Vitale: Lowe One of Next Generation of “Great Coaches”

General NCS Basketball Sidney Lowe83

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Though the Wolfpack has been on a roller coaster during this season, Sidney Lowe has gotten generally great reviews from the press. Dick Vitale heaped some praise today on Coach Lowe in his USA Today column:

[Who] is ready to make a name big time? Some names to keep in mind: Karl Hobbs, George Washington; Mark Turgeon, Wichita State; Jim Christian, Kent State; Chris Lowery, Southern Illinois; John Pelphrey, South Alabama; Jeff Capel, Oklahoma; Sidney Lowe, North Carolina State; and Todd Lickliter, Butler.

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General NCS Basketball Sidney Lowe

83 Responses to Vitale: Lowe One of Next Generation of “Great Coaches”

  1. Dan 02/23/2007 at 11:02 AM #

    I do not deny the following: It was pretty clear that I was a “hopeful believer” in Sendek and his system until his “quitting” gave me reason to reflect. For me, this has been a season of reflection on the Modified Princeton and the contrast that Sidney Lowe’s offense provides.

    I’ve said before that it was Ben McCauley’s own comments that provided the biggest shove toward my current understanding of the last 10 years.

    “At times [under Sendek], we were like robots. We had to do this and we had to do that. If we ran the offense correctly, it definitely worked. But, after a while, I think teams caught on.”

    http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07012/753275-134.stm

    Robots obey. At least in this pre-Matrix universe, robots do not read and react. They just do what they are told. Case in point is the production of Wolfpack post players in the NBA where the ability to read and react is crucial.

    The other realization I’ve had this year is that this season the Wolfpack is having the most productive season from the 4-5 combo than we have had in over 10 years. This in Sidney Lowe’s first season. That’s not up for debate either. Based on scoring and rebounding, that is fact. With three ACC games left to play, Brandon Costner is averaging just over 16 points and just under 8 rebounds per game. Under the last five years of the Modified Princeton, only Marcus Melvin in ’03-’04 averaged 8 rebounds while scoring just under 15 points per game. Sendek’s most productive low post combo was the ’02-’03 combo of Melvin and Josh Powell who combined to average just over 25 points and just over 11 rebounds per game. To date this season, McCauley and Costner, in their first year under Sidney Lowe, are combining for just under 32 points while grabbing 14.5 rebounds. There may be lots of extenuating reasons for these statistics. Lack of depth being the one. Reasons do not change the facts though. This is the most productive post season we’ve seen in a long time.

    It appears to me the Sidney Lowe era is going to be a Return to the Paint… Or the Lowe Post Era (I may have heard that last pun here somewhere.. cant remember where.. I dont take credit for it). Does anyone expect the post production to do anything but improve next season when not only Costner and McCauley have an extra year of development but are also joined by JJ Hickson and Tracy Smith. Expectations are the seeds of disappointment, but I think its possible, maybe likely, that next year may be the best rebounding season NC State has seen in a long, long time. Clearly, there is a renewed emphasis in the paint, and I think Sidney’s ability to take Sendek’s recuits and produce the most productive season of post play in a decade in his first season is proof of that.

    In college basketball, the media has really grabbed a hold of the importance of guard play, and, admittedly, solid guard play can make a team a perennial NCAA team. Solid guard play is the cornerstone in college basketball, and without dependable guards you cant run your offense whatever it may be. However, the difference between a perennial NCAA team and a perennial top 10 team is usually consistent and dominant post play. I’m not talking about getting hot in the NCAA tournament either. I’m talking about being an ACC Title contender and being nationally ranked in the top 15 on a consistent basis. Not to bring up the enemy, but think Sean May and Tyler Hansborough. Think Carlos Boozer, Elton Brand, and Shelden Williams. Emaka Okafor. Joakim Noah. A lot is made in Durham regarding the ineffective play of Greg Paulus, but the truth is that K has failed to recruit the heir to that dominant line of post players. Consistent post play has been a mark of the ACC elite of late.

    This is one of the reasons that many of us believe that Sidney Lowe’s Wolfpack has a much higher ceiling than a team that is based on the three point shot. Sid has left little doubt regarding his preference for the higher percentage shots. Mathematical logic agrees. Its better to base your offense on the highest percentage shot. Not to mention, as we Wolfpack fans have been loathe to learn recently, effective offensive rebounding offers more opportunities to further increase offensive efficiency. Add to that the coaching staffs inherent point guard expertise, and I believe that this has its priorities on the positions that can make the recent comments of Dick Vitale a future reality.

    Side note: Given Sidney’s emphasis on the paint this year, can you imagine what Ced would have done if he stayed?

