North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: Lowe Eager to Get Started
10/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
RALEIGH, N.C. – There are some things that fourth-year NC State coach Sidney Lowe no longer has to do – like yell at his players to go after loose balls.
There are some things he is even more eager to do – like integrate a new set of players into his program and see how his five new freshmen may be able to improve the Wolfpack's fortunes.
And there are some questions that he still has to answer – like which of his three experienced point guards will lead the offense. Lowe says one of the trio of sophomore Julius Mays, junior Javi Gonzalez and senior Farnold Degand has jumped to the front of the line, but he isn't ready to identify which one.
"There is still a lot of time remaining [before the first game], so it is still up in the air," Lowe said Friday afternoon at NC State's annual media day.
Friday was big for the Wolfpack, with its first full-team workout during the afternoon and the Red Rally at Reynolds event later in the evening, when Lowe and new women's coach Kellie Harper introduced their players to students and fans.
It's a new era for both programs, with Harper taking over for the late Kay Yow, who was at the helm of the Wolfpack women for 34 years until her death last January. For Lowe, the upcoming season seems like a new direction as well.
For the first time since he arrived in May, 2006, he'll be playing with a full squad of players he recruited, save for senior Dennis Horner, who had already committed to play for the Wolfpack before Lowe was hired.
There are five new freshmen on the squad, all of whom have an opportunity to help immediately. Forwards Richard Howell, DeShawn Painter and Josh Davis will help fill the voids left by departed big men Ben McCauley and Brandon Costner, and shooter Scott Wood will join in the battle for playing time left by wing guard Courtney Fells.
And 7-foot-1, Australian-born Jordan Vandenburg will add some height that Lowe has been looking for since he arrived.
So far, through individual work-outs the last several weeks, Lowe is pleased with what he has seen from the veterans and the newcomers.
"It's kind of a different thing when you are bringing in certain kind of players, being able to go out and hand pick the guys that you like and put together the team that you like," Lowe said. "We have guys going out and making plays.
"It's not often that there has been a loose ball and I have had to yell because they didn't dive for it. I think this is a team that can go out and play hard and play smart. That's what I want to see."
There are still some questions that have to be answered, specifically at point guard. Horner is returning from off-season knee surgery and Howell is recovering from a tweak of his knee during the preseason workouts. He is limited in practice time for now and could feel the effects of that injury into the early part of the Wolfpack schedule.
"I am recovering a little knee incident," Howell said. "It is recovering a lot quicker than usual. I think I will be more healthy than I was before I got here. I've been taking some time off.
"I'll be fine when the season really gets serious."
Lowe said Howell will miss some early learning time, just like Gonzalez did in the early part of his freshman year.
"I hate the fact that he has to deal with an injury this early in his career," Lowe said.
But his injury won't hold the Wolfpack back. Lowe wants to play more uptempo with this year's team, and he's hoping to use up to 10 players on a regular basis. He knows that his team is young, with five true freshmen and two sophomores, so the learning curve may take a little longer than usual.
"I don't know a lot about the team, I just know I like where we are at," Lowe said. "I can't tell you what that means in terms of wins, or losses, or anything like that. I just think that, being on the same page, this can be an excellent year for us.
"We have to have consistency and play together, but we are different. We can have a good year. It's just a matter of not letting our lack of experience hurt us."
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
