Lowe, Pack searching for right fit
Jan 14, 2009
The ACC has two States, two Techs, and two perennial national powers. There is no overlap among them. Judging by Tuesday night’s meeting at the RBC Center, Florida State and N.C. State are not likely to change that equation any time soon.
Both State programs are directed by former NBA head coaches. Since Sidney Lowe took over the Wolfpack in 2006-07, Leonard Hamilton’s clubs have won three of four meetings, including both games at Raleigh. This time FSU jumped to a double-digit lead with a 24-4 run in the first half, frittered it all away, then broke open a close contest down the stretch for a 78-65 victory.
Hamilton has yet to gain an NCAA bid at Tallahassee, where he took over in 2003. In fact, Florida State has been absent from the NCAAs longer than any other ACC program, having last appeared in 1998 under Steve Robinson, now a UNC assistant. FSU has a single finish in the league’s upper half in the past 15 seasons. Not exactly a powerhouse.
But while few pay attention to basketball in Bobby Bowden’s backyard, the same cannot be said for N.C. State. The neighbors in Chapel Hill and Durham are acting up again; both rank in the top five in this week’s Associated Press poll. Then there’s the Wolfpack, which last appeared in the AP top 10, even for a week, in 1985.
Lowe recalls more glorious times, having piloted the 1983 Pack to a national championship. At this point one suspects he would settle for returning N.C. State to the respectability it enjoyed under Herb Sendek, his discarded predecessor.
Lowe’s search for viable options was evident against FSU as both coaches sifted through their benches like shoppers rifling racks of ready-to-wear clothing to find something that would fit. Lowe employed 10 different players for at least 11 minutes each. Hamilton used nine.
Hopefully for Florida State, given its uneven performance, five of those players were newcomers. “We’re still learning about each other,” said senior guard Toney Douglas, who led all scorers with 21 points as his team improved to 14-3.
Three freshmen likewise saw significant action for N.C. State, earning Lowe’s praise in the process. “Those are the guys we’re going to have to count on now and down the road,” he said, lauding the high energy, aggressiveness, and smarts of wings C.J. Williams and Johnny Thomas and point guard Julius Mays. The trio were central to the Pack’s second-half comeback, which petered out when starters Ben McCauley and Brandon Costner returned to the lineup with about five minutes to go.
Williams, an early-season starter, had not even appeared in N.C. State’s two most recent games, losses at Florida and Clemson. A month had passed since he played more than six minutes in a contest. But against FSU the Fayetteville product had eight points, a personal best, and hit both 3-pointers he attempted in 17 minutes on the floor. The rest of the squad was 2 for 15 from long range.
Thomas had played only sporadically after sitting out last season due to injury. Bone and cartilage from a cadaver were inserted to repair his damaged knee, a surgical procedure that worked well for former Wake Forest star Randolph Childress. “Johnny’s got a dead person in his leg,” teammate Farnold Degand, himself the subject of more conventional knee surgery, said prior to the season. Thomas showed considerable explosiveness around the basket. “His strength is his energy,” Lowe said.
Mays was perhaps most impressive, providing a much-needed sense of command in 26 minutes of action. His 13 points paced the Pack and set a new personal high. “His offense was huge for us at the end,” said teammate Dennis Horner. “We needed a lift and he brought it.”
Unfortunately Mays also matched senior Courtney Fells for the team lead in turnovers. Displaying a recurring weakness, N.C. State had 16 ball-handling errors, several at crucial junctures in the final minutes.
While the newcomers prospered, more familiar options were discarded. Javi Gonzalez, last year’s starter at point, played three minutes and looked so out of sync he seemed almost relieved when he was yanked from the game. Degand, touted as the playmaker of the future when he was recovering from injury, continued to be ineffective.
Only Mays appears capable of attacking a defense off the dribble or creating opportunities for others. “Julius, he’s solid,” Lowe said. “He’s a point guard, he knows how to play the position. He’s a smart player.”
Perhaps the freshman can assume a leadership role. Someone needs to, as N.C. State continues to flub chances in close games. Lacking that skill the Wolfpack fell to 9-5.
Equally vexatious, veterans Costner, Fells, and McCauley failed to rise to the occasion when needed. Always a streak shooter, Fells missed six of seven 3-pointers and took 15 shots to score a dozen points. Big men McCauley and Costner combined for six rebounds, a total nearly doubled by FSU’s Uche Echefu, who had 11. The 6-9 Costner, who hurt his shooting hand (left) early in the contest, seemed intent on avoiding the low post. Half of his field goal attempts were 3-pointers.
Worse, McCauley and Costner hit the floor like a wet blanket after spending most of the second half on the bench. Their younger teammates helped N.C. State build a 63-59 lead with 6:13 remaining, the last five points in the run supplied by Mays. Then the supposed bulwarks returned, dispatched by Lowe to close out the victory, only to watch FSU finish with a 19-2 rush.
“I didn’t like what I saw when I made the change,” Lowe said. “You would hope that guys just get it done. That’s just the way it is. Fair or unfair, every team may have a couple of guys that need to play well for them to win. They have to. We’re no different.”
The problem is, N.C. State must soon demonstrate a difference from its recent past, making clear movement toward becoming a program that can achieve and sustain success, not just one that talks about it.
