North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: Lowe, Pack Ready for Life After Hickson
6/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BY TONY HAYNES
Raleigh, N.C. During a summer session with the media on Thursday afternoon, NC State men’s basketball coach Sidney Lowe was relaxed and chatty, even when questions came up about J.J. Hickson’s recent decision to keep his name in the NBA Draft.
But if there was a moment when Lowe’s easy-going demeanor changed dramatically, it came when a reporter asked him to reflect on all that had gone wrong during the Pack’s disappointing 2007-08 season, a 15-16 campaign that ended with a disastrous nine-game losing streak.
“Since the season was over, I’ve answered a lot of questions about last year,” Lowe said, his jaw clinched. “I want to get past last year. I’m moving forward now. We’re looking forward to this year. Our guys are working hard right now, they’re in shape, mentally they’re ready to go and I’m just looking forward to moving forward. I want to move away from talking about last year.”
The challenges of next season, which will include 10 late summer practices that will precede a pair of exhibition games in Toronto, Canada in August, became a little more crystallized earlier in the week when Hickson, the Wolfpack’s leading scorer (14.8 ppg.) and rebounder (8.5), made it official, announcing that he would indeed move on to the NBA after one successful college season.
There were times when Lowe was holding out hope that Hickson might decide to pull his name out of the draft and return to school after testing the waters,’ but those chances were dashed when he watched the Marietta, Georgia native put together an impressive workout for the Cleveland Cavaliers a few weeks ago.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for J.J.,” said Lowe. “He’s done very well in his workouts. I actually went with him to his first workout to make sure he knew what to expect. He’s done a really nice job and he’s helped himself in that area. Obviously, it’s going to make us a different ballclub without him being here. He was the focal point of our team. But now it’s an opportunity for other guys to step up and perform.”
Initially, Lowe said he heard that Hickson would be drafted somewhere between the 20th and 30th positions of the NBA Draft. But those private workouts have seemingly sent the 6-9 forward’s stock a bit higher.
“Now I’m hearing 10 to 20,” Lowe said. “He’s helped himself quite a bit.”
Not only will the Wolfpack have to fill the gaping hole left by Hickson’s departure, it will also have to replace second leading scorer Gavin Grant, a 6-8 small forward who averaged 13.1 points per game.
“I’m going to continue to hope that we stay healthy, that’s the first thing,” Lowe said. “Not having Farnold [Degand] had a great impact on our team. I expect our guys to come back and be ready to play. I’ve seen that in them this summer. Part of it is because I demanded that. We’re getting down to the weight to where I want them. They’re in the gym, they’re working out and I think their mindset is just different.”
“His rehab has been very good; he’s actually ahead of pace,” Lowe said. “We’re hoping [the injury] isn’t going to affect who he is with his quickness and speed. That’s his advantage. We’re hoping for the best on that.”
Lowe says the timetable for Johnny Thomas is less certain. Thomas, a 6-5 swingman from
“Johnny is doing ok, but not coming along as fast as Farnold,” Lowe said, adding that Thomas’ injury was different than the torn ACL sustained by Degand.
Lowe expects a quicker, more active team next season, one that could be smaller, yet more capable of being more disruptive on defense and playing at a faster pace.
Rising senior Courtney Fells, a shooting guard his first three years, will likely move to the small forward spot. Frontline performers Ben McCauley and Brandon Costner have worked on becoming a bit leaner and quicker this summer. Lowe said that McCauley has dropped “8-to-10 pounds,” while Costner is down “13 or 14 pounds.”
A preseason All-ACC selection last year, Costner could never get anything going, averaging just 8.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, while shooting just 36 percent from the field. Costner, a redshirt junior, will be trying to return to the form that led to him averaging 28 points in four games during the 2007 ACC Tournament in
“He’s going to have a better year, I’ll tell you that,” said Lowe. “He’s back to where he was a couple of years ago. He picked up some weight because of the injury to his knee [last summer] and pretty much took the summer off, not being able to workout. He’s been determined this summer. He looks good and his mind is right. I really expect
And like his coach, he’s looking ahead, not back.
