A Shitty End to a Shitty Season

08-09 Basketball118

Maryland 74, NC State 69. That’s your final. Don’t let the margin let you believe that NC State played well, smart, or with any enthusiasm or sense of urgency.

Here is Sidney Lowe’s program in a nutshell – the only guy who consistently played hard and as if he had a brain in his head was Julius Mays. The only guy who even looked for his shot in the last 10 minutes. You remember him, don’t you? He’s the guy who hasn’t played in the last 9 or so games. Yep, that’s a program on the rise. Sure. Repeat it until you believe it, if it makes you sleep better.

After racing out to a 21-8 lead, NC State laid down and died. I don’t remember Maryland taking a tough shot the entire second half. Is Maryland a great team with multiple players that can create offense? Fuck no. One decent player and a bunch of stiffs who might do one thing halfway decently.

Still, the Terps did occasionally miss in the second half. And they got the damned rebound every. Single. Time. Is Maryland a big, athletic team with an NBA-caliber frontcourt? Fuck no. They start four guards and one undersized power forward.

This NC State team will not make the NIT. It may make the CBI or College Insider tourney. Who fucking cares. If this “effort” is all they had to give for such a critical ACC tournament for the program…I don’t want to see them play anymore this season.

About BJD95

1995 NC State graduate, sufferer of Les and MOC during my entire student tenure. An equal-opportunity objective critic and analyst of Wolfpack sports.

08-09 Basketball

118 Responses to A Shitty End to a Shitty Season

  1. BJD95 03/12/2009 at 8:16 PM #

    Post-game comments from Sid – Mays played because Degand was being disciplined. So, let’s not credit the switch as another Lowe “stroke of genius.”

    It’s Lowe’s job to figure out how to use the pieces he has. But he has no clue. Face the facts – he is our Clyde Drexler.

    Good thing for him Lee Fowler is our AD. He wouldn’t have fired Drexler, either.

  2. Sweet jumper 03/12/2009 at 8:16 PM #

    Lowe just said Mays played because Degand was benched for disciplinary reasons and because he has played well in practice. I cannot fathom how a team that is on the NIT bubble can come out in the first round of the ACC Tournament against a team that just punked us on our home court and roll over after the first 10 minutes. Total lack of effort and discipline. Pitiful defense and box outs. I hope Costner leaves after graduating this spring. I want all young hungry guys playing next year hard for 40 freaking minutes every game. Vasquez punked us twice in 3 weeks. I hope Tony and Gary do not give a player of the game award tonight!

  3. BJD95 03/12/2009 at 8:18 PM #

    A moron coaching morons. Good sysnopsis, LRM. But you forgot to trust me, man. Sid will get it done. HE’S ONE OF US!!!!!

  4. choppack1 03/12/2009 at 8:18 PM #

    BAC79 – There are really three rational ways of looking at this:

    1) Fowler allowed Sendek – a coach whom he supported and believed was building a great program – to walk and leave the program in such horrid shape a capable coach chosen by Fowler couldn’t turn it around in 3 years.

    2) Fowler made an absolutely horrid hire and brought in someone who had zero college coaching experience and a pathetic NBA record as a head coach – and what we’re seeing is entirely what we should expect.

    3) Both 1 and 2.

    It’s 1 of those 3 options – and blame lies w/ Fowler in every one.

    If Oblinger and the BOG care one bit about athletics at NC State, Lee Fowler will be w/in the next 2 weeks. This was Lee’s big moment to shine. At the very least, he has destroyed NC State basketball in the short run.

  5. Afterglow 03/12/2009 at 8:19 PM #

    It’s so clear it’s just a matter of time before high school recruits start seeing it. And I actually think we’d play better with horses.

  6. BJD95 03/12/2009 at 8:19 PM #

    Our player of the game was the guy who Sid wouldn’t have played if he wasn’t disciplining Degand for the 50th time.

  7. wayofthemaster 03/12/2009 at 8:21 PM #

    I wonder how many misses Maryland had in its last 10-20 possessions? Why do I even care?

