I've said it since he got here, but Courtney Fells is just frustrating as fuck... he should easily be a 15-20 points a game type player in college. He just is too damn passive and doesn't look like he gives a fuck.

It's inexcusable that this kid's high scoring game in his career is 21 points. He should be putting that up regularly. He is the most athletic player on the court nearly every time out and can shoot the ball pretty well too..

Maybe one day he'll wake up and realize he has the size/athleticism to actually play at the next level and actually look like he might want to show he can at this level..

12/9/2007 3:26:08 PM

maybe he'll read it, get mad and start playing with some intensity like a McD's All American rather than going to McD's every chance he gets.

12/9/2007 3:27:02 PM

^^ he just doesn't have the competitive temperment. Elite players tend to be pretty arrogant whereas fells is extremely timid.

12/9/2007 3:28:54 PM

Gotta give it to Herb, his team had discipline.

If they were giving the effort that they were giving under Herb, Costner wouldn't be playing much right now.

Of course, we'd start screaming at Herb for benching and not playing a Mc D's All American.

What could he possibly be thinking..?

12/9/2007 3:33:43 PM

herb's teams were the definition of "going through the motions".

Quote :

"you really are too into puking your worthless opinions on tww rather than being a good fan and shutting the fuck up. players/ recruits read this shit."

the "good fans" theory, yet again. shut up.

12/9/2007 3:35:27 PM

Quote :

"herb's teams were the definition of "going through the motions"."

Not defensively... they always played great defense.

I liked what we thought would be Lowe's style of play better from a visual standpoint but I'm not sure we have the players right now that he needs to run it...

12/9/2007 3:36:57 PM

the more i'm thinking about it, maybe it is a personnel issue. we might have an issue similar to football where we think that our guys left over are really good... when they're actually not. i don't fucking know, though. teams just triple team hickson and no one mans up on the perimeter and scores. that's a big problem.

not that i'm trying to take any heat off of lowe. i'm not going to run him out in his 2nd season, but this team is on him.

[Edited on December 9, 2007 at 3:41 PM. Reason : typo]

12/9/2007 3:40:51 PM

- Hickson doesn't know how to pass out of the double and triple team
- Our guys just stand around when he has the ball. we never have a guy cut behind the double team or call plays to specifically exploit the double teams.
- On the one hand, hickson is awesome. On the other hand, he bogs down the offense when he cant catch the ball and immediately go into his move.

If costner and mccauley were playing as they should, we should be mixing in much more plays where hickson is on the weakside to cleanup when costner and mccauley are in the post. Hickson's TOs are due to the fact that he is not ready to play all aspects of the post game.

Too bad we only run 1 deep in the front court, so he can't get help.


[Edited on December 9, 2007 at 3:49 PM. Reason : .]

12/9/2007 3:48:02 PM

guys it has been frustrating, but let's not give up on the season yet. let us analyze:

-We have two bad losses so far (we did look horrible at Michigan St but that wasn't a bad loss).
-the ECU game was in a very hostile environment in what they viewed as their biggest game of the year.
-So the only game i look at as an overwhelming disappointment was New Orleans. But look at how many other teams have lossed early season games to greatly outmatched teams...Michigan St (D-II preseason loss), Kentucky, Louisville, Oklahoma to name a few
-Our last FIVE games have been on the road/neutral court
-We beat South Carolina and a top 25 Villanova team on a neutral court

This team's lack of motivation has been the most disturbing thing so far. I don't know wtf it takes for some guys to get fired up to play ball, but apparently these guys need a little extra. They've been lazy, complacent, whatever you want to call it...and it's cost them. But we are playing better against the major conferences than these supposed cupcake games.

Now we come home to Raleigh for the next three games. They will be frustrated, and ready for their first home game in a MONTH. I have a feeling we're about to take out a lot of frustrations in the coming games, and that whatever motivation problems there are now will be put to rest by the time conference play comes around.

[Edited on December 9, 2007 at 9:08 PM. Reason : ]

12/9/2007 9:07:51 PM

they serioulsy need to hire todd fuller to coach the big men.

12/9/2007 9:09:13 PM

the only loss you look at is new orleans?

did you even know that that school existed before our game against them????

no shit, sherlock

12/9/2007 9:11:12 PM

LOSSED

12/9/2007 9:29:43 PM

Quote :

"-We have two bad losses so far (we did look horrible at Michigan St but that wasn't a bad loss). if we had just lost in well played game, it might not have been a bad loss. based on the way we played, it was a horrible loss. -the ECU game was in a very hostile environment in what they viewed as their biggest game of the year. that is no excuse, we will be playng in hostile environments all year and we had over a week off before this game -So the only game i look at as an overwhelming disappointment was New Orleans. But look at how many other teams have lossed early season games to greatly outmatched teams...Michigan St (D-II preseason loss), Kentucky, Louisville, Oklahoma to name a few this would have been a cognizant point if it weren't for the other 2 losses. a bad early season loss can be looked upon as a fluke if it is followed by steady and improved play, otherwise it has to be looked at as the first sign of problems"

