North Carolina State University Athletics
Haynes: Lowe, Pack Getting to the Point
1/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By
Raleigh, N.C. On his weekly radio show earlier in the week, NC State head basketball coach Sidney Lowe expressed the desire to have a clear-cut choice at the point guard position. Prior to Tuesday’s game against
In appraising his point guards on Monday night, Lowe seemed frustrated that none of the three had been able to take the job and run with it. He wondered aloud, in fact, if it would ever happen this season.
“I don’t know if it’s going to happen,” Lowe said on the show, broadcast on the Wolfpack Sports Network. “It’s hard to predict the future and hard to make guys into something that they aren’t. We hope that one of them will step forward. It might take a sequence of games or practices if one can actually move ahead of the other.”
But the answer Lowe was hoping for may have come during Tuesday night’s 78-65 loss to the Seminoles. One of the few silver linings from the disjointed defeat was the play of Mays. Seemingly undaunted by the fact that he was being pressured by one of the nation’s best defensive guards FSU’s Toney Douglas the redshirt freshman scored a career high 13 points in 26 minutes.
And while his assist-to-turnover ratio (three turnovers, no assists) was less than desirable, Mays played with poise and composure, seemingly unfazed by
Mays certainly looked more comfortable running the NC State offense than Degand or Gonzalez, neither of whom were a factor in the second half. After playing 11 ineffective minutes in the opening 20 minutes, Degand never got off the bench after intermission. Coming back from elbow and ankle injuries, Gonzalez had two quick turnovers early in the second half before Lowe yanked him out of the game.
Prior to Saturday’s noon game against Georgia Tech at the
One thing, however, is clear: Mays certainly helped his cause on Tuesday night.
“I’ve got some young guys that deserve to play, and not just because you’re looking toward the future," Lowe said. "Julius Mays has worked his way up there to play. I think Julius has done a great job to be as poised as he is as a freshman. He knows how to run the point guard position and he understands the game. His biggest adjustment is learning the tricks and learning to utilize his talents. His strength isn’t his quickness; his strength is his mind. He needs to take advantage of that over guys that are quicker by using angles, using his body and knowing how to come off screens and get them on his hip. He’s got a calmness about him that the other players on the floor with him like. They know he’s going to run the show and if they’re open, they’re going to get the ball.”
But if there is a big shakeup in the starting line-up on Saturday, it likely will have more to do with the probable absence of shooting guard Trevor Ferguson. Lowe said on Friday that
If Lowe does decide to hold
Coming off the bench on Tuesday, Williams posted one of his most productive outings with eight points and three rebounds in 17 minutes. Lowe could also ponder the possibility of giving redshirt freshman Johnny Thomas more minutes at small forward if Fells spends more time at two-guard.
Since his return from a severe knee injury that sidelined him all of last year, Thomas had some of his most active moments as well on Tuesday, scoring five points during his 18 minutes on the floor.
“I’m not having any problems with my knee at all now,” said Thomas, who wasn’t able to practice every day earlier in the season. “I’m trying to show coach Lowe that I’m not having any problems and I can go when he needs me.”
If nothing else, the presence of Thomas and Williams on Tuesday gave NC State a more athletic look on the floor.
Georgia Tech’s mediocre 9-7 record doesn’t seem to match-up with its impressive looking personnel. Six-nine sophomore Gani Lawal, 6-10 senior Alade Aminu and 6-8 junior Zach Peacock make up one of the ACC’s biggest and most athletic frontlines. All three average in double-figures and all three are capable of making game-changing plays with their rebounding and shot-blocking.
“They’re a load and they’re really active,” Lowe said. “They’re going to the boards hard, every time. You can’t let them get to the basket and block them out, you’ve got to block them out away from the basket and not let them get in there. They run the floor well and do a good job of ducking in (to the post) hard. We have to make sure we stay on top of them and not let them duck in for easy baskets. It’s going to take some work.”
The gifted Lawal, a player Lowe says will “dunk it every time if he can," already has a league-leading 10 double-doubles. He’s the only player in the ACC to average double-figures in both scoring (16.1 ppg) and rebounding (10.4).
If Georgia Tech and NC State (9-5, 0-2) have one thing in common, it’s turnovers. In last weekend’s 68-61 loss at
“That’s huge,” Lowe said. “As a coaching staff, we look back at some of our games and we keep thinking that if we would have taken better care of the basketball we’d have some big wins this year. We can’t turn the ball over 16, 17, or 18 times on Saturday. It may come down to which team has the fewest turnovers.”
Lowe Radio Show Next week: Due to scheduling conflicts, Lowe’s weekly radio show will move from Monday to Wednesday next week. As usual, the show will air on the Wolfpack Sports Network from 7-8 p.m. and will originate from the food court at Crabtree Valley Mall.
Card for coach Kay Yow: Fans wishing to send get well wishes to NC State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow can do so during Saturday’s Georgia Tech NC State game at the
