Will it be Rick Barnes this time around?

 

Despite the warning by BJD95 in his “Tin Foil Hat” theory, and despite the fact that every indication suggests the wholly competent Debbie Yow is keeping the usual insiders out of the loop this time around, Saturday’s rumor mill is churning: SFN community member, ‘Strutter’ posted on the forums today that an offer has been made to Texas’ Rick Barnes.

Maybe it’s a smokescreen and there’s no merit to it whatsoever (which is what I happen to believe), but as a charter member of the Lunatic Fringe, I don’t see any harm in getting excited talking about our next coach, especially if it could be Rick Barnes.

The case for Barnes isn’t necessarily quantitative, and it may seem quite mysterious — at the very least, strange — that such a resounding folklore surrounds a guy that didn’t go to State, has never coached at State, and has, at best, only loose connections to State.

As a pragmatist, it bothers me that the numbers –- through today he has a career record of 524-256 (.672) and he’s coaching in his 16th consecutive NCAA Tournament and the 19th of his 23 years as a head coach –- are peripheral to the idea of Rick Barnes at N.C. State.

Our fascination with Barnes –- mine, anyway –- stretches back to his first season at Clemson, when he took over a program in shambles and immediately challenged the conference’s long-established paradigm. Duke and Carolina might always reign as the ACC’s elite and most-favored, but during his four seasons in the league, Barnes promoted aggressiveness over finesse with the explicit intent of making it hard on them both every time they played Clemson. This endeared him to State fans, so when he went to Texas in 1998, many of us expected his time in Austin would be short and that he’d be back in the ACC –-in Raleigh -– after the 2001 season. But those were the early days of Lee Fowler’s burgeoning ineptitude, so we waited for our next opportunity, which came during the rollercoaster, tail-number-tracking days of early April 2006. But, by then, Fowler’s utter incompetence reigned supreme, and Barnes remained at Texas.

Yet, somehow, the idea never died, which doesn’t really add up. Besides being a Hickory native, Barnes’ only solid connection to State is that he was an assistant at Davidson under former State star Eddie Biedenbach. So, yeah, it seems downright arrogant for the fans of this once proud, storied program to have built such folklore on the premise that being Head Basketball Coach at North Carolina State University has always been Barnes’ dream job.

Still, many of us know that we were thisclose in 2006, and appreciate that the main roadblock then won’t be a factor in 2011. But five long years have passed, and it’s entirely plausible that Barnes has no interest this time around; and even if he does, it’s not a done deal.

Considering Barnes is currently one of college basketball’s highest-paid coaches, with an annual salary of $2 million, and knowing it’s likely that Texas, with its rich coffers, would make a counteroffer to keep him, it could require a deal that exceeds our financial capabilities. However, according to the El Paso Times, Barnes doesn’t have a buyout penalty clause in his contract (link). Now, it would be purely speculative to suggest this was intentional during his re-negotiations in April 2006, but it does seem awfully convenient that the he left the door open for when new management took over at State. See what I did there?

Moreover, it’s not unreasonable to expect that, at 56 years old and nearing the end of his 23rd season, Barnes may no longer have the passion, or the energy, to rebuild a struggling program where the fan base expects, at the very least, to perennially make the NCAA Tournament and challenge for the ACC title. Barnes hinted as much in April 2007, when his name was mentioned for the Kentucky job, just one year after turning down State. John Feinstein wrote in the Washington Post (link):

“I think I have one of the five best jobs in the country,” Barnes said last week. “We can recruit in Texas and we can recruit nationally. We’re good enough to contend nationally. And if we lose in the second round of the tournament…the whole state isn’t crying for my head.”

That’s because they’re already focused on spring football.

Now, maybe you see a guy that’s become content, settled into his comfort zone, but all I heard was that Texas Basketball is all hat and no cattle. It’s arguable that taking over State towards the end of his career would be different than others because the infrastructure for success is already in place — rejuvenating even, perhaps.

