BBall: 2008 One-and-Doners and more

07-08 Basketball Alums47

An awesome analysis of 2008’s One-And-Doners can be seen by clicking here to one of the best college basketball blogs in the country.

I can’t copy and paste their comments, but they have some interesting things to say about NC State and how JJ Hickson was definitely ‘not worth it’. It really is an interesting piece.

You can surf to “Rush the Court” and a host of other blogs and resources by spending some time looking at our blogroll on the right hand side of our front page.

In other news, the announcement that former NC State assistant and overall great guy, John Groce, has been named the head basketball coach at Ohio slipped past my radar. You may remember that former NC State assistant, Larry Hunter, was the coach at Ohio in the 1990s.

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07-08 Basketball Alums

47 Responses to BBall: 2008 One-and-Doners and more

  1. BJD95 07/02/2008 at 11:46 AM #

    I disagree that it wasn’t worth it. It hopefully opened up a GA pipeline and showcased some of Sid’s NBA connections and helps him recruit more effectively, then it was well worth it. Since I think this the only way Sid will possibly succeed as a HC at the college level, then it was damned important to have JJ here.

    Hickson was BY FAR the least serious of the various “chemistry problems” last year. We would have sucked last year without Hickson, too. Just like we did sans Atsur (and sometimes with him) the year before.

    2008-09 Wake Forest will be roughly equivalent to 2007-08 NC State (trendy breakthrough team, will most likely suck or be mediocre). Remember that I said it first (and repeatedly).

    A UNC colleague asked me yesterday what I thought about basketball in the post-Hickson era. I told him that we sucked with Hickson, so I was confident we could find a way to suck without him.

  2. mafpack 07/02/2008 at 12:18 PM #

    Totally off topic but might fall under “and more…” – NC State is in the process of throwing money every which way but the right way it seems… go us. As a former NC State employee this kind of thing is infuriating…

    Mary Easley gets an 88% raise from NC State
    http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/story/3140281/

  3. old13 07/02/2008 at 12:31 PM #

    ^ Guess I don’t understand. It sounds like she is developing a new curriculum and is being hired on a full-time basis for that and other assignments versus her previous part-time arrangement. The pay seems to fit the new position. What’s the problem? Just because she’s the governor’s wife doesn’t mean she’s being “handed” the position as a gift with no expectations. But then we’ve seen how JO operates, so maybe it is a “baddy.” But I took it as just another rag trying to skew some worthly news into a slam on NCSU.

  4. Dan 07/02/2008 at 12:32 PM #

    A one year commitment to Hickson was definitely worth it.

    A three year commitment to Marques Johnson was idiotic.

  5. dj9686 07/02/2008 at 12:42 PM #

    Well, I agree with the MJ comment but not the Hickson one. I’ve been saying all along it wasn’t worth it and although he was a hard working player, he was only working for himself and to get to the NBA.

    JJ only played college ball because the rules forced him to do so. His first and last games at NCSU were his promo and intro into the NBA. I doubt he feels much loyalty to the University which I guess he probably shouldn’t. It was rare that he let go of the ball once he got it, unless it was stolen. I really think it was all about JJ’s audition for the ‘show’ and it obviously reflected on the rest of the team. I certainly don’t think of him as an NCSU alum. I guess it may help us in the long run that he was the only ACC player taken in the first round this year when we have one Mickey D player and he goes in the top 20 when UNC and Duke have multiple ones and they have to withdraw from the draft. Cav fans may be happy in five years about Hickson but I can understand their disappointment in his pick. He’s not an immediate solution to what they need.

  6. dj9686 07/02/2008 at 12:43 PM #

    I’m not sure how someone as tentative coming up the court as Johnson ends up with any major college scholarhip offers… Maybe he’ll turn the corner next year. I hope so…

  7. Wolf-n-Atl 07/02/2008 at 1:50 PM #

    “I doubt he feels much loyalty to the University which I guess he probably shouldn’t. It was rare that he let go of the ball once he got it, unless it was stolen.”

    A couple of thoughts on these…
    1) There is no way to know what his feelings towards NC State are. He could very well love NC State and be happy that he came here if he had to go somewhere. Since he doesn’t elaborate in interviews very much, we may never know.

    2) When he did pass out of the double team we rarely made the outside shot. At some point you get tired of giving the ball up to team mates that cannot execute wide open shots and you may try to do too much. Also remember that he was a freshman. He was used to being able to power through those against weaker competition. Just b/c he was drafted doesn’t mean he didn’t need development.

    As Lowe has said, you don’t stop recruiting a player because he is good enough to be a one and done, but I do agree some players fit into their team better than others. I don’t think any of our problems had to do with Hickson, his attitude or his style of play.

