The NC State Surprise

Flashback to the spring of 2011 after North Carolina State fired basketball coach Sidney Lowe.

Lowe was Wolfpack in thought, word and deed. He played on Jim Valvano’s national championship team. He bled red and white. But he couldn’t win enough games. Lowe had two meager NIT appearances to show for his efforts.

The NC State basketball program was frankly in a world of hurt. Then things actually became worst. No one wanted the job. A school with a rich basketball tradition including two national championships kept getting turned down like a guy seeking a prom date.

Finally, the Wolfpack found somebody. Mark Gottfried, a former head coach at Alabama, and two-year ESPN commentator accepted the assignment.

Gottfried was a surprising hire and one that didn’t exactly excite the NC State fan base or the college basketball world.

But about 12 months later, the Wolfpack is in the Sweet 16. They were one of the last teams to get into the NCAA field and they have caught fire..

Gottfried has performed magic with mostly Lowe’s players. His rah, rah speeches are getting television time. Apparently they are working. NC State has already sent a No. 6 and No. 3 seed home. The Wolfpack aims for No. 2 Kansas Friday night.

Funny how things work out. Miracles do happen. Ask Gottfried. Ask N.C State.

Here’s a team not satisfied with only being invited to dance. The Wolfpack want to dance all night long.

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.

North Carolina State in a Tough Position

North Carolina State has a proud athletic tradition. The Wolfpack won two national men's championships in basketball. Who could forget the picture of then Wolfpack hoops coach Jim Valvano when he raced across the floor in 1983 after NC State won the national championship?

The Wolfpack has also fielded competitive women's basketball programs. Other sports(both men and women) have had successful moments. But in recent years, fans have been vocal about the lack of success in the two most recognizable sports: football and men's basketball.

And for that difficult scenario, Lee Fowler became the fall guy. NC State announced yesterday that Fowler was fired as athletic director effective the end of June.

By most accounts, Fowler ran a clean program and was a fair and successful administrator. He spearheaded a major upgrade in Wolfpack athletic facilities. He also supported the student part of athlete.

But maybe it really wasn't Fowler's fault. Maybe he and NC State can blame it on what real estate agents call "location, location."

Located in Raleigh, NC State has been the weak sports sister of the three ACC schools located within about 30 miles of each other. Duke and North Carolina are consistently playing for men's basketball championships and always create lots of noise nationally.

Say, if the Wolfpack resided in a different part of North Carolina or a different part of ACC country, maybe the pressure becomes less strong. But reality is reality.

So, NC State looks for a new leader and new fortunes.

Here is hoping the changes results in better outcomes. And if it doesn't, we will know Fowler wasn't the problem.