Found: NC State Coach

"In two-plus seasons with the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies, Lowe led the team to back-to-back franchise-best records of 23-59 in both 2000-01 and 2001-02."
- Article on PackPride.com

And that pretty much sums it up. But before I get to bashing NC State like any Carolina fan would do, let's attempt to look at the reality of the now-filled NC State coaching position.

Obviously Sidney Lowe was not choice numero uno of the NC State administration or its fans. Yes, everyone will say, "Sidney was always a candidate," "Lowe has a solid resume," and "He has the potential to be better than anyone already offered the job." It is even possible that people will forget in ten years that Lowe was not the first choice, or even the eighth choice, for the job.

However, the present time shows us that Lowe was an afterthought, offered the job solely because of his ties to the school and because he would not further embarrass his alma mater by turning them down. Candidates turned the job down for varying reasons: money, the fan pressure, unrealistic expectations, etc. Here is where my optimism begins.

Lowe could be given slightly more leeway by the fans due to his status as a cherished alumnus. It is possible that the expectations, though unchanged, will be met with more patience. It is true that Lowe could become the perfect coach for this position, but it will surely take some time. His on-court coaching abilities must be fairly solid considering his work in the NBA as both a head coach and an assistant. Certainly, Lowe can sell a kid on the mantra, "I know what it takes to develop you into an NBA-quality player." Hopefully that advantage will help overshadow some of the challenges he will face.

There are glaring drawbacks to hiring Sidney Lowe. He has lost head coaching jobs twice in the NBA, first with Minnesota, then with the Grizzlies. In his defense, both teams were less than five years old when he coached them. This would be similar to saying Bernie Bickerstaff is a terrible coach based only on his work with the Bobcats, which is unfair considering the players on expansion teams. Nonetheless, it is still disconcerting when one of the major feathers in the cap of Lowe is the above quote, bragging on his record of 23 wins, 59 losses. Ouch.

The second drawback is no collegiate head coaching experience. Duh. Lowe has never recruited a player to college, never given a speech as a head coach to alumni asking for donations, never dealt with players declaring for the NBA Draft, never coached in the NCAA or NIT tournaments, and never coached against Duke or Carolina. Hmm, that pretty much speaks for itself. However, recruiting success will depend as much on who Lowe hires on his staff as it will on Lowe himself. Think of recruiting like a major league bullpen: you have to have middle reliever, specialists to get the ball to the closer. The assistants will make the initial contacts, observe players, form relationships, and then pass them on to the closer, Lowe. Sidney Lowe will certainly need experienced assistants who have pre-existing relationships with recruits and AAU coaches in order to make the transition as smooth as possible.

The final drawback is the job itself. Coaching NC State is not a position that lends itself to learning on the job. Expectations are still high, Carolina and Duke are still really good, and the Wolfpack still play in the ACC. Already, State's team next season is not expected to be as talented as this past year's team that underachieved to a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Recruits for this coming season may be released from their letters-of-intent, and already the top recruit for 2007 has rescinded his verbal commitment. Just because a new face is involved does not mean the demands and responsibilities of being the head coach of the NC State Wolfpack have changed.

My opinion is that of a wait-and-see attitude. Lowe will be very passionate about NC State, both on the floor and in his recruiting. In time, he may very well be the perfect man for the job. For now, it is hard to say that NC State did a good job of handling his hiring. He should have been a candidate from the beginning in some capacity, even if he was not the first choice. I do not think that Lowe, at this point, is a better coach than Herb Sendek. In fact, being a supporter of Sendek, it will take a great deal of success to prove to me that State is better off without him. However, I will admit that because of the situation created by the Raleigh-area media and some (a lot) of the NC State fanbase, Sendek probably needed to leave because no one was happy. It remains to be seen who will have the last laugh.

Who knows, the NC State fanbase may change its ways a little bit after getting punched in the stomach. Thus far, I have heard few people remorseful about the situation, saying instead that Athletic Director Lee Fowler is an idiot and should be fired for "botching" the search. Hmm... hate the coach, run him off, and then get mad at the AD for not hiring who you want...but it's not the fans who are the problem. Riiight. Hopefully the fans will chill out a little bit and support Lowe and the program no matter what...or at least until the first time they get blown out by a certain shade of blue. Again. Just like the good ole days, huh?