  8. mafpack 07/02/2008 at 2:02 PM #

    old13 – This is being played up more because of the very public scrutiny that Mr. and Mrs. Easley are under right now for their massive spending allowances and luxirious lifestyle. Beyond that… I’d love to be paid eighty-thousand dollars for part time work and well over one hundred and fifty for full time work at one of our fine public universities. But the amount of money that professors and other preferred state employees make compared to other state employees, i.e. public school teachers, is quite unreasonable to me. Yes, I know that many professors are paid what they are because their “real world” counterparts are paid as much – with the idea being that high salaries are needed to keep the best and brightest teaching instead of working in the professional arena. Anyway, way off the beaten path here so…

    More on topic, I still like the fact that Lowe went out and was able to bring in top tier talent with JJ – granted he was not prepared for the repercussions of such a find – but the fact that he tried and succeeded where others *ahem* failed says volumes to me. Now we can only hope he continues to bring in/find such talent but has learned his lessons the hard way about how to incorporate such young men into a program looking for greatness.

  9. Wulfpack 07/02/2008 at 2:23 PM #

    Worth it, not worth it, whatever. Doesn’t matter. I just don’t see how if you are a head coach for a college program you don’t go after an NBA caliber player when he is within your grasp. Not pursuing it, to me, means you aren’t doing your job. Maybe that’s just me…

    Bottom line, J.J. will be playing in the NBA next season, making millions of dollars. I will say it again, millions of dollars. Don’t blame the kid. And don’t blame the coach for giving him an opportunity.

  10. b 07/02/2008 at 2:24 PM #

    I’m stunned anyone would pin all the problems we had on the only player who showed up on a regular basis. To me it is simple……

    It was not JJ’s fault we had no viable ACC PG.
    It wasn’t JJ’s fault the two power forwards regressed, or couldn’t use his presence to their benefit.
    It was not JJ’s fault (alone) that we had chemistry issues. Relationships are a two way (or a 13 way) street.
    It wasn’t JJ’s fault NOBODY could hit an open jumper when we needed it.
    It wasn’t JJ’s fault we couldn’t defend the perimeter if our lives depended on it.
    It wasn’t JJ’s fault we seemed unprepared for what teams were doing to us.

  11. SMD 07/02/2008 at 3:26 PM #

    SFN – Perhaps the problem is on my end, but I wanted you to be aware that I can’t get here just typing – http://www.statefansnation.com, the page is blank.

    I had to go to an archived page from a previous column and then click my way forward. Is anyone else having issues? Or is it just me? 🙂

  12. packbackr04 07/02/2008 at 3:44 PM #

    i have been having to do the same thing SMD. since yesterday

  13. Daily Update 07/02/2008 at 3:52 PM #

    BJD95: The most recent Poop Sheet talked a lot about the Georgia pipeline and how now it appears that Derrick Favors may be a real possiblity and with him in the fold it increase our chances with John Wall immensely.

    Good stuff in here:

    http://www.accsports.com/school_by_school/ncsu/xxxi/ncsuxxxi19.jsp

    RALEIGH – The message board vitriol that has been directed toward N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe since the end of his disappointing second season in Raleigh has lessened considerably as the summer has worn on.
    The reason isn’t the emergence of a softer, fuzzier side of Wolfpack fans. (Just ask athletic director Lee Fowler about that.) Rather, State fans are starting to get good vibes about Lowe’s 2009 recruiting class.

    …It’s no wonder, then, that so much attention has been paid to the recruitment of Raleigh point guard John Wall, who is considered by one recruiting service the top prospect in the Class of 2009. Wall, though, actually may be the third piece of State’s 2009 puzzle, instead of the first.

    No disrespect to the Wolfpack’s current commitment, Indiana shooting guard Scott Wood (who has impressed after fully recovering from a leg injury), but the first big prize State could land is 6-4 combo guard Lorenzo Brown. The Wolfpack already looked like the clear leader for Brown before he attended State’s summer elite camp, another very good sign. Some recruiting observers now believe that the commitment of Brown (No. 14 nationally by Scout.com, No. 35 by Rivals.com) looks more like a question of when, rather than if.

    The next piece may yet turn out to be Derrick Favors, the top big man in the Class of 2009. He’s certainly not a foregone conclusion for the Pack, either, but he’s also no longer considered a total lock to remain in-state at either Georgia Tech or Georgia, as was previously thought. Of the schools not within the Georgia borders, N.C. State has as good a chance as any.

    There are two main reasons for this. First, the Wolfpack’s top recruiter, Larry Harris, has built up strong contacts within the tight-knit AAU community in the Atlanta area. Those contacts were instrumental in helping to land Lowe’s first top recruit, J.J. Hickson.

    Hickson, by the way, is the second major reason why the Wolfpack’s chances of landing Favors are improving. As noted previously, folks in the Atlanta AAU community have watched approvingly how Hickson was handled by Lowe during his time in Raleigh.

