Thee Sports Blog broke down a list of the top stories of the year for local schools, and beyond. I’d say that they did a good job of it (linked here).
For NC State the blog came up with links to the following:
The basketball coaching search, Debbie Yow says Gary Williams “sabotaged†search
Mark Gottfried hired as Head Basketball Coach
Football comeback vs Maryland
TOB owns UNC and smacks down Everett Winters and his “flagship†comments
Death of Lorenzo Charles
Similarly, Brett Friedlander at the Wilmington-Star News did a great job counting down the 10 top local stories in this entry. NC State related topics come in at #4 and #5, but a mention of the Wolfpack football team’s huge late season run including the record setting game against Maryland was not included. Something about shutting out UNC-CH, spanking #7 Clemson, a record-setting comeback against Maryland and a great bowl win against Big East Champion Louisville in four of the last five games feels like it is a little larger of a story than ‘decisions of UNC basketball stars Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller to return to school rather than enter the NBA draft.’
4. New leader of the Pack: The first thing Debbie Yow said after being hired as N.C. State’s athletic director in 2010 was that the Wolfpack would no longer settle for the status quo. On March 15, she proved she meant business by convincing basketball coach Sidney Lowe to step down after five seasons at his alma mater. It wasn’t an easy decision. Lowe is a genuinely good man whose love for State is unquestioned. But after going just 25-55 in the ACC with no NCAA tournament bids in five seasons, a change had to be made. Three weeks later and less than 24 hours after Yow had issued an open letter to nervous fans telling to “keep the faith,†she surprised everybody by hiring former Alabama coach and ESPN analyst Mark Gottfried as the new coach. It seemed like a curious choice at the time, but so far, it’s worked out well. Not only is Gottfried’s first team off to a promising start, but he has already made a splash in the recruiting wars by signing top prospects – raising hopes for a return to prominence in the very near future.
5. Russell Wilson saga: As successful as Russell Wilson was during his three years as N.C. State’s starting quarterback, his indecision on whether to stick with minor league baseball or return for his final season of eligibility had become a distraction. Rather than having him become the Wolfpack’s version of Brett Favre, coach Tom O’Brien released Wilson from his scholarship, effectively making him a college football free agent. It was a controversial move, especially after Wilson decided to return to the gridiron and play for Wisconsin. But after some immense hype a lot of criticism, things turned out well for everyone involved. While Wilson led the Badgers to the Rose Bowl and enhanced his NFL draft stock, his replacement Mike Glennon got better as the season went on. The junior finished with 31 touchdown passes, including three last week in an MVP performance at the Belk Bowl to help vindicate his coach’s decision and complete an 8-5 season.
