Steady, Wolfpack Nation...Steady!!!

It's that time of year again. The fans are talking, the message boards ripe with slander and blame, and yet again, Wolfpack Nation is slowly starting it's divide. We know you are fed up with losing, we understand your frustrations, because we feel them too. But now is not the time to fall apart, now is not the time to give up on this program. Wolfpack fans have long been a mirror image of their team. We have all the passion and the pride in the world, but throw us a little adversity and in the end we'll take sides, we'll fall apart. We can not let this negativity continue to separate us. We need to be rational, be patient, not allow our emotions to get the best of us, and trust Sid to captain this ship.

The locker room was closed to the media last night after the game, but a source close to the program said it was not because Sidney wanted to rip into his team, cuss them out, or throw a temper tantrum. What we understand is that Sidney basically laid down an ultimatum. He let the players know that he will no longer dictate their playing time, they will dictate their own playing time. If he doesn't see 100% hustle, defense, or execution of the offense he will find someone else, someone willing to take it to that next level. He let the upperclassmen know that without them producing, this team is not going to be very successful...but by no means does that ensure them, or anyone, playing time. If he's going to lose he's going to lose with 5 players that have completely bought into they system and will give 100% on every possession.

We were going to write a practice report, but we feel it is more relevant here. Practices are no walk in the park these days. One of our sources explained the recent practices to us. He said that the players are drilled and drilled in fundamentals and execution. The entire week leading up to the Clemson game, the main thing our team worked on was beating the press. Sidney explained positioning, fighting through double teams, and making strong passes but as we saw last Saturday we just could not execute. Sidney harps on staying intense, and keeping in the passing lanes on defense. He drills point guards on leadership and the correct way to run the pick an' roll. These are the signs of a good coach. Don't forget folks, that Sidney Lowe knows the game of basketball. He has played it at it's highest level, he's been on the floor giving his all to this very university. He bleeds Wolfpack red and is doing everything in his power to bring you and I an exciting brand of basketball we can be proud of...he just needs the horses.

What has NC State done the past 20 years to make them marketable to players outside the area? Why choose NC State as opposed to Memphis, Kansas, or Tennessee? The answer is simple, it's Sidney Lowe. We're not saying that Sidney is the answer, because it's surely too early to tell, but if the way he is handling his team, and the way he's working on the recruiting trail has any implications, then he just may be. Recruiting works when coaches create relationships with players when they're as young as freshmen or sophomores in high school. When Sidney got here he had no relationships because this was his first College gig. He used his NBA resources to lure JJ Hickson and pulled a fast one to swipe a 5 star, and top player in NC, Tracy Smith, out from underneath LSU. He then needed to fill the backup point guard role that was vacant, and after missing on a few guys he had to scoop up an un-recruited unknown, who was the best of what was left at the end of the signing period. Sidney, still behind most schools relationship wise, picked up two under rated recruits in CJ Williams, and the man of the hour, Julius Mays who wasn't highly touted at all until teams began to pick up on the fact that he led his high school to two consecutive state title games in the basketball hotbed of Indiana.

Now Sid is finally on equal footing with all the other programs. The guys he's bringing in next year and there on, are the ones he's been able to get in early on and the ones he's had relationships with since their sophomore years. And guess what, he's landed the #7 PG in the nation in Zo Brown, beating out Texas, Florida and Memphis. Then picked up 4 star power forward Richard Howell, and sharp shooter (ESPNU's #1 signing day sleeper), Scott Wood, who by the way is averaging around 30 points a game his senior season. NC State is also one of the top 3 schools for the top 2 players in the nation (Wall, Cousins) who are all looking to make their choice in the near future. Should we also bring up the 2010 class of Leslie (a soon to be 5 star forward) and Ryan Harrow (a once unknown PG, now averaging 31 points, 9 assists).

We know that it is a hard time to be a Wolfpack fan, but our time will come and we believe it will come under the reign of Sidney Lowe. So Wolfpack Nation, we say this, stay patient, stay passionate, stay positive, and stay together...the Wolfpack needs you!