We’re Back! And By The Way, We Have a Coach

Debbie Yow Mark Gottfried151

SFN has been overloaded with traffic the past few weeks. We’ve hit records that have TRIPLED our previous record. Over the past month, we’ve had nearly 400,000 unique visitors. We had a single day record of 28,161 unique visitors yesterday (reporting for today isn’t yet over – but I expect our prolonged downtime will not overtake yesterday’s record). For the books, our previous record 10,135 unique visitors on October 12, 2010 (Carolina scandal). After some much needed maintenance, hopefully we’re back on track.

Oh by the way, we have a coach. Welcome Coach Gottfried! Expect analysis from the SFN crew on Mark Gottfried, Debbie Yow, Gary Williams, and the search in general as stories are confirmed in the coming days.

In case you’re wondering, yes, FireMarkGottfried.com was registered today (not by us). It may not be what you think it is.

Debbie Yow Mark Gottfried

151 Responses to We’re Back! And By The Way, We Have a Coach

  1. NSFwolf37 04/06/2011 at 7:43 AM #

    Overall, I don’t think it was a bad hire. I think that it did dissapoint us the we could toss big money around and not get a high profile coach. I hope we can see some immediate success and that he can keep the recruits from changing schools.

  2. PoppaJohn 04/06/2011 at 8:04 AM #

    What We Did:
    We hired a coach that got fired mid-season from his dream job at his alma mater and couldn’t get another job for two years until his old buddy bailed him out. On top of that there are rumors of “miss” behavior. (although since he got the full buy out, I wonder about that)

    What We Didn’t Do:
    Unite the fan base. Bring hope for the future. Justify our faith in our new administration.

    What We Did:
    Put us in a holding period for the next coach. Hopefully ‘timing’ will be a consideration when we upgrade Gott. (Ex. When Archie is ready to move up from Dayton, or another quality hire becomes available)

  3. lonewolf 04/06/2011 at 8:05 AM #

    Debbie Yow should be given the option to resign or be fired even if this fiasco is not all her fault it is her responsibility. I just listened to King on ESPN spend a lot of time blasting her response at press conference to the “baiting” by the reporter. She should have said “this conference is about our new coach and nothing else” She blew it and that speaks for itself. MG may be a good hire in the long run but the AD position is too critical too be dragged through the mud any longer. She is just as responsible for the net result as Sidney was for his record.

  4. smile102 04/06/2011 at 8:08 AM #

    “^Finebaum is good buddies with Gary, and was verbally assaulted for being an asshole by Gottfrieds wife while he was at Alabama”

    So we can expect his wife to defend him to the media when he is criticized. That will be entertaining….

  5. lush 04/06/2011 at 8:09 AM #

    “This was an utter failure of a coaching search. There are no other logical conclusions.”

    This coming from the guy who swore up and down that Rick barnes was a done deal.. Ill go ahead and assume that your opinion on the search is the same quality of your inside info.

    He meets the criteria DY laid out at the beginning, and has a better resume than any other state coach in the last 20 years. That is so far from a failure, it’s laughable. Not to mention the fact that HE HASN’T EVEN COACHED A GAME!

  6. Hungwolf 04/06/2011 at 8:11 AM #

    Great Hire, don’t have a problem with others like BJD95 expressing their opinions, no doubt we have reasons to be frustrated as Pack Bball fans. Just give the guy a chance. I like the hire.

    I thought MG handled himself extremely well and professional in the press conference which is something of extreme importance given the media attitude towards NCSU. I thought some of the press were extreme assholes in trying to turn the press conference into a negative event instead of a postive moment for the school and the coach. I did like the way they made each meida person tell their name and what media firm they were with. Hopefully names were noted of those that asked the a Hole questions and they will not be called on in the future. The press didn’t treat UNX press conferences when they introduced a coach like they did ours. DY maybe should not have responded but maybe she wanted to draw their negativity to her instead our new coach. Something someone needed to do for Amato, part of his downfall was he couldn’t handle the media and they made fun of him. I think MG’s experience with ESPN will be a great benefit for us in handling the media!

  7. wolfpackbball 04/06/2011 at 8:20 AM #

    No matter who was hired (outside of the A+ pipe dream candidates) a portion of the fan base will piss and moan. “This is awful, that is awful”, whatever. This hire doesn’t excite me, but I do recognize that we actually have a guy that can coach now. If the players all stay, I think he can facilitate a pretty decent improvement in the results.

