Dave Sez

I think you're right about Phil Ford, but the more I think about it the more I'm starting to warm to the idea.

1. He's interested. State really needs someone, ANYONE, who's good to say yes. The rejections have moved us past anyone with a "name" to top assistants and rising mid major coaching stars. I think it's pretty clear he's smart enough that he'd do virtually anything to run away from being associated with the Knicks.
2. He's a proven recruiter.
3. He's been an assistant at some of the top college and pro programs. As an assistant, he's got rings both at the college level and the pro level.

I think it really boils down to who you think would give you your best shot at resurrecting/raising the program. If not Ford, who? The head guy from Winthrop or Charlotte?

Whittenburg isn't ready yet. Maybe in 5 years, but to hire him now would be setting him up to fail.

Found on another board:

D. Moore wrote:

I think you're right about Phil Ford, but the more I think about it the more I'm starting to warm to the idea. 1. He's interested. State really needs someone, ANYONE, who's good to say yes. The rejections have moved us past anyone with a "name" to top assistants and rising mid major coaching stars. I think it's pretty clear he's smart enough that he'd do virtually anything to run away from being associated with the Knicks. 2. He's a proven recruiter. 3. He's been an assistant at some of the top college and pro programs. As an assistant, he's got rings both at the college level and the pro level. I think it really boils down to who you think would give you your best shot at resurrecting/raising the program. If not Ford, who? The head guy from Winthrop or Charlotte? Whittenburg isn't ready yet. Maybe in 5 years, but to hire him now would be setting him up to fail.

I agree that Phil Ford is the kind of guy who's worth taking a shot on. But just not Phil Freaking Ford! You can't do that. You just can't. He's considered by many as the best Carolina player ever and he's spent his whole coaching career either on their bench or on the bench of Larry Brown (a former Tar Heel). How much leeway would he have with State fans? I'd say none. They'd love him if he won, of course, but the second things turned even slightly bad, they'd turn on him. What would happen if his Pack team lost a close game to the Heels?

It just can't be Phil Ford.

I think Gregg Marshall from Winthrop should have been a target early on. I mean, the guy's young, dynamic and has taken Winthrop - Winthrop! - to six NCAA Tournaments in eight years. If State doesn't give him a shot on the big stage, someone will, and soon.

This just in!!! With "American Idol's" season nearing it's end, the Fox television network has contacted NC State officials with a new reality show concept: 100 ordinary, randomly chosen people will be vying for the Wolfpack head coaching position! Weekly head-to-head competions will include such things as post-game comment cliches, contract (re)negotiating, and working the officials, just to name a few! Each week another contestant will be eliminated from the competition by a panel of judges made up of the current ACC men's basketball head coaches. Their knowledge of the conference and of collegiate basketball in general combined with their desire to play at a higher level of competition will assure that only the most qualified competitor will attain the NC State job, creating balance and equity within the conference!

For those interested in taking part in this competition, entry forms are available at the following stores: Harris-Teeter, Food Lion, Scotchman, and all Hardees locations. You can also enter online at www.anyfoolcancoach.com.

Well done.

Yo dog, here's what I thought. You did a great job getting up in the ref's grill, but your stomping really didn't do it for me. It looked pretty cabaret. When you're down to the final slots to get into the tourney, that's the time you've got to be raising your game. I don't think this was one of your best performances.

So it was just awight for you, dog?

More than a little irony in the Rick Barnes situation... Usually, it's college players getting whipsawed by the coach up and leaving, ala 'Ol Roy and Kansas. Of course, he met Mr. Karma after the '04-'05 season.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The New NC State Head Coach...

Sidney Lowe!

(ESPN.com)

Won't be available to coach 'til June. Enough time for the ink to dry on that shiny, new diploma

I apologize for being too lazy to read the linked article but I read the story earlier in the day on a WRAL link. I was more than a little amused at the spin they were putting on it, ie wording the story in such a way as to make it seem as though Lowe was one of their top candidates from the git-go. ("Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!")

SuperJew wrote:

Ladies and Gentlemen, The New NC State Head Coach... Sidney Lowe! (ESPN.com)

Good for State! I have no idea if he'll be a good college coach or not, but he's certainly a reasonable selection. He was hired twice in the NBA, so clearly he has impressed folks in the past with his knowledge of the game. On the flip side, he had a pretty lousy record as a coach in the NBA. On the flip, flip side though, he took over some pretty lousy teams.

Lowe should have the support of fans, which is critical at State, and hopefully he'll put together a good staff with good recruiting connections. That's probably the biggest difference between the L and college.

Lastly, it is kind of funny that he's trying to put the finishing touches on his degree via correspondence courses. Think he started doing that work in just the last few weeks?