  8. PackWolf7 03/12/2009 at 8:21 PM #

    BJD95….thanks, buddy for the expletives. They are fitting for this train wreck of a team. Did I say team? I actually started to believe in the ‘team’ about a month ago, but then same ole, same ole. Why in the heck can’t this ‘team’ with its ‘big men’ rebound?? Especially with their size against the Twerps. No emotion, no fight. And you just knew that Gary Williams would bring out that 3-2 zone. Did State have a plan for it??????? No. Should have, especially after Williams did the same damn thing last time against them. Oh, this is so frustrating. Sidney Lowe is NOT a college coach. He berates his players, doesn’t understand the game today, makes silly lineup moves at this end of the season!!!!! John Wall, if you somehow see this, go to Baylor or Memphis so we can help facilitate Sidney out the door. And put Monte right in front of him. Has anyone EVER seen any emotion from Monte? No. Is he on ludes? Maybe. Let’s switch to Costner. Two years ago he was lights out in the tournament. Ever since he has sunk into oblivion. Clueless and useless. Will NEVER get any looks from the NBA at this point. Congratulations to the youngster Mays. Why in the hell was he sitting on the bench up to now? Sidneyyy!!! No NIT this year. No post season for the second in a row. Listening Fowler? Hope so, cuz you are a big part of the problem. The NC State basketball program is in the grave. Thank you Lee, thank you Sid.
    PS…say what you want about Vasquez for MD…he is a hell of a player and a hell of a captain.

  9. wolfpacktexx 03/12/2009 at 8:22 PM #

    Lowe 0-5 against Maryland – enough said…

  10. dtwncsu 03/12/2009 at 8:23 PM #

    I am glad the season is finally over due to the lazy play of our seniors. I hope Lowe’s recruits come in and play with more energy, so the program won’t like shit. Brandon will probably be back because he has played worse than anyone else in the league. I hope we do not make a post-season tournament or we will just bury ourselves deeper.

  11. Afterglow 03/12/2009 at 8:24 PM #

    “Does anyone have the rifle team schedule? What network are they on?”

    Perhaps we could get a certain individual to leave the fucilities and watch the event in person where a slight rifle mis-hap would mame him into retirement.

  12. wolfpacktexx 03/12/2009 at 8:25 PM #

    Lowe’s 09 team => 1-4 the last five games. It has been so long since NCSU has had a strong finish does 1-4 define a strong finish? Just checking if 1-4 constitutes strong…

  13. st8family 03/12/2009 at 8:25 PM #

    I hope we don’t make any postseason tournament. Playing more games with this crew would actually slow down any process of moving forward. I really think if Sid wants to help himself, he will look closely at his staff and make some changes. We need a “ball buster” assistant on the staff. I’m not a Herb apologist, but he nor Larry Hunter took any shit from any player. Period.

  14. Rick 03/12/2009 at 8:27 PM #

    “Our player of the game was the guy who Sid wouldn’t have played if he wasn’t disciplining Degand for the 50th time.”

    I am not sure what bothers me more
    1) that Degand is such an idiot that he has to be disciplined this late in the season
    2) After seeing what he is capable of that Mays has been sitting so long
    3) That Sid has so little control over this team that we are in this situation to begin with.
    4) that Degand has been playing so much when it appears that Mays is better.

  15. tvp1 03/12/2009 at 8:27 PM #

    When you execute your D down the stretch such that the only guy on the other team taking shots is their backup PG who hasn’t played in a month…you have utterly destroyed your coaching opponent.

    We have 4 guys 6-8 or taller who can score, and Maryland’s only big man is 6-7 and as athletic as a chair. So naturally, our BACKUP PG takes 15 SHOTS. Smith takes 6 SHOTS and most of those were off of offensive rebounds.

    Sid got fucking WORKED.

    Sure, I’ll be glad not to see lazy ass Fells again, and this is the one that pushed me over the edge with Costner – I’m done waiting for the 07 ACC tournament version to come back. But I have basically zero hope that things will get better.

  16. Afterglow 03/12/2009 at 8:28 PM #

    st8family-moving forward? I unfamiliar with that term. What’s that mean?

  17. Rick 03/12/2009 at 8:28 PM #

    “Lowe’s 09 team => 1-4 the last five games. It has been so long since NCSU has had a strong finish does 1-4 define a strong finish? Just checking if 1-4 constitutes strong…”
    Its better than his 0-5 last year

  18. choppack1 03/12/2009 at 8:29 PM #

    “I want all young hungry guys playing next year hard for 40 freaking minutes every game.”

    Maybe. Or maybe we’ll see a bunch of confused players wondering why they haven’t played for 8 games and suddenly play the majority of the game.