  2. beowolf 02/23/2007 at 11:14 AM #

    Dan, that’s a fantastic post. Notice that the two positions you discuss the most were the two positions the other coach was proud to say his offense didn’t need.

    A lot will depend next year on the emergence of a good point guard. I’m hopeful our two transfers will get us through.

  3. VaWolf82 02/23/2007 at 11:15 AM #

    I’m reserving judgement for a while. I like a lot of stuff I’ve seen this year and I love Lowe’s passion, but one year isn’t anything to base an opinion on

    My sentiment exactly. Losing less than expected this year does not necessarily translate into future success.

    Just ask Craig Littlepage…..who give Pete Gillen a 10 year contract based just on losing less than expected.

  4. RickJ 02/23/2007 at 11:24 AM #

    Keep in mind that while Lowe is an inexperienced college coach, he has functioned as a head coach in over 300 NBA games (48 minutes in length). He is very used to calling plays and timeouts. Everything Ive seen to date leads me believe Lowe will be a terrific in-game coach.

    I am not as excited as most of you regarding recruiting. If it weren’t for the messed up timing of his hiring, I would be more concerned. Lowe has convinced 8 players to run with the pack – Degand, Lewandowski, Thomas, Hickson, Smith, Williams, Mays & Johnson. Hickson would be regarding as a National level recruit by any standards. Smith & Johnson are Top 40 – 75 type players. Lew is a project and I don’t have any idea how to rate Degand. Thomas, Williams & Mays will be interesting to follow. None are rated in the Top 100 of any listings for their class although all had garnered decent scholarship offers (Clemson, VPI level programs). I just don’t get the mad optimism about our recruiting. Maybe I’m missing something.

  5. statered 02/23/2007 at 11:29 AM #

    Cedar, the last 5 years were rather disappointing when you consider the mind boggling flameouts at the end of some of thoise years. Making the tourney and then getting waxed by Texas takes the shine off the season. Not to mention Cal or Vandy.

  6. VaWolf82 02/23/2007 at 11:29 AM #

    However, the difference between a perennial NCAA team and a perennial top 10 team is usually consistent and dominant post play.

    I disagree….PG play is far more important. Two examples:

    1983—NC State
    Wake Forest….Before and after Chris Paul

  7. burnbarn 02/23/2007 at 11:31 AM #

    ^ I mentioned this in the post game about Ced. I think that Ced and BRack have more talent than than Ben and Costner.. certainly equal talent at best. It is amazing what Coach has done with these two players. Honestly, we have seem more PRODUCTION from these two players this season than we saw from the other two in their careers. It has to be coaching. I also wonder about Costner staying beyond this season only because of my production comment.

    My biggest concern with Lowe right now is his contract.. while it is 6 years, we are getting a bargain. I suspect after next season if not before a contract negotiation will have to happen. I fear the pull of the NBA bucks will be great as Lowe was considered a ‘rising star’ in their ranks years ago. Many people felt it was not going to long before he had another HC job in the NBA. Lowe loves NCSU, but does he love it as much leaving millions per year on the table?

  8. VaWolf82 02/23/2007 at 11:32 AM #

    This is one of the reasons that many of us believe that Sidney Lowe’s Wolfpack has a much higher ceiling than a team that is based on the three point shot.

    I forgot to include this….which I completely agree with. However, you will not generate a consistent, productive offense without great guard play.

  9. tooyoungtoremember 02/23/2007 at 11:34 AM #

    You can cite examples of successful teams that had good PG’s and good post players until you’re blue in the face. The reality of the situation is that if you have one or both, you have a better than average chance of being a dominant team. Before this year, we had neither. In the coming years, we are quickly working our way to having both.

  10. BJD95 02/23/2007 at 11:42 AM #

    Great guard play is crucial, especially PG. The nice thing about dominant low-post play is that it is inherently more consistent than outside shooting.

    The best teams have a combination – a PG to organize and run the offense, a strong low-post game to have a consistent scoring and rebounding base, and shooters to keep defenses honest. Now, I’m not saying you have to be GREAT in all 3 areas, but you need a threshold level of talent so that you don’t have a glaring, exploitable weakness.

    There is no guarantee of success going forward, but moving away from being almost entirely perimeter oriented will mean that we have less glaring, exploitable weaknesses with more POTENTIAL for NCAAT success.

  11. Dan 02/23/2007 at 11:57 AM #

    “I disagree….PG play is far more important. Two examples:

    1983—NC State
    Wake Forest….Before and after Chris Paul”

    Va, you prove my point with the ’83 team. A miracle no doubt, but not a top 10 team that dominated the regular season. The exact same thing goes for WF Chris Paul teams.

