North Carolina State University Athletics
Gottfried Takes Center Stage
4/29/2011 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
April 29, 2011
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RALEIGH, N.C. - New NC State basketball coach Mark Gottfried determined early the one thing his new squad needs more than anything else: To learn how to win.
In a team meeting not long ago, the coach asked his three new assistants to count up how many times they have been to the NCAA Tournament, as both a player and a coach. They had 25 between them. He has a total of 17.
"Collectively, we have 42," Gottfried told more than 1,000 Wolfpack Club donors on Thursday evening at the 2011 Wake County Wolfpack Club Caravan, the largest such gathering in the state. "We have to teach them what it takes to win and what it takes to get there.
"We've already talked to them about how hard you have to work and how tough you have to be. You have to look someone in the eye and shut them down at the end of the game. You have to execute the offense and understand what's a good shot for you. You have to understand how to share the basketball and play together. Those are all things this team has to learn, in my opinion."
Gottfried has the background to teach that lesson. He played in three consecutive Sweet 16s as a player for Alabama's Wimp Sanderson. He joined Jim Harrick's staff at UCLA and helped lead the Bruins to the 1995 NCAA title. He took Murray State to two NCAA Tournaments as champions of the Ohio Valley Conference. And he not only took his alma mater, Alabama, to a regular-season SEC title and a No. 1 ranking in the nation, he guided the Crimson Tide to five NCAA appearances, including the 2004 Elite Eight.
Along the way, he also received some great counsel. As an assistant at UCLA, he used to go to John Wooden's house to absorb what he could from basketball's greatest mind. He learned more than you can imagine from the Wizard of Westwood, even if it was during the commercials of the Bob Newhart television show.
"I'd go to his house and just sit," Gottfried said. "We would watch TV together and talk about life. I still have the legal pads that he would take out of my hands and draw up the 2-2-1 press and show me who should be where.
"We also talked a lot about life and discipline and how you should teach your team."
Gottfried, making his second appearance on the annual spring barbecue tour, was the featured attraction at the event, but nearly every NC State head coach was in attendance, and both football coach Tom O'Brien and women's basketball coach Kellie Harper took their turns on the stage talking about their programs.
The crowd was greeted by new NC State athletics director Debbie Yow, who rallied the group with her message about returning the school to the top of college athletics.
But Gottfried got the most attention, because he's the biggest unknown. He'll be doing similar events across the state in coming weeks, giving fans an opportunity to get to know him a little better, while also digging in with his staff and players to get ready for his inaugural season.
"There's a lot to do, not just one thing," Gottfried said. "We need to keep getting to know our players and they need to keep getting to know us. We have our full staff here, which is good for us all. We may add a player or we may not, depending on who might want to come here.
"Most of our energy is going to be focused on the recruiting class of 2012."
• By Tim Peeler, tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