Maybe the Texas job has become stale to Barnes? Just recently, as reported by the NY Times (link):

With his squad in a late-season tailspin, questions about Barnes’s shaky history of coaching in the N.C.A.A. tournament are being revived.

“I would have cared 10 years ago,” he said of critics questioning his 19-18 N.C.A.A. tournament record. “This is not the most important thing in my life. It’s what I do, but it’s not the most important thing in my life.”

By no means would Barnes avoid this type of criticism on Tobacco Road, but it’s not unreasonable to see in his comments a successful coach that may no longer feel appreciated.

“I don’t care,” Barnes said late Tuesday of the criticism. “I’ve been in this so long, I could care less about what other people think. I quit a long time ago worrying about that.”

So maybe he wasn’t interested in Kentucky in 2007 because he still has sights on finishing his career where he always wanted to be: in his home state? Barnes has made comments over the years that suggest his fondness for coaching in the ACC, particularly on Tobacco Road. Before the 2009 NCAA Tournament Duke-Texas second round game in Greensboro, Ed Hardin of the Greensboro News & Record wrote the following (link):

Rick Barnes of Texas has watched it from various angles through the years, from his younger days in Hickory to his coaching days at Clemson and now with Texas. And if not for twists of fate here and there, Barnes might still be here. Unlike many coaches across the country who have, shall we say, mixed emotions about Tobacco Road basketball, Barnes has always looked at it with wonder.

His goal was to coach in the ACC, and probably one of the North Carolina schools, though he’s never quite said that.

“Obviously, where I grew up, that was my goal, to coach in the ACC,” he said Friday on the eve of the second-round game between Texas and Duke.

Now, it’s easy to read as much or as little into that comment as you’d like, but knowing his volatile history with both Duke and Carolina, it’s certainly plausible to believe that desire was limited — at least after his stint at Clemson — to either State or Wake. And with the right offer he likely could have gone to Wake Forest last spring, so it’s no stretch then to suggest he has probably long-considered the State job enticing. Hardin continues:

How his career path took him to Texas and not to Durham or Raleigh or Winston-Salem is a long story, but he’s destined to slip in and out of the state’s basketball lore until he retires.

That’s the appeal of basketball in North Carolina, something that becomes larger than life to some, requiring life-long allegiances and grudges that never go away.

For State fans, the idea of Rick Barnes itself has become “larger than life.” But it’s simply our response to all those folks –- [cough] Brando, Gminski, Patrick, Katz, Davis, Parrish [cough] -– who think we should just accept our rightful place in Tobacco Road’s hierarchy and leave those “occassional” Glory Days in the past, where they belong. Moreover, the idea itself is transcendent of our collective personality: Barnes wouldn’t back down to the ACC Royalty while at Clemson, so there’s no reason to suggest he would do so at lowly N.C. State.

Look, we can all agree that while he isn’t the best coach in the nation –- he’s certainly Top 10 of all active coaches –- he’s a proven winner, and he’s one of only a few coaches that can say yes and bring not only instant credibility to the program, but more importantly, immediately inspire and unify this weary fan base.

Why shouldn’t we have the same expectations as Duke and Carolina — or for that matter, Kentucky or UCLA or Michigan State? Just because we’ve suffered national irrelevance for two decades doesn’t mean we have to like it. That’s the attitude we project by going after Rick Barnes again. Maybe we missed our opportunity in 2006; maybe this job has never been anything more than our dream for him and he’s not interested this time around, either. That’s fine; I trust Debbie Yow has the search under control, and we’ll never hear much about it if so.

But what do we lose by going after one of the best?

The popular — albeit tired and ignorant — myth is that no one reputable will want the State job. But intelligent folks with an appreciation for not only ACC but college basketball history (like Al Featherston), and especially those of us that don’t need the NC in front of State, know that dog won’t hunt. We know this is a great job with all the resources — facilities, fan base support, TV exposure — to succeed. And surely Barnes knows that hanging that first banner in almost two-and-a-half decades would secure his place as the next N.C. State legend.