    Maybe we’ll see guys baffled when they lead a team for a period of time, then a game that will determine how the season ends sit on the bench in critical moments.

    Maybe they’ll be tired of being pigeon-holed into one position while they watch other teams play a variety of line ups.

  19. Wolf Dog 03/12/2009 at 8:29 PM #

    I have kept my thoughts regarding the coach to myself in hopes of adding more recruits during the spring signing period. We have a good class coming in and can hopefully add more players. I don’t care if we get Wall or not, he has attitude problems and he is one and done. We have guards, we need post players. I don’t care if Costner comes back.

    What I do look for is a clean slate with Sendek, his last players, adn the funk gone. I look for a new upbeat style of play next year and lots of hustle. We should run, run, and run some more. We will be a small team.

    Hopefully from what I have heard this is where we are headed. I see that next year and major progress I am still supporting our coaches. If not then the smart more would be to let sid go even before the season is over to get a head start on the coaching search. That way we get these recruits in the door and a new coach if we need it.

    I look for a fresh new start and new style of play next year, if not then I don’t see how Sid can last antoher year. Everything is all his next year.

  20. 61Packer 03/12/2009 at 8:29 PM #

    Right now, if the Rams Club were suddenly given total control of the State basketball program, you know what?

    They wouldn’t change one damned thing!!!!

  21. BladenWolf 03/12/2009 at 8:32 PM #

    Coaching was pathetic tonight. You can’t draw up a play to penetrate a fucking 2-3 zone when you’re the bigger team?
    I’m use to Costner laying down on us so, although frustrating, it wasn’t surprising.
    Fells left his athleticism in the locker room and had several brain farts on the court, but I’m use to that too.
    I’m sorry for Ben – again.
    Gonzales is afraid of the three pointer and couldn’t penetrate so he was marginal at best. Horner tried at the foul line but has just not turned out to be a first tier ACC offensive threat like I’d hoped.
    The biggest calamity though was the coaching. We looked confused…
    We lost Walls, Favors, and Cousins in recruiting…
    I don’t see the improvement we need in order to move up.
    When will this end?
    I give the coaching staff next season to see remarkable change in both attitude and style of play. Another bottom of the conference finish and it’s time to start seriously looking at a coaching change.

  22. BJD95 03/12/2009 at 8:33 PM #

    Now I’m sure this is just a baseless rumor, but somebody told me that Sid’s recruits take up 3/4 of our scholarships. That can’t be true, because we know that every diamond Sid signs will play with intelligence and heart! All the time!

  23. Noah 03/12/2009 at 8:35 PM #

    If the problem is the three Sendek guys, doesn’t it bother you that we have a coach who continues to play them? Why didn’t he give them the boot? Why does he continue to play them?

    They’re obviously SUCH a cancer that they infect the whole team.

  24. WolftownVA81 03/12/2009 at 8:35 PM #

    Out coached, seniors MIA, …. only bright spot was Mays. I’m also happy the season is over. Question is, will I even bother to tune in next season? The answer is, not without some significant changes being made. Looks like my boycott of the WPC is now moving into year 2 since my dues were to be paid in March.

  25. SaccoV 03/12/2009 at 8:35 PM #

    Before I get torched for saying so, I agree that Lowe didn’t make many adjustments in the 2nd half. With that exception, he is coaching a group of players who all collectively have no instinct for the fundamentals of basketball. We have big guys who can’t grab a rebound; guards who can’t make a simple interior-entry pass without throwing it off someone’s leg or throwing it out-of-bounds; we have no one who fights through a screen on defense; we have no one who can create his own shot. Sid was very animated during a few turnovers and defensive lapses (which were many), and then quickly (and smartly) realized that this bunch cannot and will not respond to an ass-chewing. I can’t be positive that Sid is the answer to get our program where we all would like; but, he is wise enough to see that the personnel he has is under-equipped to play at this level. He’s learning slowly how to be a better coach. The majority of the vitriol on tonight’s posts is further evidence that all of us fans had expectations that exceeded the abilities of the players and coaches to fulfill it. If you expected a win tonight, you haven’t been paying close attention to this season. This team is an improvement over last year’s team which sucked. This team didn’t suck as badly. That’s evidence of progress, but not enough for most of the fans (myself included).

1 2 3 4 5

Leave a Reply