    IMHO, it is MG’s job to get us back to top half of conference play, and in the tourney. That much, I feel like he has proven he can do. 9-7 or 10-6 seasons, and 7-10 tourney seeds, he can do. How much more he can do is the question that will pull me along for the ride.

  8. newt 04/06/2011 at 8:28 AM #

    Dick Sheridan was also “rumored” to have had an affair with a coed because of his mysterious resignation, which is ridiculous. Please drop that idea.

  9. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 04/06/2011 at 8:40 AM #

    I think the two years off with the opportunity to see other coaches is a huge plus for MG. I think MGb-asketball will be fun to watch. I can imagine that a guy that becomes a head coach as young as he did is a better coach for taking two years to study other coaches.

    Anyone else think Smart woke up this morning after his gfather’s funeral, with no cameras around, thinking what the ‘ell, did I just turn down $2 million a year to coach at NC State? I’m sure that young man was caught up in the excitement of the Final Four, the media attention, and a family loss to be thinking rationally. Good luck at VCU next year coach Smart.

  10. lonewolf 04/06/2011 at 8:47 AM #

    At least MG seems to appreciate the importance of the big tourney. The NIT is an insult.

    http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/…beats.html

  11. tvp1 04/06/2011 at 8:47 AM #

    Q for BJD and others trashing the hire: I know you (and me, for that matter) liked the idea of hiring Tubby. How is this hire that much worse than Tubby?

  12. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 04/06/2011 at 9:05 AM #

    I think this is good hire but the AD’s search was a disaster. She could of hired her friend of 20 years on the Friday after Lowe lost in the ACC tournament.

    I’m ok with the outcome but the process hurt NC State and the AD’s reputation. I didn’t think Chancellor Woodson looked happy at the presser.

  13. ADVENTUROO 04/06/2011 at 9:06 AM #

    Couple of comments for you guys. I was critical of Debbie Yow BEFORE the Sidney decision and was a little miffed at the leaks and expressed my frustration. I got an immediate response and she told me that she was not committed either way and would give Sidney a fair appraisal.

    I also had a conversation with Sidney after his last “public” radio show and his mom. It was evident to my wife and I that he was ready for the inevitable and was at peace with it.

    So, when the deed was done, we moved on. Debbie handled that with grace and poise and respect for Sidney. That moved me solidly into her corner.

    I refrained from contacting her during the search as I thought she was going to be a little busy.

    I sent her a quick note of support on very late Monday night after all the bashing was taking place here and on other boards. Her response was quick, even though it was late. She said that she was working on a great hire and thanks for the positive comment and that she would not let us down.

    I do NOT usually listen to the FAN, but I was driving home during David Glenn’s show, so I listened. I had some tasks that allowed me to have a radio on and listened to the callers and his comments.

    One caller, who I think David Glenn gave some “credibility to” (not the Doyel call….that was earlier and I missed that….you ought to go back and play that one or read the Washington Post summary). The caller and DG were talking abour Tubby Smith. The caller apparently traveled in the “sports” circles and talked to various coaches. He said that Gary Williams about a year ago told him that HE would be interested in the NCSU job…I guess that things were a bit tense in MD….they both laughed and said it would definitely NOT be GW now.

    Then DG released the presser and the name of the coach. A quick due dilligence showed that MG was a GREAT hire. We NEVER really, as folks have pointed out, had a shot at Barnes or Miller. Shaka was the FOTM and we saved about $800K, which can go to good assistants, with MG. Marshall, I think, was the secret Mikey and Roy worshiper.

    I sent a quick congratulatory note and got an immediate thanks and you will like him…he is a fighter.

    After listening to the presser, I think he is great. I also have the same opinion of DY. The press kept baiting her and she did NOT say he sabotaged the search, only that he was difficult to get along with. Now WHERE is the news in that? The reporter brought up the “legal action”.

    MG may have been the “Dick Cheney” in the search. He may have had conversations with Debbie about WHO whe might want and eventually moved into a dark horse candidate. When you consider where we were, through whatever circumstances…..he is a GREAT hire. Shaka, in retrospect, would have been great….he would have filled some seats quickly….BUT…who knows from there.

    Mark did NOT make his decision until mid morning on Tuesday. He had NOT accepted until then….yes, he was a candidate….but NOT our coach. This thing took off like a Saturn rocket around 11:00 yesterday. They did NOT even start setting up the presser until early afternoon.