And then, who knows, in a few years turn it over to someone like, say, Sean Miller.

Remember that this coaching search, the NCAA Tournament, and other issues are being discussed on the SFN Forums.

About LRM

Charter member of the Lunatic Fringe and a fan, loyal to a fault.

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142 Responses to Will it be Rick Barnes this time around?

  1. newt 03/19/2011 at 11:41 PM #

    Sweet 16 is not a mountaintop.

  2. bmamba101 03/19/2011 at 11:53 PM #

    Barnes is the best of the few thaat can hack the ACC. Anybody else would be a letdown. About anybody could win in some of these leagues!

  3. ncsukyle 03/19/2011 at 11:53 PM #

    I thought about Howland but he has everything we have to offer at UCLA already. It is one of the few universities that boasts more of a bball tradition than us (except for the year 1974!) and with his streak of 3 final fours in a row a couple of years ago, he’s brought the Bruins back to the top of the national spotlight. The only lure here is to beat up on Roy and K and I don’t know if I want someone driven that much by ego.

  4. eas 03/19/2011 at 11:54 PM #

    Maybe Barnes is a smoke screen but if he isn’t, than let’s not forget this would be an excellent grab for us. Maybe he does have some under achievement moments but he is still an absolute proven winner over time. Miller and Stevens have had great success (my personal favorites) but that success has not been near as long term as Barnes.

    I would love for it to be Miller or Stevens. However, Arizona is a great gig for Miller right now and Stevens’ 10 year deal has that Indiana boy smiling for a long time. Barnes is an excellent coach with few faults other than age and going deep in the tourney. He could certainly be a big time splash for this program and lock in recruits. Add that to his strong desire to beat down the “blues” and you got a good thing. His personality matches perfectly with DY provided he is still in control.

    Few has longterm success and all the great attributes but I see him staying in the NW in the end.

    Regardless of the various names being thrown around we will land a great coach.

  5. ADVENTUROO 03/19/2011 at 11:56 PM #

    Mike,

    Here is the link….it was ONLY a 12 year contract, but he not making the big bucks. Can’t say what motivates the guy….

    http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5068230

    Much as I would like to think it will be Mark Few, I think that is a remote possibility. Not totally out of reach, but probably better odds for the other names.

    Sean Miller is just, in my opinion, a sailor’s dream and we have been out to sea WAY TOO LONG….but the odds of him coming here are probably a lot less than Few….but who knows.

    As to Barnes, since I am an Catawba County person (no longer a boy or a lad), I would LOVE for him to come here. BUT, I wonder about the motivation and his “zest” for the competition. Don’t get me wrong, he is FAR from ready to be put out to pasture or the stud farm…but I wonder is he has the desire to put in the time it will take to bring us to where everyone thinks we can be.

    Don’t know too much about the rest of the “A” listers….or for that matter, who they are.

    If Few is on the list and is a contender, then we should know something farily quick. Depending on the outsome of the Miller-Barnes game, we should also know something….and by something, it can mean a NO NEWS or NO HIRE….which would tell us that either they turned us down or we did not pursue them.

    I listened to my Jimmy V. talking book yesterday. It was interesting that he had the deal of a lifetime at Iona and, supposedly, came to work for Willis Casey with a vague and uninspired contract. He was, as I said, 34 and had a great resume…but who had ever heard of him? Lot of similarities to Brad Stevens….so who knows.

    It is also interesting that Wendell Murphy’s Jet is currently blocked by Flight Aware – at the owner’s request…..maybe THERE is activity out there…OR maybe when he loaned it to certain politicians, it got blocked….who knows….

  6. dwm77 03/20/2011 at 12:13 AM #

    I’d like to think Barnes is the smoke, Deb said 10-12-15 years, he doesn’t fit that.

    As for the West Coast guy comment I immediately thought she was speaking of Howland, but again as a smokescreen, it would be too obvious unless she was just trying to turn his ear. I think he’d make a fine candidate but seems doubtful, not sure about his age either.

