how many 1st year NCAA coaches win 20 games?

3/21/2007 2:38:22 PM

from 850theblog:

http://www.850thebuzz.com/blog/?p=2592

Quote :

"10th place finish in the ACC? Check. 5-11 Conference record, 15-14 overall heading to the ACC Tournament? Check. Just 6 real ACC players including the one-legged point guard? Check. Flat out amazing season and a reason for extreme optimism? CHECK. It was a great year for the Pack, despite the loss to West Virginia last night. We’ll talk about that, the Sweet Sixteen that starts tomorrow night, the current position of the Carolina Hurricanes, hwat’s going on on the PGA Tour, which players might be headed to the NBA draft, and where you can get a deep-fried Slider. All that, plus the World Cup of Cricket update and Don King meets the Pope. That is not a typo. They were picked to finish last by the league’s media contingent. They were left for dead after consecutive non-conference losses to non-NCAA Tournament teams like West Virginia, Alabama and Cincinnati. And, they were overlooked on a weekly basis because of their lack of depth and athleticism. I don’t know what the slogan was for the 2006-2007 season, the first under new head coach Sidney Lowe, but it could have been, “says who?” Entering the season, only two players had any real experience with major minutes in the ACC. Engin Atsur had been a 3-year starter for the Wolfpack under Herb Sendek, while Gavin Grant had become a valuable player off the bench in his 2nd year. After that? Not much of anything, right? Ben McCauley? Who’s Ben McCauley? Is he related to Don McCauley? McCauley Culkin? What position does he play? McCauley saw little time last year, playing behind Cedric Simmons, Ilian Evtimov and Andrew Brackman. Brandon Costner? Does anyone remember the five games he played before his season came to an end with a stress fracture in his leg. Courtney Fells wasn’t good enough to play last year but whether he’s ready or not, he’s got to play this year – and play a lot. That was it. Atsur, Grant, McCauley, Fells and Costner. A senior, a junior, two sophomores and a freshman. The bench featured a former walk-on, Brian Nieman; a carrot-top looking freshman transfer named Trevor Ferguson; and a true freshman named Dennis Horner, the only player remaining from Sendek’s final recruiting effort before leaving for Arizona State. Somehow, that team. That team with not enough size. Without enough size and quickness. Without size, quickness and athletic ability. That team that was challenged by the sheer numbers of players they didn’t have. Somehow that team managed to win 20 of their 36 games this year. Sure, they fell short of the NIT Final Four in New York. They lost in Morgantown last night to West Virginia, the second time this season the Mountaineers had beaten the Pack. And it was probably because the red jacket didn’t make the trip. But, this team absolutely had to capture the hearts of all Wolfpack fans. They struggled at times this year. They were blown out by Florida State and Miami en route to a 5-11 regular season conference finish. That earned them the #10 seed and a showdown with Duke, against whom they barely competed back in January. But, that night began a near USA Hockey-esque` run that saw the Pack going toe-to-toe with North Carolina in the second half of the ACC Tournament Final in Tampa. In all, those 4 days may have defined the first season under Sidney Lowe. It was a team that simply executed their offense against whatever the defense threw at them and made it work. Check these offensive efficiency numbers out… At the ACC Tournament, they shot over 53% EVERY GAME. Against Duke in the opener, they shot 61% for the night including 67% in the second half and overtime. The next day, they blistered Virginia for a 74% shooting performance in the 2nd. On Semi Final Saturday, they scorched Virginia Tech for 67% in the first half and then shot 59% in the second half against Carolina as they shockingly hung around late despite playing their 4th game in 68 hours. But, we’ve seen it before from this group. They shot 67% in their second regular season meeting with the Hokies and 77% in the second half in beating Carolina at the RBC Center and finished off the season with more wins against the top 4 in the conference than ANYONE. They beat Carolina, Virginia Tech and Virginia a total of 5 times, while losing their only meeting with Boston College in January. I have no idea what the future holds for this program. But, in year one it was clear that Sidney Lowe isn’t going to have any problems with the coaching part of coaching. Putting his best players in position to have a positive impact on the game will not be an issue. The only remaining question will be can he recruit the type of players that will play his style. I mean his style, minus the red jacket."