    Hot guard play is streaky. Yeah, if its on you can go 1983 Wolfpack. If its off, you wind up like the WF Chris Paul teams who always underachieved in the NCAA.

    As I stated in the post, I’m not talking about an NCAA run for one season. I’m talking about year in – year out top 15 ranking. Year in – year out top 3 or 4 seeds in the dance. For that you need not only guard play, but you need dominant post play on a consistent basis. Teams that lean heavy on guards for scoring are inconsistent by the very nature of shooting percentage.

    You want to be like Duke and finish in the top 10 every year, you better have a run of low post players like Boozer, Brand, and Shelden Williams. We’ve seen what happens what that dries up. UVa is great. Those two guards have made them an NCAA team. But they are no high seed. They are no top 15 team. They are horribly inconsistent and streaky. Why? No post play. They rely on lower percentage shots.

  12. CedarGroveWolf 02/23/2007 at 12:00 PM #

    “His coach at North Carolina State, Herb Sendek, had left to become Arizona State’s coach, and McCauley was giving some thought to following him”

    Ben must have liked the O enough to consider following Herb. Herb’s O is based on reading the D & racting. If the D was doing this, do that. If the D was giving up this, do that.

    “This is the most productive post season we’ve seen in a long time”

    The trio of Ced, IE & Brack last season who played the C & PF spots combined for almost 30ppg & 14rpg.

  13. BJD95 02/23/2007 at 12:08 PM #

    ^ Please knock it off. SFN is not interested in this type of discussion.

  14. lush 02/23/2007 at 12:11 PM #

    hey cedar, guess who’s not on the list of the next generation of great coaches

  15. Mike 02/23/2007 at 12:11 PM #

    Cedar, go ahead and keep smoking that stuff. Hope you dont have to take a whiz quiz though. The last 5 years were completely unacceptable – yes we went to the NCAA’s but we did nothing. We faded down the stretch, could not close out games, and considering expectations, the last 5 years were a huge disappointment. Of th 5 years, we were a bubble team in 4 of them, the bubble was a let down of where we should have been.

  16. lush 02/23/2007 at 12:12 PM #

    but you obviously know more about that than anyone else here

  17. CedarGroveWolf 02/23/2007 at 12:21 PM #

    “considering expectations, the last 5 years were a huge disappointment.”

    whose expectations, yours? finishing in the top 4 of the ACC 4 out of 5 years, 3 2nd round & 1 sweet16, 3 years in a top25 final poll. Not great. but we didn’t have great talent.

  18. lush 02/23/2007 at 12:25 PM #

    whose fault is that?

  19. pakfanistan 02/23/2007 at 12:40 PM #

    If you don’t think we had talent, you’re out of your mind. We had all the talent in the world. What we didn’t have was a team.

    Simmons – 5 star
    Costner – 5 star
    Bennerman – 4 star
    Brackman – 4 star
    Grant – 4 star
    Fells – 4 star
    McCauley – 4 star

    I think Hodge was a 5 star as well and who knows what Bethel, Atsur or Evtimov were.

    And to think at the same time, we had Hodge, Bethel, Bennerman, Brackman, Simmons, Grant, Atsur, and Evtimov.

  20. highstick 02/23/2007 at 12:43 PM #

    Just my opinion, but Sid’s done something this year that is as important as good recruiting. He’s got the State fans “back in the game” and with expectations of better things that just an appearance in the NCAA’s.

    Recruiting that “6th man” of thousands is HUGE! I’m more “pumped up” about the future of NC State basketball than I have been in a lot of years.

  21. beowolf 02/23/2007 at 12:46 PM #

    I don’t remember anything like THIS following a Sendek team after one of his six games against Roy Williams (in four of which, NC State was the favored team):

  22. CedarGroveWolf 02/23/2007 at 12:55 PM #

    Costner was hurt.
    Cam, Brackman & Grant were ranked around 70-80 out of HS
    Fells & Ben were true frosh behind upperclassmen

    NBA talent wins championships

  23. Dan 02/23/2007 at 12:59 PM #

    “NBA talent wins championships”

    You are this close to doing a 180 man. Trust me. I’ve been there.

  24. legacyman 02/23/2007 at 1:01 PM #

    Cedar/Mebane is the last fairly vocal member of the famous 15 member support group for the previous you know who. He/she is very loyal to the former one and loyalty is a valued trait even though, in this case, it is misguided.

    Some people have their “favorite” chair…tattered, out of shape, dirty, worn…but comfortable as it fits the body. Almost impossible to discard even though a new one is well overdue. So it goes.

    Get a new chair, please, Mebane.

  25. CedarGroveWolf 02/23/2007 at 1:04 PM #

    “You are this close to doing a 180 man. Trust me. I’ve been there”

    meaning????

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