    Billy Donavan, all I’ll say is he has been looking to jump from Florida in the past. He is one of the very few that would qualify as an “11”, as I’ve heard from some posters claiming we have a”done deal” with coach X. We shall see, the few rumors all point to good hires so let’s hope we end up with a guy we can all get behind and bring some energy and some titles to the program.

  7. wayofthemaster 03/20/2011 at 1:14 AM #

    Stevens was born in an Indianapolis suburb and went to Depauw University.

    State once made a pretty good hire in a guy who was born in an Indianapolis suburb and spent some time at Depauw University.

  8. theghost 03/20/2011 at 1:34 AM #

    ^agreed – Indiana worked before, I’m all for going back to the well. We’ve got to have better facilities and resources than Butler. I just wonder how long he’d stay if he wins. But I’d take my chances – I love Stevens. He’d be my #1.

    I think a coach’s situation is bigger than his name as far as who might be interested. The talk of hiring a guy away from UCLA smacks more of lunatic fringe than trying to get Stevens, Barnes, Few, or Dixon. I love State, but no coach leaves a place like UCLA for Raleigh, or anywhere.

  9. wolfwarrior 03/20/2011 at 3:17 AM #

    My intuition tells me: BD.

  10. hickoryhound 03/20/2011 at 5:10 AM #

    Rick Barnes: NC State and Hickory need you to come home – http://thehickoryhound.blogspot.com/2011/03/rick-barnes-nc-state-and-hickory-need.html

    There are many people that know that I am a North Carolina State sports fan. I didn’t go to school at State. I went to UNC-Wilmington. But when I was a kid I pulled for State. David Thompson, Tommy Burleson, Monte Towe, Tim Stoddard, Mo Rivers, and Phil Spence won the National Championship in 1974 and in 1973 they were undefeated. State also had Lou Holtz in football and this was followed by players like Ted Brown, Roland Hooks, Mike Quick, and Jim Ritcher who all were all-stars and played key roles on NFL teams and other players like Bill Cowher who were standouts in college and role players in the NFL.

    NC State basketball was a top tiered program with a rich history, winning nine straight Southern Conference/ACC Titles and taking NC State to the Final 4 in 1950 under Everett Case. State then had success under Norm Sloan, a former player under Everett Case, who led the team to a 57-1 mark over two years (72-73 and 73-74). Sloan had some success in the years that followed, but chose to leave and go back to coaching at Florida where he had coached before arriving at NC State. One of the notable items of interest that I don’t think most young people recognize is that until 1975 only the ACC Tournament Champion went to the NCAA Tournament and following this only 2 teams went from the ACC until a few years later. Norm Sloan won 3 ACC championships in his 14 years at State.

    Next came Jim Valvano. Ten days ago Jimmy V would have celebrated his 65th birthday and there was a pictorial Article on SportsIllustrated.com that celebrated his life in pictures entitled Rare photos of Jim Valvano. Jimmy V was the underdog’s coach. NC State was always the team supported by working class people and he continued to carry this banner during his tenure at State. His teams weren’t the most talented, but Valvano willed them to always be in games until the end and more times than not he figured out a way to win. The months of late February, March, and early April 1983 will always hold a special place in my heart, because the Wolfpack taught me that if you believe that impossible dreams can come true — as Wally Ausley, the Wolfpack announcer called out after Lorenzo Charles dunk, “The Glass Slipper Fits.”

    I crossed my toes, held my breath, lived dizzying heights of euphoria, and should have had a heart attack as the Wolfpack pulled off the greatest upset run in the history of college basketball by beating the numbers 1, 2, and 3 teams in the nation, at various times, to win the national Championship. Jimmy V wasn’t perfect, who is?, but he sure was someone you could get behind and believe in, because he gave life his all.

