Fowler Speaks, ‘Feels good about program.’

99.9 FM Interview with Lee Fowler

His first comment about basketball is that had Horner made the three-pointer he took with the Wolfpack up four with about 6:20 left, the game might have been different.  Maybe.  But then Fowler says it was back and forth the rest of the game.  Hmmm.  I seem to remember a 19-2 FSU run the rest of that particular contest, but maybe my eyes deceived me.  I’m not a basketball coach, after all.  And no, State wasn’t fouling the entire way down the stretch.

Other comments:

‘We’ve just got to stick together’

‘You have to have talent, you can’t just out-coach people.’

‘All you can is what you can do.’

Fowler also talked about football and said that he and  Tom O’Brien feels comfortable with where the program is.

And of course, Fowler has negative comments about the Internet (and talk radio.)  He says that is shortens the lifespan of coaching tenures by requiring coaches to produce quicker.

He also asked fans to be patient, said help is on the way the next couple of years.

Then he talked about facilities.  I wonder if he has seen the inside of Cameron Indoor Stadium lately?

AD & Department General NC State Administration NCS Basketball NCS Football Sidney Lowe Tom O'Brien

58 Responses to Fowler Speaks, ‘Feels good about program.’

  1. com state10 01/16/2009 at 9:48 AM #

    packpowerfan- great stuff dude have fun out there. I just graduated and loved to camp out for tickets, we need more traditions like that at State as you know, but they can only be achieved with people like you, bravin’ the elements for the team that you love. I camped out for tickets the year we beat them two years ago. First row, mid-court, 21st birthday. Miracles can happen, enjoy the experience.

  2. old13 01/16/2009 at 9:50 AM #

    “Coach” Divisive talks about unity! What an idiot! Gee, Foulup, just how long does it take! You’ve been there almost nine years! Have you checked the standings in the various ACC sports at TheACC.com lately!

  3. thekind 01/16/2009 at 9:57 AM #

    Pack your bags Jack@@#!
    You have destroyed a once proud program.
    Keep Lowe if we must, but please get rid of Foulup!

  4. backinpack 01/16/2009 at 10:09 AM #

    Fowlup has to say this kind of think publicly. He can’t be a realist on the radio — it’s questionable whether he can do it privately either though.

  5. packof81 01/16/2009 at 10:23 AM #

    Fowlup is dug in like a tick.

  6. 66pack 01/16/2009 at 10:29 AM #

    PLEASE see strickland’s comment in n&o.he believes the maturation process for our point guards can not be rushed and one problem that our guards have had prior to acc schedule was the stiff guard competition from OOC teams.BS

  7. ppack3 01/16/2009 at 10:31 AM #

    Jed has found his Black Gold. It’s a paycheck that keeps on coming, from a University that keeps on giving! Do you really expect him to step down on his own accord? Jed’s not going to upset the apple cart. In fact, he is going to do his redneck best to make sure that you don’t either. My wife works for the state, and she is constantly saying that the only way to get rid of a state employee is if they steal or kill (or quit). The Big Dog’s are going to have to be the ones to make a change, and they have to feel some sort of discomfort in order for that to happen. Otherwise, Jed is just going to keep finding places to put more temporary bleachers, to sell more tickets, and increase his budget (i.e. his salary).

  8. ryebread 01/16/2009 at 11:04 AM #

    Truthfully, as much as I think Fowler is and has been the wrong man for this job for some time and should have been fired years ago, I’m not sure what people expect him to say in interviews. He can’t well get up there and say “the ship is going down and SL is in trouble” because it would cause the ship to go down. He can’t get up there and say “I’m terrible at my job and should be fired” because he would. He’s obviously going to get up there and blow sunshine.

    The same thing is true for small time radio stations. They’re getting press from having him on there. If they rip him, no one will come interview with them. They’re obviously going to give him softball questions as they don’t have the clout to wedge in with others if they’re hostile to him.

    In my opinion, the best thing for all parties would be if Fowler just went into hibernation and didn’t talk to the press. Of course, if he did that, some of our fans would say he’s not doing his job. I really think he’s in a Catch-22 in that respect.

    Ultimately though, a smart employee (or employer) will understand how the situation around them has changed and then react accordingly. In Fowler’s case, he’s not loved by the rank and file and hasn’t been for years. I think that he’s tried to get out to a lateral position, but no one is dumb enough to hire him. He’s now either going to have to take a pay cut or a demotion and leave voluntarily or just do the bare minimal and not rock the boat in order to get fired. He’s obviously going with the latter path.

    Let’s face it, until the administration above him wants him gone (or juiced donors get absolutely fed up), he’ll be around. If you really want LF gone, you’re going to have to target them. While the juiced donors care about winning, those above LF only care about the money. Start cutting that off, and we’ll see LF gone.

  9. pack44fan 01/16/2009 at 11:25 AM #

    Hire a real AD and keep Mr. Fowler in the athletics dept. in charge of facitilites. If he hasn’t done anything, else, he has helped upgrade the facilities at NCSU.

  10. ppack3 01/16/2009 at 11:52 AM #

    I still don’t see where Foul-up built Mecca at NCSU. Didn’t Mary Ann Fox have a lot to do with the Football digs. Amato preconditioned his hire on those same upgrades. The RBC was well entrenched before Foul-up was on post. Bobby Percell has funded the projects. What has he done? Make sure everyone got to work on time? I think I saw him in Vaughn Towers in a hard hat once, as part of a walking tour. The Baseball/Tennis Fuh-cilities. Right. Gotcha. So, we aren’t playing those sports on dirt any more, that’s good.

