Friday, May 22, 2009

Open Thread: May 22


We think that the Open Thread worked out pretty well yesterday.  There were a couple of topics that came up yesterday that didn't really take off, that I think are worthy of good discussion.  For instance: 

1.)Pack Leader said:
"Maybe this is just me but i would LOVE to see state re-do their jerseys and get a new look. Sidney told me a few years ago when i worked at a golf shop he frequently visited state was in talks about changing sponsorships from adidas to nike but i havnt heard any new updates. I would love to see a new black and red jersey (similar to FSU's new jerseys last year) and then a retro- old school look with the plain block STATE on the front and no names on the back. I really thing that would atleast give us a fresh look. ideas? likes? dislikes??"

2.)J. Sol brought up the possibility of playing more games at Reynolds.  Whether we end up playing more games in Reynolds or not, what is it about playing games in Reynolds that you like?

3.) Priya Rai asked for peoples projections for the Pack over the next couple of seasons.  Let's hear what you think.

4.)Someone else asked about the walk-on situation yesterday and we will help address that.

5.)Luke Cothron will not be playing this weekend. He will be resting up for the Pangos next weekend in Long Beach, CA. 

If you would like to discuss something besides the topics above, feel free.  Keep things objective and rational.  Let's have a good day on the Open Thread. 

comments

24 Responses to "Open Thread: May 22"
  1. one00proof said...
    May 22, 2009 at 12:09 PM

    On the topic of sponsorships, I really wish we would go to Nike because right now, I believe we are primarily Adidas with the exception of the women's basketball (they're Nike because of their work with Kay Yow). The fact we have two sponsorships from what I heard, hurts us, especially on the recruiting end. Top ranked prospects are now VERY interested in seeing what shoe companies sponsor a school and I think it would pay dividends on both recruiting ends if we just went with a single sponsor (obviously I'm for Nike).

    I would like a change in the uniforms as well, but not to black and red. After our loss in the ACC Championship game to Maryland while we were wearing black uniforms, I think there's a certain stigma with them. Although if we start winning, going to black unis and having a "black-out" would be something fun for the players and fans alike.

    Next season I think we can surprise a lot of people because we'll be very young, but there will be a lot of athleticism on both sides of the ball. Depending on the perspective, you could argue that last year's team either underachieved or overachieved. I tend to go with the later because despite numerous bone head plays, turnovers, etc., we found ourselves right in the game with 5 minutes to go. I believe Lowe knows how to get the best out of what he's got and with the talent he has coming in, it's all about execution from this point forward. If Javi and Tracy can limit their turnovers, if Brown or Mays can become "the guy" and the defense improves, we have a shot at a very good season. For us, the magic number has always been 13 turnovers. If we have less than that, we'll win a majority of those games.

  2. Wolfpack Hoops said...
    May 22, 2009 at 12:32 PM

    It's a tough spot as far as sponsorship goes. I think Adidas is starting to make strides but it's going to be hard to ever knock off Nike. I'm not sure what's keeping NC State from switching over but we'll try to dig into that in the coming months.

  3. BkkE said...
    May 22, 2009 at 12:40 PM

    Bring back the Valvano unitard!

    That'll turn some heads.

  4. Anonymous said...
    May 22, 2009 at 12:42 PM

    State last wore the black jerseys on the road @ Maryland in 1999, a game where the 'Pack imploded a big lead and lost, but the game was not in ACC Championship, not sure where you got that from one00proof...I also like the idea having the retro jersey, with "STATE" across the chest, we have much more fond memories of NC State basketball in those unis.

  5. Eric said...
    May 22, 2009 at 12:55 PM

    ^Anon - do you also want the old school nutter shorts with the white piping around the bottom?

  6. Obsession said...
    May 22, 2009 at 1:02 PM

    The only factor in determining whether or not we make it to the tourney next year is Defense. The reason we lost so many close games last year is because we couldn't rely on our D. Florida, Marquette, V Tech, etc. Any game we were in til the end, we lost bc of our defense. Someone always has a breakout game against us and we have absolutely no answer. None!! Lets hope that changes. So who will be our lock down defender and how good (honestly) will they be at that role. I take CJ Williams with my first pick and Johnny Thomas with my second pick depending on his health. I'll give them both a 6 out of 10. Sorry pack brothers and sisters but I just don't see us stopping the other teams star players. Thoughts on Defense........

  7. Wolfpack Hoops said...
    May 22, 2009 at 1:08 PM

    This year we'll finally have a guy that can absolutely become a shut down defender in Lorenzo Brown. The kid has the length, the quicks and the IQ to shut down premier scorers. Add to that the fact that he is always hustling and diving for loose balls and I think he's the ingredient we've been missing on the defensive end.