    Valvano’s and NC State’s mistakes led to his downfall. There mistakes included giving Chris Washburn too many chances and letting Charles Shackleford and others not take school seriously, but that was life at a university and the rules of college basketball in the 1980s. I still have vitriolic feelings about the way that the best coach and one of the best people that I have ever admired was treated and dismissed by the people of this State. Yes, he made some mistakes, but their have been many far worse and egregious and he did not deserve to be treated the way that he was treated and one day it will come back on those who alienated him and caused the fissure that resulted from his tawdry dismissal.

    Over the several years of my young life, I was able to see NC State play in person on several occasions. I remember watching them play at Lenoir-Rhyne’s Shuford Gymnasium, as defending National Champions, in their Red-White scrimmage game in the Fall of 1974. It was like watching the Harlem Globetrotters come to town. At that time, players weren’t allowed to dunk in college basketball, but David Thompson and Kenny Carr did a few dunks before the game started. It was so cool to watch them play. I thought this was normal for these guys to be around having watched them at the Big 4 tournament in Greensboro and the North-South doubleheader in Charlotte, but the latter years of my life have given me a thorough understanding about how special all of this was.

    After Jimmy V was dismissed, NC State basketball fell apart and later regained a level of mediocrity, but it has never been the same. NC State’s supporters have been labeled as delusional miscreants and the lunatic fringe for expecting better than what they have seen. The program is rated amongst the top 15 in terms of revenues and profits even with such little success and they play in one of the finest basketball arenas in America. Is it really so hard to understand why NC State supporters desire a better product than they have seen over the last several years?

    There are many basketball coaches in America who would desire to be a part of such a top-tier program. The ingredients are there to be successful, even if there are challenges that lie ahead with two of the top program staring you in the face just miles away. State used to compete with those programs and others successfully in the past and really there is no reason that they can’t get it done in the future. NC State is one of the finest universities in the country. Have you ever been there or to the Centennial Campus? The school lacks for nothing and has laid a solid foundation to incur further success for years to come.

    Now I will get to my point. NC State is looking for a new men’s basketball coach after an unsuccessful tenure under Sidney Lowe. Everyone who supports NC State loves Sid and hopes that he will always be a part of the university, because he has meant so much to it. But, the results as a coach just did not meet the expectations that were desired. Honestly, it was best to move on.

    There are many fantastic coaches out there that are available, but Rick Barnes would be my choice to take NC State’s basketball program back to where it belongs. He is a native of Hickory and played basketball at Lenoir-Rhyne from 1974 to 1977. He has roots here and comes back here from time to time for charitable reasons and I am sure to visit family and friends.

    Now I don’t personally know Rick, but I certainly like what I have heard and seen from him. And I really think it would be uplifting if he would come back home and bring his successful style to North Carolina State. There have been opportunities for this to occur before and it has never worked out because of timing, but this time seems different. It seemed like it could happen five years ago, but it seems like it should happen now.

    I will tell you that it would be a boost to our community. Remember that NC State Red-White scrimmage game that I mentioned that I attended in the Fall of 1974. That was a really big deal. NC State was the defending National Champion, why would they come to Hickory? They came to Hickory because we were a textile and industrial giant in those days and many of NC State’s alumni associated with industry lived right here in what we now call the Hickory Metro. We were a smaller community then, but we had more power.

    I remember when Coach Barnes took Texas to the Final Four in 2003. On CBS, they mentioned Hickory and Lenoir-Rhyne several times during those national broadcasts. That certainly helps to get our name back on the map. At the University of Texas, and in Austin, I doubt they really mention these associations; but if the Coach were to come back home to North Carolina, you know that this would be mentioned and promoted frequently. I think it would be a win-win-win for all involved.

    It would be a win for NC State, because Rick is from North Carolina and he has been very successful wherever he has been and I truly believe he would carry that success to Raleigh. It would be a win for our community, because we need the attention and the association of a successful winner who truly has ties and cares about this community. I also think it would be a win for Coach Barnes, because he can come back home to his final destination as a coach and be a hero for taking a downtrodden basketball program with a rich history back up to the top-notch stature where it belongs.

