Fowler on 850 The Buzz: “Program Is On The Way Up”
Heads up in cube land. Coach Lee Fowler is supposed to be on the Buzz at 4:05pm. Here is a link to comments and audio.
48 Responses to “Fowler on 850 The Buzz: “Program Is On The Way Up””
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Oh, crap.
For some reason I keep hearing the tune of “Taps” for our basketball program.
I’m listening right now and Adam Gold is basically spouting off on how we are fools to think Herb is doing a poor job. We should be happy because we could be Creighton or some other god forsaken school. Herb is great and we should be greatful.
If this is the type of interview I think it will be then Lee will see nothing but softball question after softball question.
Much like Swagger, many in the media take the most idiotic statement ever made and proceed to smack it around. They are not building a straw-man….they are simply picking on one that marched up to them.
Sendek is not a bad coach….he simply isn’t good enough.
As someone pointed out on PackPride, expect nothing but a vote of confidence of his coach and team heading into the NCAA tournament. At this point and time, that is what he should do…next week is a different story.
Sendek is not a bad coach. However, for a host of reasons he cannot succeed in a manner that is consistent with our history, our resources, and our competition.
He has been given 10 years of opportuntity to prove otherwise.
If the media wants input into our program’s success…let them buy lifetime rights.
He should say nothing about the job situation. Nothing. No vote of confidence. Nothing. “We do not comment on personnel decisions in any way”
Lee says he’s gotten maybe 50 emails on the Herb subject. His meeting today was normal with the chancellor not born out of any crisis. Progress is steady if not as quick as some would like but each year the program is improving and the recruiting is getting better and better. Academics are much better than just five years ago. And Herb is a firey guy based on lockerooms Lee has seen and heard. He could peel the paint off the walls per LF.
Just some of the comments from our athletics leader just on the radio.
Another run around from Fowler. H won’t do or say anything.
Wow.
C/O ’74s synopsis confirms to me that he is a lunatic.
How can recruiting be getting better when we had the #3 class in the country 5 years ago when Fowler told me that the #1 reason that he was retaining Herb was because of his strong recruiting class?
Fowler is in Loon Land.
“I know we have to beat our rivals” – so we praise and retain a Coach who’s used by our rivals like a Tiajuana jinatera;
“The program is on the way up ” – yet our NCAA seed is lower than last year and has NEVER been above 8/9;
And best of all -
“Herb doesn’t get worked up about the rivalry games because he doesn’t want a slide” – WHAT THE F*** DO YOU THINK THE PAST FOUR GAMES HAVE BEEN, LEE?
“The program is on the way up â€? – yet our NCAA seed is lower than last year and has NEVER been above 8/9
We were a #3 in 2004.
“our Program is on the way up”
Yea, and if you wait for Roy & K to retire, Herb might make it to the ACC Finals.
I just pray that whatever happens this weekend be it good for us or bad for us that it helps us rid our program of this example of basketball’s Peter Principle.
Jeff, your two comments at 4:10 and 4:12 are RIGHT ON MARK!!!
Matt E., correct, I was LIVID when I wrote that post. The man just makes me mad as hell. I am surprised I can write my name.
Cardiff,
Just wanted to make sure we keep all the facts correct.
Say it with me “C-A-R-D-I-F-F”
Fowler should concede the California game and use the money saved to contribute to Sendek’s buyout.
What is so frustrating to me about Fowler and the rest of the diehard Sendek supporters is not that they argue for the guy, but the arguments they use.
I think you can make a case that Sendek is the long term answer. I don’t think its a great case, but its not a ridiculous one. The way to do it is not, however, to say “we’ve gone to five straight NCAA tournaments, we are an elite program”. That’s garbage, and it shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the passionate people who really care about NC State basketball and want a championship-caliber team again.
I have to tell you – my take was different. He was very noncomittal – positive, but in a very GENERAL way. He did not take shots at the fans after Gold seemingly BEGGED him to, and his tone was very much subdued. I also found it telling that Gold did not ask whether any buyout was in the works or whether Sendek had been asked to find another job. Perhaps he was TOLD not to ask those things (or he’s just a sorry-assed journalist, which we know already). But Fowler did not work to get that answer out or in any way indicate that Sendek would be here for years to come.
He also didn’t say the direction of the program was “up” – he said “positive” (IMHO, a critical difference – i.e., the program not in “bad” shape). He also talked generally about having a “good” coaching staff, but focused more on the personal qualities of the players (a much less controversial topic), and there wasn’t alot of emotion behind the quasi-defense of the coach).
In short, it was as good as anyone could hope for, given who was doing the talking.
^ Actually, scratch part of that – he did say “upward.” Still, he’s just putting lipstick on the pig. Which is fine, as long as he doesn’t put himself out on a ledge for Sendek.
My perception was more along the lines of BJD.
Based on Fowler’s horrible precedents, this could have been much worse.
Either Gold is the worst journalist ever, or he was limited on what he was allowed to ask.
Come to think of it, either way he is the worst journalist ever.
Personally, I was stunned at the interview. Though I have not gone so far as to break down every comment, what I did hear was considerably different from past interviews. I thought it was very clear that Lee has not only heard the fans, but lent sufficient credence to their views that he and Herb have spent some amount of time discussing them. At least they did not dismiss them out of hand, as has been done in the past. And BJD is right in that the interview craftily avoided any path that led to Lee having to defend Herb. Perhaps he has come to the point that he knows he has to separate himself from Herb, at least for now. We will see.
Also important to mention, we’ve still got at least one game to play. Maybe it’s like my golf game – whenever I’m ready to put my sticks on e-bay, I play just enough to say to myself, “I don’t hate this game anymore.”
I agree that it was a lukewarm defense of Sendek. There was no talk of 100% certainty of Sendek being the coach for next season.