Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Sidney Lowe Done at North Carolina State

As I predicted a couple weeks ago in this space, Sidney Lowe is no longer the basketball coach at North Carolina State. The former Wolfpack guard resigned Tuesday.

Lowe, who was a member of Jim Valvano’s national championship team, couldn’t build the team into a national presence again. He posted a below .500 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and never led NC State to a NCAA tournament appearance in five seasons.

Lowe seemed like a good recruiter, but a poor game coach. His teams didn’t possess good chemistry on floor and lacked passion. Ultimately, that falls back on the coach.

One writer said a problem with Lowe was he didn’t have college coaching experience. He did coach two NBA teams, but this writer noted that wasn’t the same.

Some people think the NC State job is a difficult one with Duke and North Carolina down the road only about 30 miles. But I think in their hearts, Wolfpack fans believe their school can field a winning, national team again. NC State has the tradition (remember David Thompson), it just needs to bring it to the present.

Last year, NC State hired Deb Yow as its new athletic director. She’s noted as a mover-and-shaker in the business. I sense she will comb the college basketball world in search of a successful and good fit coach for NC State.

The Pack should return to the NCAA tournament consistently. Yow needs to make it happen.

No comments: