"It's in front of our guys, what it takes to win," the coach said. "For whatever reason, I haven't brought it out in them. They're not committed to it. I don't think people change a whole lot, and I don't think you've seen the basketball team change at all this year. So it's hard for me to get overly thrilled or excited."
"I think we have some talent issues on the defensive end of the floor, footspeed-wise, that sometimes is not all their fault."
Wow. Strong words. Coach Lowe must have been really upset to lay into his team like that, huh? Not exactly.
The coach I'm referring to is Billy Donovan. I know, I know, Billy Donovan has two national championship rings, so he can call out his team. He's Roy Williams, Sidney Lowe is Matt Doherty.
Whatever.
I'm not writing this to say, "See, it's OK that Sid called out NCSU's players, because Billy did it, too."
Some of the things that Donovan said are what I want to talk about today. He mentions a couple of things that I have said about NC State's team in recent times. After reading this column by Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com, I believe Florida and NC State had similar teams.
Be honest. You read the first quote, and thought that Sid was "blaming the players" again, didn't you? I know you did. But these are not Sid's words, they are Billy Donovan's. He questions his players' internal makeup. He also says that he doesn't think it can be changed. I have said that quite a bit about NC State's team, mostly about the former coach's players.
The system that Herb Sendek used at NCSU catered to "not-so aggressive" players. A lot of perimeter activity, no real work in the paint. No need to get your hands dirty, so to speak. A few passes, a few jumpshots, and some back-door cuts. It is the offense of the underdog. Princeton ran it because it allowed their lesser-skilled players to remain somewhat competitive. Herb Sendek ran it for the same reasons, State fans just don't like to admit it.
NC State had problems in every phase of the game this season. That is without question. As long as I write, on this blog or anywhere else, I will never write a more factual statement than that one. Some of the blame has to go to Sidney Lowe, simply because he was the head coach.
The problem that I have is that everyone talks about all the talent there was at NC State this season, and how the team should have done so much more. I agree that the team under-achieved, but I disagree about the talent level. Each of the returning players has at least one serious flaw in his game. Serious enough that he can't cover up for it.
Gavin Grant: Athletic slasher, senior leader. Not very quick, not very good ball handler, leads more with his mouth than his play.
Courtney Fells: Athletic, shooter, good defender. Lacks focus, lacks consistent effort, streaky shooter, if he doesn't score early he disappears
Brandon Costner: Versatile inside-out threat. "Tweener"...too slow to play the 3, to soft to play the 4, too slow to defend against smaller players, too soft to defend in the paint
Ben McCauley: Big man with good touch around the basket. Finesse player, doesn't seem to thrive on contact, struggles defensively against physical players, doesn't go up strong on offense, tends to avoid contact rather than initiate it and get to the line, doesn't rebound as well as his size would indicate
These were the guys who were called upon to lead. They didn't. Some of them pouted about reduced playing time, as though they earned a spot last year, when there were only six guys capable of playing. Others talked about great things for the team, but didn't really do much to make it happen. They all seemed to take turns zoning out for varying periods of time. Apparently, they spent too much time in the offseason reading about how good they were going to be, and not enough time watching film of how bad they actually were a season ago.
Coach Donovan's remarks about foot-speed also hit home for this NCSU team. For me, it is actually a sign that maybe sometimes the team was trying harder than it looked. Yesterday, in the ACC Tournament, Miami seemed to get every loose ball. Was it lack of effort, or are Miami's players just faster? A fast player will beat a slow player to a loose ball almost every time.
While I would agree with those who say that Coach Lowe has to take some responsibility for this season's failures, I disagree with those who say it's wrong to blame the players. A quick look at things would say that these four were more inspired by unlimited playing time than they were about a chance to win. They sure seemed more "into it" when they were all playing 30-35 minutes a game last year, even though they lost a lot. This year, when they were asked to be part of what most agree should have been a better team, they balked.
Is there any one who thinks, after watching the whole season, that JJ Hickson should have been held back to help keep either Ben McCauley's or Brandon Costner's ego from getting bruised? Better players show up, and the older guys have to make room. Maybe they should have followed the examples set by Quentin Thomas, who watched as first Bobby Frasor, then Ty Lawson started ahead of him as freshman at UNC. Or maybe John Scheyer, who started last year for Duke, but this year is their sixth man, mostly because of Kyle Singler, a freshman.
I don't mean to absolve Coach Lowe of any blame, and I definitely don't think it's fair to Herb Sendek to blame his style or "his players" for the way this season played out. Having said that, the attitudes of these upper-classmen could very well have come from their time under Sendek. Like most freshman under Sendek, McCauley and Fells spent most of their freshman season on the bench. Costner was injured, and redshirted because of the injury. During and after Sidney Lowe's first season as coach, many questioned why McCauley and Fells were not given larger roles the previous season. Maybe now we see why.
In my opinion, Fells would serve the team better in a an old-school Vinnie Johnson-type role. VJ was a member of the Detroit Pistons who was called "Microwave" because of his penchant for entering a game, making a few plays, and going back out. This role would help alleviate Courtney's biggest flaw, which is a lack of focus. McCauley also would be better as a backup, I believe. He's not overly athletic, and played his best this year when he played in short bursts, rather than long stretches. If he and Hickson rotated, it would create headaches for defenses, because they play the same position, but their style of play is dramatically different. However, as with any post player, McCauley's success or failure depends in large part on what happens on the perimeter. Perimeter play is what doomed the Wolfpack.
There is another quote from coach Donovan, that I think also fits this Wolfpack team. It has absolutely nothing to do with coaching, motivation, focus, or determination:
"I don't think we're a quick, athletic team. When we line up and play against the physical, athletic teams, we get exposed."
You tell me which ACC teams don't fit the "physical, athletic" description, besides NC State.
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