    These, as I once told the judge, are the facts as I remember them and I was there……

    As to the Coed thing…..that has absolutely NO credibility and has been shot down more times than Snoopy. I do NOT believe it happened and no one has any solid or even a sniff from a cousin who had a brother that once knew a Stripper that married a UNC Football Coach. PLEASE DO NOT PERPETUATE THIS, even in a joking manner.

    Mark’s wife did call into a radio show and lambast them and set the facts straight. If he was diddling around with an EX High School (not college) Cheerleader, I don’t think he would be here today.

    Remember, his son only found about the job in the early afternoon.

    Welcome Coach Gottfried…..and PLEASE, no AFLAC jokes….

    I hesitated to write this, but I have not broken any confidences….NOR did I have any inside info. What I was told was generally in the Monday night email….and I beleive the events thereafter support the facts.

    GO PACK….my bags are packed for Atlanta next year…and I ususally do NOT go to the ACC Tourney when it is held there.

  14. jbark 04/06/2011 at 9:06 AM #

    I’m not against the Gottfried hire. In regards to Tubby I’d say the 2 most defining differences would be Tubby’s national championship and he would not be coming off a coaching hiatus.

  15. brown pelican 04/06/2011 at 9:12 AM #

    posting from north alabama—local media complimentary of gottfried and his tenure at alabama—drop off last two years attributed to problems with star player—injuries—discontent with fan base—perhaps somewhat influenced by his early success—common themes—great recruiter—teams play hard—defense???—after all is said and done—we got a guy who has a proven track record—fell off in production and out of favor—and—has been given a second chance—the comparisons to lavin are solid—however—two questions—can he assemble the staff that laving did—particularly on the defenseive end where we have been extremely deficient—and—can he motivate our seemingly disinterested at times contingetn consistently—if the answers are yes—best hire since v in 1980—is the pack up?—hell yes!

  16. ZZ 04/06/2011 at 9:23 AM #

    Personally…I’m psyched up about our new coach. If youre disappointed, you live in a dream land. I am about as passionate NC State fan as it gets…I have season tickets and leave EVERY game with a headache and am not happy unless everyone in my section knows that I’m the loudest SOB around…spreading the good word of NCSU. ***We lucked out guys***!! This is a great hire! This guy is exactly what we need; gutsy, bold, experienced, proven.
    I think when you nay-sayers get over the fact that what unx and dook has done in the past 20 years IS relavent to NCSU and to outsiders, and while at one time, we were relavent…we aren’t now. 4-5 years ago, this would have been a homerun with men on. Today, and only because our fears, this is a stand up tripple. MUCH BETTER HIRE THAN SHAKA SMART AND RICK BARNES. And don’t get hung up on why he left Bama…the man had some personal troubles (go ahead and say YOU havent), and it affected his job. It looks to me like he has taken a break, re-invigorated himself, got his personal straight AND HAS THE BALLS TO STEP UP TO THE CHALLENGE… This is our guy folks, who else had the balls?

    p.s. as far as Debbie’s comment about sham-wow-williams…maybe not the time but i kinda viewed the comment as an “hey, this guy tried to sabotage us but guess what…it didnt work…we got a great coach anyways”. Maybe cause I’m a marine, I dont see her as being difficult to work for… I see her as a strong woman who has already adopted the chip on our shoulders that we’ve carried for sometime now. GIVE EM’ HELL DEBBIE!!!!!

  17. ryebread 04/06/2011 at 9:38 AM #

    I was a big Tubby Smith advocate, just like I was 5 years ago. Tubby was far lower risk.

    The thing I liked about Tubby is that there was an obvious, peaceful, amicable split that would happen 5-8 years down the line. Tubby would have come in, had a TOB effect, gotten us consistently back to the tournament, teaching defense and fundamentals along the way. There was a very small chance he might harness the talent we currently have and make a deep run with it. Regardless, he’d have left the program in much better shape than he found it. The biggest concern we’d have had with Tubby is with what to do with his son when he retired.

    With Gottfried, it is not as clear about how things are going to play out. I see only two paths for him — he’ll have HWSNBN type success and be a guy that will just hang around forever or we’ll clearly be making a hire in 5 years. The former will re-divide the fanbase and the latter will absolutely bury what little is left of our legacy if 20 years of sucking and this coaching search haven’t already done so.

    Let’s also compare Tubby’s record to Gottfried’s. Tubby is 467-198 (223-113) in conference over his coaching career which works out to a winning percentage of 70% overall and 66% in conference. He’s taken 4 different teams to the NCAAs with 3 of them advancing to the Sweet 16. He also won a national title, has been to the Elite 8 three other times, and has been to the Sweet 16 four other times. That’s a hall of fame coaching record.

