Katz Correction, no Hawaii for Wolfpack

Say it isn’t so!?

Andy Katz gets a report wrong?

Next you will try to convince me that the Pope has Catholic tendencies!

A day after Katz ran a report that claimed NC State playing in a tournament in Hawaii this Christmas, Joe Giglio sets the record straight.

N.C. State’s basketball team will not be spending Christmas in Hawaii.

Wolfpack AD Lee Fowler said an ESPN report that has State in Honolulu over Christmas is wrong. State talked to the organizers of the new Diamond Head Classic but couldn’t work out a deal, Fowler said.

The made-for-ESPN tournament is Dec. 22, 23 and 25 in Honolulu and features eight teams. USC, UNLV, College of Charleston and host Hawaii have committed to the field.

State has made five trips to 50th state for basketball tournaments, the last in 1995.

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09-10 Basketball

27 Responses to Katz Correction, no Hawaii for Wolfpack

  1. lsutton5144 04/24/2009 at 11:53 AM #

    Just as well . . . keep from getting embarrassed on national TV . . . again.

  2. CStanley 04/24/2009 at 12:14 PM #

    Wolfpack AD Lee Fowler said an ESPN report that has State in Honolulu over Christmas is wrong. State talked to the organizers of the new Diamond Head Classic but couldn’t work out a deal, Fowler said.

    Imagine that.

  3. Noah 04/24/2009 at 12:18 PM #

    Yeah, I was kinda wondering how hard it was to “work out a deal.”

    What…did Fowler want an appearance fee or something?

  4. cornellpackfan 04/24/2009 at 12:23 PM #

    A trip such as this is undoubtedly expensive, yet this is a great opportunity to get some high grade exposure for our program. Star players want to play on national television…

    I am more bothered by Fowler’s response than I am by the error in reporting.

    Can we get rid of this guy already before I become another of these offspring of alums that are becoming carolina fans?

  5. wolfbuff 04/24/2009 at 12:23 PM #

    Couldn’t work out a deal? Tournament Organizer: Hey NC State, want to come to Hawaii and play in a pre-season tournament and be on national television? Lee Fowler: Uh, no thanks, we don’t wanna.

  6. Thinkpack17 04/24/2009 at 12:26 PM #

    What the hell.

  7. old13 04/24/2009 at 12:27 PM #

    Foulup probably booked a high school tournament in western Kansas instead!

  8. Thinkpack17 04/24/2009 at 12:28 PM #

    “Just as well . . . keep from getting embarrassed on national TV . . . again.”

    Didn’t we win the last relatively competitive christmas tourny we played in? Beat Nova in the finals? The Old Spice Classic I think.

  9. BJD95 04/24/2009 at 12:30 PM #

    We probably also demanded “star program” treatment – i.e, a cupcake first game and a pretty clear shot at the finals. The tourney probably laughed – or was never interested in State at all.

    Leave it to Andy Katz to not even be able to write a puff piece without screwing up.

    We’ll probably play another one of those “classics” that Sendek loved, with Campbell or UNC-G as the highest-rated opponent.

  10. packbackr04 04/24/2009 at 12:36 PM #

    Couldn’t work out a deal? Tournament Organizer: Hey NC State, want to come to Hawaii and play in a pre-season tournament and be on national television?
    Lee Fowler: Uh, how much you payin?
    Organizer: Um, Lee your school would have to pay to come play here.
    Lee Fowler: Oh, what. wait. i thought. no we dont wanna

  11. ktoh 04/24/2009 at 12:42 PM #

    I am afraid we are the cupcake first game .

  12. beowolf 04/24/2009 at 1:02 PM #

    April is Bad Reporting Month for NC State basketball.

    Lee Fowler is OUT omigodhappydaysarehereagain loller.

  13. Alpha Wolf 04/24/2009 at 2:21 PM #

    Tournament Organizer: Hey NC State, want to come to Hawaii and play in a pre-season tournament and be on national television?
    Lee Fowler: Uh, how much you payin?
    Organizer: Um, Lee your school would have to pay to come play here.
    Lee Fowler: Oh, what. wait. i thought. no we wanna

    Thing is, in these times of fiscal strain, that may have exactly been what happened.

  14. BSIE80 04/24/2009 at 2:35 PM #

    Fowler probably saved us money.

    I like this article about Harrow
    http://wolfpackhoops.blogspot.com/2009/04/harrow-to-play-in-king-james-with.html

    Sounds like he is trying to help with recruiting also- which is fantastic. This is the type of guy we need.

  15. rtpack24 04/24/2009 at 4:04 PM #

    Jed delivers once again. This trip would have been super for recruiting and exposure, Lord knows we could use all the help we can get. You can go every 4 yrs I believe.

  16. highstick 04/24/2009 at 4:24 PM #

    Guys, it would have blown Lee’s tightwad budget. Can’t be spending things that aren’t “fuciluties”!!

    SFN: We have a winner! Not enough political capital or will to support flying to Hawaii during the recession/budget mess.

  17. howlie 04/24/2009 at 5:29 PM #

    Comment under the story:

    “That’s why I didn’t follow through on plans to go to State either: Cheap.”

    Talk about having an impact on recruits…

  18. ushum 04/24/2009 at 6:44 PM #

    of course we couldn’t work out a deal that would put our basketball program on national tv for 2-3 consecutive days against respectable progams….

    of course we couldn’t….

  19. CStanley 04/25/2009 at 5:39 AM #

    Other than money, what is there to work out? And how we could not afford something like a Hawaii tournament? Fiscally, we should be in as good a shape as anyone.

  20. VaWolf82 04/25/2009 at 5:53 AM #

    Does anyone have evidence that this didn’t get worked out because of money?

    SFN: Yes

    Does everyone know that more money is spent per athlete on men’s basketball than any other sport?

    Fowler may have screwed this up somehow….but it is far from certain. My advice would be to save your venom for when LF really screws up or puts his foot in his mouth. History suggests that you won’t have to wait very long.

  21. wolfonthehill 04/25/2009 at 7:25 AM #

    Oh, come on, VA… you don’t really believe that.

    Spending money on something like this is NOT a sunk cost… it’s an investment via exposure and experience. We need both BADLY…

  22. 61Packer 04/25/2009 at 8:16 AM #

    I believe we could afford to send the team to Hawaii. Maybe the tournament there didn’t want us.

    SFN: Being able to ‘afford’ it and being willing to spend it are two totally different items.

  23. 61Packer 04/25/2009 at 11:26 AM #

    Have we become a Lowe-budget school?

  24. Greywolf 04/25/2009 at 12:09 PM #

    NC State has a long history of being tightwads. Willis Casey was the biggest tightwad AD known to man. He’s the reason we lost Norm Sloan to Florida the last time. Willis Casey makes Lee Fowler look like a big spender with an unlimited budget. WC was just the kind of AD the BOG wants for NCSU.
    Fowler’s ineptness must please that bunch as well.

  25. burnbarn 04/26/2009 at 10:12 AM #

    Looks like the 7’0″ Vandenberg has committed to the pack!

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