  11. PAJ 01/16/2009 at 12:25 PM #

    I am not here to defend Fowler, but every thread here seems to degenerate into a rehash of Fowler’s shortcomings. I think it’s getting old.

  12. WolftownVA81 01/16/2009 at 12:49 PM #

    PAJ^ NCSU will never acheive excellence across the board in atheletics with Lee Fowler as the AD. That is why he is featured so regularly on this board (plus he says a lot of dumb stuff inviting ridicule). I agree it’s getting old; but, so is the frustration of being a fan of NCSU sports. I want to feel good about our programs but I can’t with this guy at the helm. So, what choice do we really have? Ignor it all as I’ve tried to do, or bash the guy who’s responsible for the mess he’s created in hopes that those with the voices that matter will finally sit up and take notice. Lee has to go!

  13. 61Packer 01/16/2009 at 1:47 PM #

    While the Jed-bashing continues, aren’t we overlooking the importance of tomorrow’s Georgia Tech game? If the program continues to keep Jed feeling good for another 24 hours, at that time we’ll have a 12-game ACC losing streak and sole possession of 12th place in the ACC. Two fer one. Whooooo doggy!

    Come and lissen to muh story ’bout a man named Jed………

  14. WolfBrew 01/16/2009 at 2:00 PM #

    “Whoooooo Doggy” – Now That’s Comedy!

    The Mobile Press Register did note that Sidney Lowe attended last night’s LeFlore/South Atlanta game, along with Mike Davis (UAB) and the Auburn TarHole. Here’s hoping for a miracle with D. Cousins. If we could hire Mike Davis as an assistant, we might have something.

  15. Daily Update 01/16/2009 at 2:05 PM #

    Someone just texted me a picture of Lee Fowler at Harris Teeter in Cameron Village buying wine at 2:00 on Friday afternoon. I am sure this was on his lunch hour and he was headed straight back to his office to finish the work week.

  16. old13 01/16/2009 at 2:26 PM #

    ^ He’s just stocking up the lakehouse so he can work there this weekend! What a bozo!

  17. noblepack 01/16/2009 at 2:39 PM #

    I’m getting tired of the Jed bashing as well. I think he is the absolute worst AD we’ve ever had, but his interviews are, as someone else said, opportunities to blow sunshine and any AD would do that. I have a problem faulting him for that.

    I also think that as inept he is as an AD, he certainly understands that losing yet another coach doesn’t look good so what he says and what he thinks ultimately are probably two different things.

    I’ve been down a long road of frustration and blame here. Years ago I was really angry with Fowler. But at the end of the day he’s just a state employee – nothing I can influence there. The big money donors seem to be happy with their lot in life and the universties, so I don’t think there’s much to influence there.

    But every year I send a check to the Wolfpack Club, or as it is more formally known The NC State Student Aid Association. I’ve read where they are one of the largest of their kind so I assume they’ve got some power, both financially and politically. So I hold them to blame. They’re not exerting their influence on the behalf of their customers, and their customers are you and I, not the athletes they fund. And at the top is Bobby Purcell, so I hold him ultimately responsible.

    I know it’s a different way of thinking, but I really think that booster clubs at other schools would have already nipped a crappy AD problem in the bud.

  18. Alpha Wolf 01/16/2009 at 2:59 PM #

    It’s not the sunshine as much as it is the falsehoods — stuff like “it was back and forth the last six minutes.” Literally, that may be true: FSU would score and NC State would run the other way and take a dumb three-pointer or turn the ball over, but the meaning was that the game was like a see-saw battle the last six minutes when in fact it was not.

    That and of course the “Internet is bad” mantra (where Lee insults his own customers, let’s be honest) is what brings a lot of stuff here and elsewhere down on him.

  19. WolfBrew 01/16/2009 at 5:33 PM #

    Just as a heads up, Steve Logan is leaving BC. It looks like with Jags gone, he had no desire to stay.

  20. highstick 01/16/2009 at 6:07 PM #

    Sew his yap shut!

  21. BSIE80 01/16/2009 at 6:31 PM #

    Sorry guys,
    But Fowler sounded ok.
    Sid is our coach and deserves your support.

    Quit complaining. Complain about your boss, your company, but support the University and its Sports programs.

  22. Elrod 01/16/2009 at 6:51 PM #

    Someone just texted me a picture of Lee Fowler at Harris Teeter in Cameron Village buying wine at 2:00 on Friday afternoon. I am sure this was on his lunch hour and he was headed straight back to his office to finish the work week.

    ^ Cougar bait.

  23. redfred2 01/16/2009 at 6:59 PM #

    ^LOL! Elrod

  24. truewolfpackfan84 01/16/2009 at 7:37 PM #

    If we lose to the TERRIBLE Ga.Tech team tommorow I am going to not go to anymore home games the rest of the year and I am going to put up FIRE SIDNEY LOWE POSTERS in my 6 seats I have every year !!! If everyone would do the same maybe it would get the point across. It does not help out any when we all continue to go and buy drinks and popcorn and support sidney and lee’s pay !!! lets give them what they deserve empty plastic and a bunch of posters to clean up daily.

  25. JeremyH 01/16/2009 at 8:26 PM #

    two former pack players making an impact on their nba teams, and both playing tonight: hickson and powell.

Leave a Reply