  8. Pack Leader said...
    May 22, 2009 at 1:29 PM

    I have never liked adidas athletic or footwear esp basketball shoes. I remember when Herb first got to state there were multiple ancle and foot injurys and team shoes were dropped very quickly but were still required to wear adidas shoes. I feel like Nike would be an easy choice on both partys for several reasons but the main being both the Kay Yow & Jimmy V cancer foundations are sponsored by nike. I agree with one0proof recruits are very interested on what they can wear and whos jerseys are "hot". Maybe sid just likes the perks of having getting taylor made golf products!!!haha
    the black out idea would be awsome for home games against duke and unc. Give it alittle more fire and sid in a red jacket and all the players in all black would be a very interesting idea!! I love what duke did with the back of their jerseys this year with a design on the backhalf. As long as we dont get the tarhole argyle down the sides!!!!

  9. Anonymous said...
    May 22, 2009 at 1:33 PM

    Has Lowe specifically stated any objectives for this off season that the staff will be focussing on with the players? We can imply several things such as up-tempo game plan etc...but just curious if he has stated anything clear (especially defense related). TOB does things like this...but I havent specifically heard Sid make any such comments.
    -sockerne1

  10. John said...
    May 22, 2009 at 1:37 PM

    I agree with Obsession. We will only go as far as our D takes us next year. I am, however, optimistic that our defense will improve because we will have more athletic players that can stay in front of the drive off the dribble. We will be young, but I expect to see a lot of athleticism out there.

    As far as Nike vs Adidas, hands down Nike is the best. There's got to be something holding us to Adidas and I'm not sure what that is. Adidas is getting better, but it's hard to top Nike when they've got all that money for R&D. Unfortunately, it does seem that kids seem drawn to Nike and Nike schools. Sign of the times I suppose.

    I would absolutely love to see "State" across the front of a Red & White jersey. Our school colors are not Red & Black. Maybe even no name on the back, just numbers? No unitards!!! Please God no...

  11. ppack3 said...
    May 22, 2009 at 1:43 PM

    Old School nutter shorts! LMAO! Hilarious.

    BkkE, I may be the only one that liked the idea of the unitards. it wasn't like they came out in a wrestling uni! They wore traditional shorts and jerseys on top, and you could barely tell theat they were wearing anything underneath until the short leg inched up. Even then, people like Jordan were wearing spandex bike shorts under their uniforms. We got a lot of crap for the unitard. Unjustified.
    If you liked that take, you'll love this one. I like the idea of changing up the uniforms. I liked the black NC State ones, I liked the Black Chicago Bulls uni's, I like the Black Canes alternate garb and I even think that the Black Duke uni's look classy. What I never want to see again, is that damned monogram! The diamond logo. I can't stand it. I was so happy in the fall of 2000 when that damn thing was buried! I know the story behind the monogram, please don't re-hash it for me. Strong as a diamond...whatever. We looked like a bunch of extras from Dirty Dancing with those monograms on everything.
    Anyway, I would like to see the "State" on the front of the Jerseys too, but it was mentioned somewhere that Sid looked into that and the NCAA had a problem with it (not distinguishing the state of NC on it). It made little sense to me, as Michigan State has their jerseys that way, but then again, the NCAA is a contradiction waiting to happen anyway, but that's another post for another time. Go State! (NC State, for the NCAA's) :(

  12. wolfranger said...
    May 22, 2009 at 1:43 PM

    I honestly like the uniforms as they are now. They harken back to the uniforms from the 80's but they are still modern looking. Wearing "State" across the chest though would be pretty sweet though. I wouldn't mind a switch to Nike if we could keep similar basketball uniforms. I do think Nike makes better looking football uniforms though, and their apparel is much better looking than Addias for all the fans. From what I remember though, our softball team wears Under Armor. I don't really like many Under Armor uniforms (I can think of Maryland's specifically), but our softball uni's were decent looking.

    And no black uniforms. We are the "red and white from NC State" after all!

  13. Anonymous said...
    May 22, 2009 at 2:28 PM

    Why you hating on the diamond logo? That was only used in football, and it was designed by Dick Sheridan. To me it was the symbol of when we began to give a crap about our football program. I think only woman's bball wore the diamond logo, Men's did not. How about Jerseys with "PACK" across the chest?