12/9/2007 9:39:46 PM

Quote :

"Players take their cues from their coaches. It's up to a coach to get his players to accept any situation or circumstance, favorable or not. The coach sets the tone. Last Friday at his news conference, N.C. State basketball Coach Sidney Lowe made it clear that he didn't like the idea of taking his team to Greenville to play East Carolina. He said the schedule was made before he became coach. He left no doubt that if it had been up to him, the Wolfpack would not be going to Greenville. Now, State has ruled this series with ECU like Rome once ruled the world. The Wolfpack had won 17 straight against the Pirates, never lost to them – but none of those games had been played in Greenville. As a matter of fact, no ACC team had ever lost a basketball game to East Carolina. A goose egg for 57 was Pirate basketball against ACC teams. But instead of embracing this landmark trip to a rare, sold-out Minges Coliseum as good preparation for ACC play, Lowe acted like he rather spend the afternoon at the dentist. Sure ECU in Greenville might be a more of a challenge than on friendly turf, but that's how teams get better. Lowe didn't seem to approach it that way, though – and you don't think his players noticed what the coach was feeling? You know: "If Coach doesn't want to go down there to play, man, we don't either!" It was hostile and loud on Saturday night, just as Lowe knew it would be, and State wasn't ready for it. Frankly, it meant more to East Carolina, and that's why they were 75-69 winners. That's why that long ECU losing streak to N.C. State and the ACC is over. They played it with the intensity of a game in March. State let a guy named Sam Hinnant, who was averaging just 8.9 points per game, go off for 30. They let a nine-point lead get away in the second half, and when it got close, the Pack got tight. They couldn't or wouldn't get it inside, instead choosing to jack up 3's, where they were just five of 16 for the game. Their best players missed crucial free throws, turned it over at the worst times and with less than a minute to play and down just three points, they let ECU out-hustle them on a missed Pirate free-throw attempt. State had to foul, and the Pirates lead would be five. It's still early – not even mid-December – but so far State is nowhere near the team many thought they would be. Nobody believes that East Carolina has better talent than the Wolfpack, but they had a hungrier, better team on Saturday night. The Wolfpack needs to do some serious searching of the soul. Maybe it started on the bus trip back U.S. 264 West. "No disrespect to ECU, but you don't want to lose a game like this," said Gavin Grant, who did play well with 25 points. "I just want us to play the right way. I think right now a lot of things are happening that shouldn't be happening. Some people are being selfish with the ball, and I think we just need to let it flow." Yes, there's no question that through seven games, it's not coming together for a team that had high hopes after last season's ACC and NIT tournament runs. Could “selfish” be the key word? Something is not right, that's for sure. Talent is there. Hickson, Costner and Grant are players, but right now it's not meshing. December is when problems are solved. This is the time for Sidney Lowe to show what kind of coach he is. He proved last March what he could do with an underdog. It's tougher now, though. Expectations are higher. And chemistry problems, whether in the classroom or the basketball court, are hard to solve. Meanwhile, down Greenville way, I don't think anybody expects the Pirates to make the NCAA tournament. But for one night, basketball meant something at East Carolina. The crowd stormed the court. Maybe they'll even come back for another game. The home team made this one night fun for its fans. They wanted it more than the guys from the ACC. They embraced the game."

http://www.wral.com/sports/blogpost/2147483/

12/9/2007 10:56:50 PM

Quote :

"we did look horrible at Michigan St but that wasn't a bad loss"

how would it be a bad loss?

if we lost by 50?

12/9/2007 11:57:06 PM

I think he was saying in terms RPI it does not show up as a bad loss compared to a UNO or ECU loss

12/9/2007 11:59:01 PM

bc the bottom line is we lost to a top 10 team on the road in one of the toughest places to play in the country...we looked like shit but a loss is just one loss. and have people completely forgotten that we beat a very talented Villanova? and we didn't even play that well doing it. we know there is talent on this team...all i'm saying is that i'm not ready to mail in the season in December

12/10/2007 12:03:02 AM

How long does it normally take for a coach to turn around a relatively shitty team? Any examples?

I'd give him a couple more seasons to get his recruits in and get the team running the way he wants.

12/10/2007 12:52:06 AM

i certainly don't think anyone is calling for him to be fired now. and if they are, then they are just insane.

but that doesn't mean we won't criticize him. we should. i don't think it makes you a bad fan to call it like you see it and call the product that sid's putting out on the floor right now is garbage. that warrants his credibility to be questioned.

that doesn't mean we've given up on him. personally i think he'll get things in good enough shape to get us into the tournament, but i've been about as vocal as anyone in criticizing lowe this season, because so far there's a whole lot to criticize.

12/10/2007 1:06:14 AM

^^You mean at State, or some normal college?