couldn't have said it better myself

3/21/2007 3:29:29 PM

very nice...future looks good

like people have been saying, there is again three teams in the triangle

3/21/2007 3:58:14 PM

LETS STAY GROUNDED

keep in mind all these stories are the exact same thing herb had his first year

i'm excited and it was a beats expectations type of season

but lets stay grounded

3/21/2007 7:14:24 PM

Quote :

"Pack Run Bodes Well for Future Tom Suiter Posted: Mar. 21, 2007 The Wolfpack was right there to win it, just like it had been this entire, remarkable post-season run. But N.C. State's magical and inspired march that began in the ACC tournament ran out of tricks in the hostile environment of Morgantown, West Virginia. The Mountaineers aren't beaten often at home, and they wouldn't lose this one. It was a fight to the very end, but not one that N.C. State would win this time. State, though, had them squirming before finally falling 71-66. The Wolfpack made them sweat, never letting West Virginia feel comfortable, but Sidney Lowe knew that the Pack had to limit the Mountaineers' three-point shooting and they couldn't do it. They hit 12 out of 24 from behind the arc, including six of nine for Frank Young, who poured in 25 points. Young had a stretch of 14 straight points, including back-to-back three's that gave the Mountaineers a 64-62 lead. It was that first three which he banked in off glass that may have been the indication that it would be West Virginia pulling the rabbit out of the hat this time. Still, Engin Atsur, who was never 100 percent during his senior season, hit a three of his own to give the lead right back to State 65-64. But West Virginia's Alex Ruoff bombed in one of his own and State never got the lead back. So State's season ends with a loss, but it's a loss that will whet the appetite for next season. This State team learned a lot about how to win in these last three weeks or so. They, somehow, found something deep inside to turn a dismal 15-14 regular season into something special that gave their fans hope that the future will be as bright as Sidney Lowe's red blazer. This wasn't a great team by any stretch but a good team in the end. It was a team that learned in a short span how to fight instead of quit, learned what heart is all about and even in losing they gave hope for what could be in store down the road. They made State basketball fun and started the foundation for what Lowe hopes will become an elite program. "This was one of the most gratifying teams I've ever been associated with," a dejected but proud Lowe said afterward. "They worked their tails off and exceeded all expectations." Everybody, except the valuable Engin Atsur, will return. Good recruits are coming in, and Lowe has shown that he knows how to coach. Seven games in March had his players believing and it left them and State fans wanting more. It seems that fire and passion are back in N.C. State basketball."

3/22/2007 11:19:20 AM

Quote :

"Does it get any lower than Kentucky?"

Mississippi?



far better than expected season.

3/22/2007 12:22:22 PM

Quote :

"They worked their fanniestails off and exceeded all expectations." "

fixed it for you coach lowe

3/22/2007 12:39:06 PM

Good reads, although I think Sid has started to show that he can recruit. There was this one kid, I think his name was Hickson or something, yeah, Sid got him. Sid=new Heel and Devil slayer?

[Edited on March 22, 2007 at 12:40 PM. Reason : .]

3/22/2007 12:40:38 PM

http://www.newsobserver.com/734/story/556159.html

Quote :