The list of candidates for this position is absolutely amazing. What were they thinking!? Admittedly there are a few good coaches in that mix but I see a tendency toward the Amato-flash-over-substance guys. This sure has the appearance of some institutional problems with the State Athletic Department. When Rick Barnes is your first choice you have either a short memory or a poor eye for coaching.....or maybe both.

Good luck to Sidney. This is going to be a thankless job. Even a coaching dynamo would need a few years to turn this around. I have a feeling some coaches will be sacrificed on the way. I'd also venture that has alot to do with why this job was so hard to fill.

I have to disagree with you on Barnes. He was a smart target. I mean, the man won at Clemson (!!) and has built a power at Texas. His style may not be pretty (it's actually much nicer now than the thug-ball he employed at Clemson), but he wins.

From what I hear, he's long coveted the NC State job. David Glenn reported that Barnes came close to accepting the job this time twice. After he said no the first time, they came back a day or two later with a sweeter deal and he almost bit. Unfortunately for State, I think his roots are just too deep in Austin now.

Calipari was a reasonable try as well. I don't like or trust the guy at all, but if you want to win, he can do it.

Lavin made no sense to me and while Beilein wasn't a horrible choice, it's ridiculous that his buyout clause was the sticking point. They knew (or should have known) about that before they ever talked to him!

Lee Fowler's mighty lucky that there was a Sidney Lowe out there for him to go with. Regardless of his coaching credentials, his 1983 pedigree is enough to bring him a lot of love at least for a while.

Dave wrote:

I have to disagree with you on Barnes. He was a smart target. I mean, the man won at Clemson (!!) and has built a power at Texas. His style may not be pretty (it's actually much nicer now than the thug-ball he employed at Clemson), but he wins. From what I hear, he's long coveted the NC State job. David Glenn reported that Barnes came close to accepting the job this time twice. After he said no the first time, they came back a day or two later with a sweeter deal and he almost bit. Unfortunately for State, I think his roots are just too deep in Austin now. Calipari was a reasonable try as well. I don't like or trust the guy at all, but if you want to win, he can do it. Lavin made no sense to me and while Beilein wasn't a horrible choice, it's ridiculous that his buyout clause was the sticking point. They knew (or should have known) about that before they ever talked to him! Lee Fowler's mighty lucky that there was a Sidney Lowe out there for him to go with. Regardless of his coaching credentials, his 1983 pedigree is enough to bring him a lot of love at least for a while.

Barnes might be better than Cliff Ellis but both took their ACC beat down to a weaker conference to make hay. Roy Williams padded his stats for over a decade in the Big 12 and with his departure Barnes gets the wins. It's a joke. Barnes seems to recruit well so I'll give him that. Barnes does not do well against ACC competition whether in the league or out.

Calipari has never won in a premiere conference. In fact he's never coached in one. He built a contender at UMass (Atlantic 10) and Memphis (Conference USA). He's more hype than substance which will always allow him to recruit well and set the table for disappointment in big games. But something tells me he doesn't want the grind of a difficult conference schedule.

State got the right guy. They might not like to admit that the program has become a project but it has. They need a guy with Wolfpack cred to get recruiting going in the right direction before they can sell the job to a coach that can take them to elite status.

And FWIW, I think Wake's BBall program is clearly ahead of State and has been for years. But I might be biased.

I'm with you on Calipari. He does a great job as a big fish in a small pond, and I think he's worried that he couldn't translate that to a big pond. Especially a big pond with academic requirements.

I don't agree on Barnes though. He just has too good of a track record to be dismissed. No, the Big Twelve isn't as competitive as the ACC, but remember that with the toughest job in the ACC, he built a strong program. He knew he wouldn't be able to sustain it though, so he left for somewhere where he could pull in better talent. I see no reason why he couldn't build Texas into the perrenial power out there, dislodging Kansas (at least for a time).

I'm with you on Wake vs. State as well. Frankly, it's hard to see it any other way.

Didn't we see a post at one point showing the number of Duke / UNC players doing well in the NBA? What would that look like if we factored in Wake and NCState? I'm pretty sure Tim Duncan, Josh Howard and Chris Paul might make a dent in the list... Who's State got? Oh yeah, what's his name...

acchalfbreed wrote:

Didn't we see a post at one point showing the number of Duke / UNC players doing well in the NBA? What would that look like if we factored in Wake and NCState? I'm pretty sure Tim Duncan, Josh Howard and Chris Paul might make a dent in the list... Who's State got? Oh yeah, what's his name...

I can look it up, but there's a pretty big drop-off after UNC and Duke. I think you listed Wake's entire contingent. Actually, Rodney Rogers is still in the League.

State would have (off the top of my head) only Josh Powell and Julius Hodge - both marginal players. Unless you want to give them credit for Damien Wilkins.

I think Sidney Lowe is the coach now and he looked awesome in that red blazer. And if memory serves me right his team just kick the stuff out of UNC.