  14. Priya said...
    May 22, 2009 at 2:48 PM

    Does anyone know for sure (100% + can provide examples) that bball recruits are persuaded based on what the schools are sponsored by; nike, reebok, addidas. Even if we were sponsored by the Nike we would still be third tier to Duke and UNC. Its all about WINNING! If you win then all of a sudden the reports are that Adidas is on the way up blah blah blah. Apparently Kansas is sponsored by Adidas. Someone please explain how Kansas managed to win a national championship and get stellar recruits all while being sponsored by Adidas. They must be cheating ;) If anything, you would think that by breaking adidas-state relations that it might create bad blood. I dunno but I wouldn't mess with it until Sid is more stable and Winning!

  15. TruthBKnown Returns said...
    May 22, 2009 at 3:26 PM

    "2.)J. Sol brought up the possibility of playing more games at Reynolds. Whether we end up playing more games in Reynolds or not, what is it about playing games in Reynolds that you like?"

    I've been to games in Reynold's that were so loud, I thought my ears might bleed. I mean that literally. Even as a young man that listened to his share of loud music in high school and college, I had to plug my ears a few times in Reynold's Coliseum. It wouldn't surprise me if I lost a little bit of my hearing permanently, and I'm not joking. When Reynold's is rockin', it doesn't get any better than that! I understand we needed better facilities to get the top recruits to come here, but the RBC does not hold a candle to Reynolds.

    "3.) Priya Rai asked for peoples projections for the Pack over the next couple of seasons. Let's hear what you think."

    I think we POSSIBLY return to the big dance this year, depending on how our young guys handle the pressure. I EXPECT to be back in the dance NEXT year for sure, with more than one win to show for the trip. If Harrow is as good as advertised, dare I say we contend for a Final Four spot (with a little good fortune, of course)? Oh, and Priya Rai, I love your work, and I don't mean your blog posts!

  16. Anonymous said...
    May 22, 2009 at 5:04 PM

    Does anybody know what OOC opponents that we play this upcoming year?

  17. Anonymous said...
    May 22, 2009 at 5:09 PM

    this might have been answered already, but... We have ADIDAS because they pay us three times more than NIKE.

  18. Anonymous said...
    May 22, 2009 at 5:53 PM

    All I can say about the uniforms is never ever wear black shoes.

    They must always be predominently white or they will look like a bunch of Duke nerds out there.

  19. Anonymous said...
    May 22, 2009 at 6:13 PM

    About our ooc schedule: I thought I seen somewhere that Sid was going to try to schedule UCLA, Kentucky, and another big name or two in the future. I would love for John Wall to stay two years and have them on our schedule in 2010-2011 or meet them in the tourney. It would be Wall vs. Harrow and I'd like our chances.

    Maybe I'm wrong in saying this but I'd love to get sweet revenge on JW and Calimari for turning us down.

  20. j.sol said...
    May 22, 2009 at 7:14 PM

    i think the more we can play up our history the better because one of the big draws we have in recruiting is our rich history. in my opinion some of the best uniforms at the professional and collegiate level are the ones that have a more classic look. i'm all for switching the uniforms to a more retro look and i liked the idea of "PACK" on the front of the jerseys if the NCAA is still tryin to keep us from putting "STATE" on the front. does michigan state have exclusive rights to "STATE" or something?

    if i had to choose between nike and adidas, i'd definitely choose nike for both football and basketball. i just think overall they have a better sense of design and much better shoes to play ball in.

  21. Erik Loomis said...
    May 22, 2009 at 7:42 PM

    Reynolds is great but it does not have the space that the RBC center does. You are going to have to tick a lot of season ticket holders off in order to have any good games at Reynolds. I do think the RBC center can be pretty loud too. Anyone who was at the infamous Wake Forest game a few years back knows it can be an awesome atmosphere.

  22. KChill said...
    May 22, 2009 at 8:40 PM

    The great thing about the unitard was not whether or not it turned out to be a good idea, but the fact that back then we were a trend-setting university with a national reputation, and constantly tried to do different things to excite our players and fanbase. I think Sid will eventually get back to doing some of that, but has kinda had his hands full trying to reestablish the program.

  23. Wolfpack9197 said...
    May 22, 2009 at 10:21 PM

    I like adidas and the uniforms look sharp for basketball and football. But we are not an exclusive adidas school since baseball, womens basketball and softball all have deals with other companies. If we become an exclusive adidas school then you will see our apparel at more stores and available for purchase on the adidas website as they do for Tennessee, UCLA, Michigan and Notre Dame which is nice company to be in.
    The big problem isn't adidas it's our sports marketing dept and their failure to adequately market the NC State brand. Your big time schools want the advantages of an exclusive apparel deal. But we always seem to lag behind in recognizing opportunities that other schools jump on very quickly.

  24. Anonymous said...
    May 22, 2009 at 11:02 PM

    I've also heard Fowler is a big proponent of the Adidas sponsorship because we're a flagship school for them, as opposed to school #115 or whatever on Nike's list

 

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