    If it is ever going to happen, the time is now. The timing is right. The opportunity is here. It is time for a new shoe to fit. I am sure that your job at the University of Texas is great, but there you will always play second fiddle to Football. No one expects miracles, but together with NC State success at the top of your profession is achievable. A legacy that takes you to basketball immortality is achievable. A legacy that makes you a legend in our state and in your hometown is achievable. I know that such lofty expectations correlate with pressures that someone such as myself might not understand, but I do understand that those types of lofty endeavors, when achieved, are the type that end up in a man’s persona becoming the essence of legend. Rick, I hope you are listening and I hope you know that we want you to come home.

  11. Wulfpack 03/20/2011 at 6:44 AM #

    Interestingly, Brad Brownell is also a DePauw alum in Greencastle, Indiana.

  12. greywolfsixtyfive 03/20/2011 at 8:18 AM #

    So has anyone addressed the mandatory waiting period, the period in which a job must be posted for applicants? Since this is a state of North Carolina job, perhaps there is a 10 day period.

  13. PackerInRussia 03/20/2011 at 8:36 AM #

    “Would have to imagine though that his recent success in the Big Dance would speak volumes on the recruiting trail if he was at State, along with being able to sell playing against Dook and Carolina every year etc.”

    SSSSHHHHHHHHH! Do you want to scare away every candidate and recruit? You’re talking about going through the blue gauntlet as if it were a good thing??!! Unless you’ve tracked down David’s direct descendants, I don’t think any young recruit is going to step up to that challenge knowingly. We need kids coming in who are happy with 3rd place as a ceiling; not delusional ones who think they can beat those guys. Our motto for any recruit and coaching candidate should be: “Know thy role”

  14. wolfpackdawg 03/20/2011 at 9:42 AM #

    Barnes needs a challenge. I don’t think he feels that at Texas. If we were to snag him it would rejuvenate his motivation. I’m not so sure we only have 3 million to offer…could be more if need be.

  15. wolfman1959 03/20/2011 at 10:07 AM #

    I certainly HOPE that the rumors are true and we actually land Rick Barnes this time. INSTANT credibility and should not have to worry about current player defections nor incoming recruits…PLUS he may bring a few of his own……..

  16. cWOhLFrPAiCKs 03/20/2011 at 10:12 AM #

    “Sweet 16 is not a mountaintop.”

    Neither is the NIT.

  17. Pack1998 03/20/2011 at 10:13 AM #

    Great blog entry.

    What is perplexing is that I did not think we would re-offer him after he turned us down last time. It is a rare thing, sort of like asking the same girl to marry you a few years later. UNC did it, but Roy was an anomaly. In business, you rarely ever do it . . . it is rare, as there are always so many good candidates.

    I do challenge myself to look at all candidates through a consistent process that uses the same criteria for each candidate. If you look at it this way, Barnes is a strong candidate, but not any stronger than the circle of other candidates being mentioned. The differentiator many people use is his hate for UNC and that he grew up in NC, saying that will make him more likely to compete with the great ACC schools currently in place (blog calls this out). But that criteria is competing with the great ACC schools; the other coaches meet that criteria.

    The fact that his name has re-circulated could be telling . . . assumes that it is truly re-circulating(?). It likely means he has expressed a true interest in this job through an intermediary, passionate interest. I do think passion and strong, strong desire to want the job is another criteria, and once again that criteria is not simply met because you grew up in NC or hate UNC. You have to expect any coach considering the job shows that, but DY knows how to assess that criteria as genuine.

    We do know Barnes was unbelievably apologetic about declining the job, and I do think his actions since declining speak volumes, specifically the data point of “no buyout” negotiated (great call out on this blog). So it would be of no surprise if he truly, truly wants this job and knows that NC State has some great options outside of him, so he knows he has to make it known how much he wants this job, he has to differentiate himself more as his coaching resume is not any better than others in the hunt (once again, all assumptions, and fun ones at that).

    We’ll all be very, very lucky if he is our coach . . . if not, we won’t lose sleep. The process is strong, and it is not based on emotion.

