Chip Alexander and Caulton Tudor of the News & Observer broke the story today that NC State will hire alumnus and former Wolfpack point guard, Sidney Lowe as the program’s Head Basketball Coach.
N.C. State is set to hire Detroit Pistons assistant coach Sidney Lowe as its new head basketball coach, sources with knowledge of the coaching search said today.
The N&O has also pulled some old Sidney Lowe pictures from their archives that are accessible by clicking here.
UPDATE: Here are 2 names we are hearing with respect to a possible Lowe staff – Larry Harris (returning from a brief stay in the desert) and fellow DeMatha alumnus Pete Strickland, formerly the head coach at Coastal Carolina. Harris and Strickland are not confirmed. Just solid rumor at this point.
UPDATE #2: WRAL is also reporting Lowe will be named head coach. Key excerpt:
After a month-long and highly scrutinized search. It appears that NC State has found a head basketball coach. Multiple sources have confirmed to WRAL that former Wolfpack guard Sidney Lowe will be hired as the Pack’s new basketball coach.
Details of the contract are still being worked out, but all indications are that Lowe will be the next leader of the Wolfpack. Lowe is currently an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons. There are no details of an announcement.
UPDATE #3: WPTF radio is also reporting Lowe to NC State.
UPDATE #4: ESPN chimes in. Some additional news – ESPN says he will finish the playoffs in his current capacity as Detroit Pistons assistant where he could potentially add a World Championship to his collection of ACC and NCAA Championship rings.
UPDATE #5: The media disaster that is NC State Athletics has set Lowe’s press conference for Saturday evening at 5:30pm. That’s correct – Saturday, when the school can get the absolute least amount of free publicity and impact in the news cycle as possible. The 5:30 PC also falls right after the Carolina Hurricanes’ second round playoff game at the RBC Center. The post time of the 2006 Kentucky Derby is at 6pm on Saturday. Lowe’s hire will sneak onto the back page of most newspapers in the country on Sunday morning. Fans supposedly can watch the press conference live on GoPack.com. We’ll see how that holds up.
UPDATE #6: No word on a rumored third assistant yet – but we would recommend the most seasoned, experienced, technically proficient coach that can be found. A “Larry Hunter-type”. Lowe’s NBA experience and Harris’ recruiting prowess should do a good job of handling the talent acquistion needs of the program. Strickland looks to be a solid, well-rounded hire, and many are billing him as the potential x-and-o guy. An elder statesman with keen x-and-o insight would fit very nicely into the needs of the staff.
UPDATE #7: Don Shea reportedly stated on 680 AM this afternoon Lowe’s staff is in place but did not elaborate on any names.
UPDATE #8: The Charlotte Observer‘s report included some good news related to State’s highest rated incoming recruit:
Regina Davis, the mother of N.C. State signee Larry Davis, said N.C. State director of NCAA compliance Jon Fagg called the family Wednesday evening to say he was optimistic that the Wolfpack’s new coach would call either Thursday night or Friday morning to speak with Davis in person. Fagg, who didn’t tell the Davises who the new coach would be, declined to comment.
Told the new coach was expected to be Lowe, Regina Davis said out of all the names that came up during N.C. State’s 34-day coaching search, Lowe sounded like one of the best.
“I probably know more about Sidney Lowe seeing him behind the Detroit Pistons bench than I knew about any of these other coaches,” she said.
UPDATE #9: Beowulf makes a super point in SFN’s comments section:
Sidney Lowe won an ACC championship, and NCAA championship, and his team beat UNC with Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins without their leading scorer, Dereck Whittenburg.
DO YOU THINK ANYONE’S GOING TO TELL HIM WE CAN’T EXPECT TO COMPETE AGAINST UNC AND DUKE?
UPDATE #10: Wolfpackers on the internet try to start a pool predicting what time GoPack.com will crash during Lowe’s press conference on Sunday. So few Wolfpackers were willing to wager that GoPack would not crash that the idea of the pool collapsed.
UPDATE #11: The N&O modified their article this evening to include the following:
Lowe may not be the only former point guard returning to his alma mater. Although no staff members have been confirmed, it’s possible Monte Towe could leave his position as head coach at New Orleans to join Lowe’s staff.
A staff of Lowe, Harris, Strickland, and Towe would be a fantastic quartet and would help instill more excitement in the overall fanbase. Towe has gained valuable experience as the head coach at the University of New Orleans for the last five years. You can see his biography by clicking here.
…developing…