"Pack will be back NCSU is thinking bigger in '07-08 Chip Alexander, Staff Writer One season over, N.C. State's Brandon Costner already was looking to the next. "Looking forward to the future," Costner, a redshirt freshman, said Tuesday night. "It's exciting. It should be fun to go into the summer and work hard and teach the new guys what they need to do and what N.C. State basketball is all about." Minutes after the Wolfpack's 71-66 loss at West Virginia in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament, Costner listened in a hallway of the WVU Coliseum as the sounds of "New York, New York" blared as a toast to the Mountaineers reaching the NIT semifinals in Madison Square Garden. But Costner and the Pack are looking for bigger things next season, with a deeper and more talented team. State could be back in the NCAA Tournament in Sidney Lowe's second season as coach. All the key players plan to return. Costner, a 6-foot-9 forward, scoffed when asked if he would consider jumping to the NBA. "Why would you ask that?" he said. "I'm definitely coming back." State's Gavin Grant almost took a joking approach to what might happen to him. "I ain't going nowhere," he said, smiling, "unless I get deported." Grant, a 6-7 junior forward, faces a federal immigration hearing in June in Atlanta. Grant could be deported if it's determined he entered the country illegally from Jamaica as a child. "I have no control over that," Grant said, turning more serious. As for Lowe, he is a former NBA head coach and assistant who is well-known and respected within the league. The Charlotte Bobcats are looking for a new head coach, and other NBA head coaching jobs should open. Could Lowe be tempted to leave? "I'm happy at N.C. State," Lowe said. "I can't think about that stuff. Certainly some [NBA] people out there may inquire, but I'm not going anywhere. I love N.C. State." Lowe's team will have a strong base next season. The Pack, which finished 20-16, will miss senior point guard Engin Atsur, a staple in State's starting lineup for four years. Another senior, Bryan Nieman, also was a key reserve this year. The other four starters -- Costner, Grant, Ben McCauley and Courtney Fells -- return, and freshman forward Dennis Horner also played significant minutes. But all need to improve. Costner led the Pack in scoring (16.8 points) and rebounding (7.3) but must learn to not let his intensity wane during games. McCauley must continue to hone his post moves and become a better rebounder. Fells must be better schooled on defense. Grant (137 assists, 151 turnovers) can become a better ball-handler. Horner, still lean, must gain strength. But overall, N.C. State's finish was impressive considering the low expectations. The Wolfpack finished 22-10 and averaged 14,473 fans in coach Herb Sendek's final season with the Wolfpack. Then Sendek left for Arizona State, star center Cedric Simmons turned pro and forward Andrew Brackman decided to focus on baseball. Two of State's three recruits did not enroll. The Pack was picked for last in the ACC before the season; it finished in a tie for 10th at 5-11 in regular-season play. "Certainly no one gave them a chance to win 20 ballgames," Lowe said of his team. "I told them this is now something we have to build on, for the guys who are coming back to teach the new guys what N.C. State is all about and how we play the game and how we approach the game." State averaged 13,952 in home attendance, but Wolfpack fans warmed to a resilient style of play that netted a home win over North Carolina. By season's end, Pack fans were clamoring for tickets to an NIT game at Reynolds Coliseum. Depth was a constant issue. The starters rarely had to look over their shoulders at Lowe after bad plays -- Lowe had no real recourse but to leave them in. Not next season. Incoming freshman center J.J. Hickson, 6-9 and 220 pounds, is a McDonald's All-American. Tracy Smith, out of Durham's Mount Zion Academy, is a 6-7, 235-pound power forward, and Johnny Thomas is a 6-5 small forward from Greensboro. Shooting guard Marques Johnson transferred from Tennessee midway through the season and will be eligible after the first semester next season. Another transfer, Farnold Degand, came from Iowa State, where he redshirted as a freshman in 2005-06. Degand, who sat out this past season, will compete with incoming freshman Javier Gonzalez at point guard. And then there is Lowe, a star of State's 1983 national championship team who talked of a "return to glory" when he was hired as coach this past May. He, too, had to learn about the ACC, and he came close to leading the Pack to its first ACC championship since 1987. "We had some ups and downs but I thought overall Coach Lowe did a great job," Grant said. "When we tried to get discouraged, he wouldn't let us get discouraged. When the going got tough and things got worse, he kept our heads up." Atsur, a part of three NCAA Tournament teams, expects to see the Wolfpack back in the big tournament next season. "We had a great run and had postseason experience that will help next year, especially for the young guys," he said. "They're going to build on this and have a great future.""

[Edited on March 22, 2007 at 1:38 PM. Reason : ]

3/22/2007 1:35:20 PM

Quote :

""I'm happy at N.C. State," Lowe said. "I can't think about that stuff. Certainly some [NBA] people out there may inquire, but I'm not going anywhere. I love N.C. State.""

yes

3/22/2007 1:40:29 PM