    They liked that Lowe didn’t pull a bait-and-switch once Hickson signed with the Wolfpack, making him the centerpiece of the offense despite plenty of criticism. They liked that Lowe didn’t try to muddy the waters when Hickson entered the NBA draft. Instead, it’s believed that Lowe actually told NBA teams that Hickson was worthy of a lottery pick. Hickson also has warm feelings for Lowe and has been telling his story to several notable Atlanta-area recruits, including Favors and Brown.

  14. Trip 07/02/2008 at 4:31 PM #

    ^^^ Awesome. If we grab Lorenzo, Favors AND Wall… And atleast 2 of them stick around for more than a year? Holy crap.

    Speaking of Wood, I see him being our “Oglysbey” (or whatever the name of the white kid on clemsons team that shot 42% from the 3 despite taking ridiculous shots)… a kid who spreads the floor on the offensive end and doesn’t do much else besides hit 3’s for 5-10 minutes a game his first 2 years.

  15. choppack1 07/02/2008 at 5:47 PM #

    Must resist urge of being excited about recruiting…

    Good stuff. Thanks for linking Daily Update. It will be great if Sid can turn it around. He’s obviously a charismatic and persuasive guy

  16. LRM 07/02/2008 at 6:59 PM #

    “They liked that Lowe didn’t pull a bait-and-switch once Hickson signed with the Wolfpack, making him the centerpiece of the offense despite plenty of criticism.”

    So, we’ll be able to keep getting top recruits as long as we showcase them by centering our offense around them, regardless of how poor the results are?

    Y’all can have that.

    Ah, the dichotomy of the State fan. We’re praising O’Brien for building a solid core by redshirting freshmen and providing for their development, and then we’re lauding Sid for doing the exact opposite. I understand that the physical developmental process is different for football and basketball, but the underlying principle is the same. We’re not going to build long-term success without continuity, chemistry, and consistency, and those were all major problems this past season. One-and-doners will never solve chronic issues like those.

    If John Wall is saving a losing coach’s job (see: Wilkins, Damien), then what’s the point?

  17. graywolf 07/02/2008 at 7:58 PM #

    Great to hear the good news but I will take a wait and see attitude because we have been burned so many time before.

  18. Primewolf 07/02/2008 at 8:23 PM #

    SFN, when I attempt to get to your site say thru google, it says site unavailable. I had get to your site from a link from another site.

    Are others having the same problem.

  19. packpigskinfan23 07/02/2008 at 8:34 PM #

    ^yes… something is up with accessing the main page.

    good commentary everyone! I know nothing about recruiting… therefore stepping out of this one.

  20. redfred2 07/02/2008 at 9:05 PM #

    LRM, you’re jumping to conclusions over one incidence/player. IF Sidney Lowe can begin creating interest from these types of athletes then there WILL BE higher quality players that will follow, but who WILL NOT be leaving after one season.

    As far as Hanbrough goes, I hate him, he wears a uniform in a feminine shade of blue. But I do respect him staying when many would advise against it, and I also respect him more than any “one and doner” that ever bounced a basketball.

    *Also having trouble getting on this site, refreshing the screen, and so on…

  21. PackerInRussia 07/02/2008 at 9:43 PM #

    I’ve also had problems loading the page before (getting nothing but a blank screen) and had it happen a few days ago as well. I deleted the cookie and then it loaded up no problem. It’s worked in the past as well.

  22. redfred2 07/02/2008 at 9:45 PM #

    ^^Sorry, my Hansbrough comment was meant for the previous thread.

  23. JeremyH 07/02/2008 at 11:23 PM #

    SMD: i am having the same issue with firefox or opera. I use the archive to get in too. i get a blank page when i go directly to http://www.statefansnation.com for two days now.

  24. Wolf-n-Atl 07/03/2008 at 7:53 AM #

    “We’re praising O’Brien for building a solid core by redshirting freshmen and providing for their development, and then we’re lauding Sid for doing the exact opposite. I understand that the physical developmental process is different for football and basketball, but the underlying principle is the same. We’re not going to build long-term success without continuity, chemistry, and consistency, and those were all major problems this past season.”

    Football and basketball are like apples and oranges. It is rare that you can have a freshman class change the success of a football program, whereas in basketball one or two freshman can. As another poster mentioned, it isn’t likely we will have a one and done player every year. I also doubt that Sid will tell recruits they will be the focal point of the offense like he may have done with JJ. Once we get a PG that can run Sid’s offense the way he wants, we will be running an up-tempo offense where everyone is utilized. In the half court sets, I expect him to continue exploiting match ups and hopefully running some more traditional college sets.

  25. SMD 07/03/2008 at 9:44 AM #

    OK – so the next question is – Is anyone NOT having the issue that a few of us are with the blank page? Just curious.

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