    We just picked up a guy with an overall winning percentage of 61% and an in conference winning percentage of 56%. He may come with character issues and there’s not as clear of an exit path. Give me Tubby any day.

    My coaching search would have gone like this:
    – A-list: Sean Miller
    – B-list: Tubby Smith
    – C-list: Randy Bennett
    – D-list: Oliver Purnell
    – E-list: Al Skinner
    It would have been over two days after Zona was knocked out of the tournament and I seriously doubt we’d have ever made it to the E list. We effectively just hired an E list candidate and I’m not sure we hired one as good as Skinner.

  18. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 04/06/2011 at 9:44 AM #

    I like Tubby too but don’t you think that if Smith was interested in coming Yow would of jumped on that like flea on a dog? Maybe he was one of the four official interviews and he declined. Who knows but none of that matters now.

    We can all go through our wish list once again and point out their resumes but obviously the only person that was willing to work with Yow was a good friend of hers. I think State got very lucky and we got someone that has “it”.

  19. Hungwolf 04/06/2011 at 9:47 AM #

    Some great posts. I remember all sorts of false rumors about Sheridan too. I don’t believe the rumors about MG. I also remember the rumors out of Clemson when Barnes left for Texas that he had to leave due to him and a coed. Amazing the crap disgruntled fans will spread!

  20. ShavlikLeague 04/06/2011 at 10:39 AM #

    Considering the situation, a very reasonable hire. All of those with the doom and gloom, you need to be grabbed by the nap and slapped a bit to snap out of it. Let’s give Gottfried a chance.

    Also, if any of the admins read this, I would be willing to help take a survey of how SFN is currently architected and to help improve things so future “Shock and Awe” campaigns don’t down the site. Free of charge…let me know.

  21. Ed89 04/06/2011 at 10:59 AM #

    ^^^How is this hire that much worse than Tubby?

    I think it’s better. Tubby is much older, and I don’t think he’s got the fire we need.

  22. packgrad2000 04/06/2011 at 11:40 AM #

    So, how would you guys rate how this whole search played out?

    Personally, I think we should get our money back from the Parker search firm (or whoever it is). There were several public rejections just like with Foulup. What the heck was the point of hiring them? And then the letter where she trashes the state of the program (not the search firm’s fault). Though he should’ve been better prepared, Fowler wasn’t ready for a coaching search, whereas DY saw this coming all season long, so she had an advantage there. Overall I think it was just about as disastrous PR-wise as 2006. But at least we ended up with a better coach.

  23. tvp1 04/06/2011 at 12:40 PM #

    Ed89: I hear you. My point is this: I could see you saying that this is a better hire than Tubby, or a worse hire. I cannot see any basis for saying Tubby would be a good hire but Gottfried is an unmitigated disaster.

  24. MP 04/06/2011 at 12:45 PM #

    I was baffled when I first heard the name ‘Mark Gottfried’ yesterday. I would have LOVED to seen Billy Donovan come to Raleigh. Sean Miller would have also been great. Now with that said:

    I will take MG with about 15 years of coaching experience including NCAAT experience, demonstrated winning teams, and recruiting.

    I will take MG over Tubby Smith or anyone else that people view as a ‘bridge’ coach to future glory days.

    I will take MG over Shaka Smart and am surprised we ever offered (I literally refused to believe it when I first heard).

    So in summary: Two coaches that I really wanted would have cost 3 – 4 Million per year. We now have a coach at 1/3 of that price who:
    (1) Won’t be a deer-in-the-headlights against UNC/DUKE as a young coach would.
    (2) Has YEARS of experience coaching/recruiting with some notable success.
    (3) You have to believe is extremely driven to succeed and is still young enough to have a long successful career HERE.
    (4) Will not cost us a fortune if he doesn’t.

    I was disappointed yesterday. I am not disappointed today.

  25. Hamlet 04/06/2011 at 2:51 PM #

    lush,

    Get your facts straight before calling folks out. Never once did I swear that Rick Barnes was coming here…not even close. I merely passed along what I had heard from a very good source. Are you doubting Barnes and Miller were contacted? They turned Debbie and N.C. State down, it is as simple as that. There was some interest but he was never sold on it. Okay…we move on. I never once said that Barnes was coming, was spotted on campus, or any of that other crazy nonsense.

    Oh, and yeah, Gottfried fits Debbie’s criteria to a tee. Perfect hire by Yow. Want any more kool-aid?

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