offered the job, yet I suspect that they knew they could essentially have it if they wanted it. By removing their names from the running, they were sending a clear message.

  25. jspegg 04/05/2011 at 9:19 AM #

    Del Negro from the Clippers!

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