    All speculation of course.

    Point of Reference: When Barnes said “no” 5 years ago he had Kevin Durant and D.J. Augustine coming in as Freshmen. No sane coach walks away from that. That he showed any interest for State back then is amazing.

  18. Lunatic Fringe 03/20/2011 at 10:19 AM #

    Mark Few turned down his alma mater, Oregon, last year who with Nike money could afford whatever price he gave them.

    No intel at all, but I wonder if Rick Barnes is wondering if success in the ACC vs. Duke/UNC would equal a better chance at HOF. At this point, he is on the outside looking in at this point and a national championship at Texas will not automatically guarantee it, but…

  19. Boyd 03/20/2011 at 10:27 AM #

    PackerinRussia,

    You need to “know thy role.” Any State fan that is OK playing second fiddle to anyone is not a passionate State fan. It seems to me that fans like you would’ve preferred if Herb stayed. He was pretty much always 3rd-5th place in the conference.

    If we get Barnes, or Donovan, etc… They are going to recruit kids not by telling them that they have to be the 3rd best in the state, they’re going to say we ARE going to contend for a conference championship every year, we ARE going to beat Duke and Carolina.

    Don’t kick us while we’re down. We need hope. We need to believe we can be better. We need to know that we are going to succeed. If you’ve got any more demoralizing comments, please share them to your journal and not here, where everyone is upbeat and excited about the future.

  20. Lunatic Fringe 03/20/2011 at 10:38 AM #

    Boyd,

    I think PackerinRussia was being sarcastic, but hard to tell in virtual world. I would give him the benefit of the doubt since I don’t think anyone that posts on this blog shares that sentiment. We are HateFans Nation after all… 🙂

  21. Boyd 03/20/2011 at 10:43 AM #

    Looking back on his post, it does seem a bit sarcastic. Sorry buddy, haha 🙂

  22. Pack1998 03/20/2011 at 10:46 AM #

    ^Lunatic Fringe . . . I agree. As I said above, it is perplexing. I do think if he won a title at Texas he’d be in though. Hell, maybe he wins it this year. The fact that his name is in the mix at State does not make sense . . . I agree with any Texas alum, why would he leave . . . I don’t see why he would . . . only reason is that “passion” for “this” specific job.

    And Few is not in the mix. DY was referencing Miller or maybe Howland in her comments, not Few and not Montgomery. Montgomery could have been a late option last time, not this time. He is a good coach.

  23. ADVENTUROO 03/20/2011 at 10:52 AM #

    HickoryHound,

    I was raised down the road in the Football Capital Of NC and graduated from the institution in 1963.

    Finally got out of NCSU in 1968. I joined the WPC in the early 70’s when they brought Norm Sloan to Ahoskie. He was a really personable guy and took time to talk to each of us that night. I can remember in 1973 when I was babysitting my 18 month old son cheering for NCSU when they beat UNC. My son was perplexed and he finally got into the spirit….he yelled and cheered when I did….but had NO clue why.

    I also bought my FIRST Color TV to watch the 1974 team play. The first game was in Reynolds when he fell. My wife almost made me take it back and said that I had jinxed them and almost killed David Thompson.

    Then, we moved back toward Raleigh. We went to a few games….times were tight…as were tickets. I was on my second VCR in 1983. I had a SUPER VHS machine. My then 13 year old son would NOT let me tape the ACC Tournament….but I taped the Post Game Celebration. I continued to tape all the 1983 run and WRAL’s newscasts and the specials that they and WTVD did….including the introduction to the President.

    I had also taken the family to Reynolds on Saturday night when they won and came home BEFORE the Final Four. Then we watched the game and stayed up until 2:00…The next day, the kids stayed home and we went to campus and bought shirts, tags, banners, whatever. We were in Reynolds when the team came home.

    Co-incidentally, my younger BIL met his future wife at a Brickyard Bonfire that year.

    I also met Valvano a few times at WPC gatherings….and I wrote about everyone I could think of when he was crucified.

