Tuesday, March 22, 2011

NC State Coaching Search

Finally, NC State put Sidney Lowe out of his misery.  Lowe is clearly a likable guy, and has shown himself to be a good recruiter.  However, he had more than enough time to build a winner, and just couldn't get the Pack over the hump into the upper echelon of the ACC.  I noticed a few things that Lowe's teams failed to do throughout his tenure, and these problems can be prevented with proper coaching. 

1. Offensive flow / continuity.  NC State was never very good at running an effective half court offense under Lowe.  The Pack were able at times to run the right sets to get favorable match-ups (like an NBA team), but the offense was never smooth and consistent.  I listened to people give excuses for the Pack's inability to execute in this area over the past few years, such as State not having a top tier point guard or the fact that a couple of key players left early, but there is no excuse for sloppy half court execution.  There are a lot of programs that run an effective half-court offense without a top tier point guard.  There are also plenty of schools that have key players leaving early and still have a system in place that players grasp and execute.

2. Defensive effort.  I noticed this more this year than in prior years, but State was awful at getting back in transition.  It was incredibly frustrating to watch team after team beat State down the court and get a lay up or a dunk.  Even teams who are not considered running teams, like Clemson and Florida State, were getting easy baskets on State in transition.  Seriously, here's a great way to get blown out by UNC or Duke...don't get back on defense.  Great idea making things easy on teams that are talented and well coached.  I saw it time and time again.

State's half court defense relied on funneling opponents to a shot blocker, rather than shutting down 3 point shooters.  Granted, State was able to make some spectacular blocks at times because of their athletic ability, but they were one of the worst defensive teams in the ACC over Lowe's tenure.  Opponents that made the extra pass against State were rewarded for the most part.

There were times when Lowe looked like he was turning the corner and moving in the right direction.  Then it seemed like State would lose 5 games in a row and be back to square one.  I think Lowe has potential as an assistant coach / recruiter for a top program like Kentucky or UCLA.  I think players like and understand him.  However, he has never been successful as a head coach at any level.

What State needs is a system.  There are plenty of systems and coaching styles out there.  Roy Williams, Coach-K, and Rick Pitino all have systems.  They adjust their systems to best make their teams' talents most effective.  I think Sendek was able to do it with NC State.  He went from a Pitino style motion offense to e modified Princeton offense.  Sendek's teams ALWAYS played tough defense.  State needs a dedicated coach with a plan that can be modified because, let's face it, State doesn't always get the recruits they want.

As for a new coach, State fans need to be realistic.  Sean Miller is not going to leave Arizona to coach State.  If they made him AD and Head Coach, he still wouldn't do it.  They can't afford enough money to make him consider it, as Arizona is one of the elite programs in the country.  It should be noted that Miller was an assistant under Sendek, so he had first-hand knowledge of how unreasonable State fans can be.  They were unfair to Sendek, because of his "lack of personality."  Five NCAA Tournaments in a row couldn't satisfy State fans, so Sendek headed elsewhere.  I can guarantee Miller is acutely aware of it, so forget Miller.

Chris Mooney would be a good fit, as he has made Richmond a very good team.  Before that, he even made Air Force competitive.  As a Princeton graduate, he has a great basketball pedigree.  I would tap him on the shoulder and see if he is interested.  Buzz Williams would be another interesting choice.  He is a character and has led Marquette to 3 straight NCAA berths.  His teams are tough as nails, which I think State needs.  When you can't out recruit UNC and Duke, you have to out tough them.

We'll see what the selection committee can come up with, but I wouldn't count on a high profile coach.  It wasn't worth it for Lavin and Calipari a few years ago, and I doubt any household names are going to think of the State job any differently this time around.

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