    Over the years, we have collected some Valvano stuff. I have the Audio Version of “They Gave Me a Lifetime Contract….then Declared me DEAD”. It was PURE Valvano. The actual book was vindictive. The Cassettes were pure Jimmy V. He had an outline and he just talked….with a LOT of color and humor. I then dubbed that to CD. Over the years, I would listen to it as I travelled.

    I often had to give some short motivational or thank you speeches in many rural factories in NC, SC, GA, and AL. I would use the 1983 team as the theme….I got a LOT of mileage from Jimmy V’s 4 hours of ramblings…..and gave credit to him. These folks understood sports and also knew that I was a Dyed in the Wool State Fan and remembered the 1983 Team.

    When Coach Lowe was hired, I bought two LTR’s in the Champions Club and added two more so that my GK’s could go. My daughter actually went to Doak Field when he was greeted….even though she was VERY PG at the time. I was out of town and she wanted to be there….like the little 11 year old girl that her dad took to Reynolds in 1983.

    My wife had a 1983 Filmfest in 2003 where we had three TV’s running the 1983 games and invited all the relatives, friends and neighbors.

    I eventually gave Coach Lowe and a few others the CD’s that I made from those Jimmy V’s Audio Book Cassettes….including WRAL’s WolfPack Song and Jimmy V’s Farewell speech in Reynolds.

    This year, I dubbed all the 1983 games, specials, etc. onto DVD. There was about 20 hours of stuff. I gave the whole package to Coach Lowe towards the end of the season and talked to him on several occassions. He was a true inspiration through it all.

    He had never seen some of his interviews nor the specials. His mom said she was looking forward to seeing them as he had talked a lot about them.

    I think, and others will differ, that he should have had the chance to coach these prized recruits….and I admit that he did not make the transition from the Pros to College as I had hoped he would.

    Debbie Yow showed a lot of class through this whole thing and I am glad she is on board.

    Tonight, one of the “A” listers (Miller or Barnes” will be avaialble to take calls….who knows, maybe they already have.

    There is a LOT of logic in Barnes…but also some questions. I think he is not NEAR the long shot that Miller will be. Mark Few is the candidate that “MY” sources have outed….but he is probably not going to move from the NW. Brad Stevens….who knows…..I remember old Roy making a disparging remark about UNC and then Dean telling him to come back.

    I also know that the new coach will inherit a WORLD of talent….which Coach Lowe did not. Remember that Coach V inherited a similar team when Norm drew a line in the sand and Willis Casey showed him the door. No ONE and I mean NO ONE EVER thought that the wisecracking Italian who flew (TRUE) to Greenville-Spartansburg to give a speech that was SUPPOSED to be given in Greenville, NC to the WPC there would EVER do what he did…

    SO….my wife says that our lunatic fringe will get the coach that they “deserve”….I HOPE NOT…but we did in 1983 and history has a way of repeating itself.

    I enjoyed your post….even read it twice.

  24. triadwolf 03/20/2011 at 11:04 AM #

    “I also know that the new coach will inherit a WORLD of talent”

    Watching this year’s tournament it is strikingly clear that our team is WAY behind physically – even our upperclassmen. Strength and conditioning is going to be critical to the future of our team and probably won’t pay dividends for at least two more seasons. While I think a good coach can get us to the tourney next year, I don’t think we’ll seriously compete or be set up to make deep run for a couple more years regardless of the coach. Our kids are in for a rude awakening when the new sheriff arrives to town.

  25. mak4dpak 03/20/2011 at 11:24 AM #

    To VaWolf82, as for Randy Bennett, his teams beat Saint Johns this year, and only lost by a few to BYU, as well as Gonzaga, so the guy does know how to coach, and he made it to the sweet 16 last year, again with lesser talent than he would have at State, and again 9 years staight of 20 or more wins, so although he is not at a big name school, he certainly knows how to coach, and would surely be easier to lure away than big time coaches in big time school. He is a class act and deserves consideration.

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