12/10/2007 7:50:16 AM

Quote :

"bc the bottom line is we lost to a top 10 team on the road in one of the toughest places to play in the country...we looked like shit but a loss is just one loss. and have people completely forgotten that we beat a very talented Villanova? and we didn't even play that well doing it. we know there is talent on this team...all i'm saying is that i'm not ready to mail in the season in December"

Not saying your wrong but you kinda gotta look how we won the game vs Villanova. I mean I think the foul at the end on Gavin was karma for all the missed calls during the game, but dont think that the NCAA committee wont remember that. Seth Davis wrote and article on SI.com about ref's call and used that game as an example.

12/10/2007 8:00:42 AM

Quote :

""No disrespect to ECU, but you don't want to lose a game like this," said Gavin Grant, who did play well with 25 points. "I just want us to play the right way. I think right now a lot of things are happening that shouldn't be happening. Some people are being selfish with the ball, and I think we just need to let it flow.""

At least one person on the team gets it.

12/10/2007 9:24:53 AM

remy, what an unbelievable sports year for you. the phils exit the playoffs early, the eagles suck, state football sucked for the most part and now basketball is stuggling. sometimes, i think the sports world is against you.

12/10/2007 9:29:10 AM

Quote :

"We NEVER had losses like this and UNO with Herb. I don't give a fuck what any of you say. "

this was back on page 7, get this revisionist history crap out of here, herb had plenty of wtf losses

getting blown the fuck out by an awful st johns team

scoring only 42 points in a loss against iowa

manhandled by a very very below average massachusetts team that lost to central connecticutt state that year


you guys seem to forget that herb was always good for one early road wtf loss to some chump team


[Edited on December 10, 2007 at 9:40 AM. Reason : not backing up herb, but get your facts straight]

12/10/2007 9:39:18 AM

http://acc.starnewsonline.com/default.asp?item=711549

ouch

12/10/2007 9:47:32 AM

Quote :

"*State hasn't scored more than 72 points in a game yet. Meanwhile, rebuilding Arizona State, in case you were wondering, has passed the mark four times, scoring 87, 75, 91, and 77 points in beginning the season 6-2. *New Orleans lost to Nicholls State by 18 points. ECU has lost to Richmond, Liberty, at South Florida, Winthrop, and at home to Clemson. "

12/10/2007 10:07:26 AM

I agree with it all.

This team is garbàge (that's French for really frikkin terrible).

12/10/2007 10:15:19 AM

lol @ a loss to ECU

glad it wasn't on tv in charlotte

12/10/2007 10:19:29 AM

Quote :

"There's very little screening, rarely much movement other than one guy, and there's too much standing around. Also, it appears that Lowe must call every set every time down the court instead of allowing the players' instincts and the staff's teaching to take over. The offense is so pedestrian even the nation's worst coaches can prepare their teams to face the Wolfpack. "

This is so true. i mean it doesnt take a Phil Jackson to understand that you have to MOVE around a little bit to get open, or at least keep the other fucking team guessing a little bit. Its easy to guard someone they are just standing in one spot.

12/10/2007 10:27:34 AM

^^ yes it was

12/10/2007 10:32:16 AM

The 1992-1993 squad could beat this year's team

^ glad i couldn't find it - i looked

[Edited on December 10, 2007 at 10:32 AM. Reason : ]

12/10/2007 10:32:20 AM

Quote :

"this was back on page 7, get this revisionist history crap out of here, herb had plenty of wtf losses getting blown the fuck out by an awful st johns team scoring only 42 points in a loss against iowa manhandled by a very very below average massachusetts team that lost to central connecticutt state that year "

St John's and Iowa are power 6 conference teams. UMass was an upper level A-10 (read: high mid-major conference) team that year. Comparing UNO, who is a mid tier team in a low level conference, to those teams is just flat out ridiculous. It's not revisionist history at all to me. Actually since I started school I think the only game we almost lost to a team the likes of UNO was the Grundy last second shot against UNC-G...

**** You're mistaking losses we played bad in to absolute RPI killing embarrassments. No one is embarrassed by going in to Amherst, Carver-Hawkeye or MSG and losing... not nearly the same thing.

[Edited on December 10, 2007 at 11:05 AM. Reason : lol, Iowa WON the Big 10 that year, didn't they? just like UNO!!!]

12/10/2007 11:00:39 AM

Quote :

"*The victory was ECU's first in 58 tries against teams from the ACC. That's an amazing figure, and clearly marks the difference between Pirate hoops and football. ECU is a rotten basketball program, but it beat a talented Wolfpack team that obviously has major issues. "

ouch

Quote :

" *State hasn't scored more than 72 points in a game yet. Meanwhile, rebuilding Arizona State, in case you were wondering, has passed the mark four times, scoring 87, 75, 91, and 77 points in beginning the season 6-2. "

double ouch

Quote :

"-the ECU game was in a very hostile environment in what they viewed as their biggest game of the year. "

uhh look up, ECU has lost 58 straight against the ACC, then they win against US? Thier biggest game of the year shouldn't translate to them evening having a snowballs chance in hell against us. but then again, new orleans beat us so what do i know.

12/10/2007 11:08:18 AM

on the slightly brighter side: ecu DID beat george mason this year. and george mason looked damn good in the old spice classic (far better than us)

12/10/2007 11:16:37 AM

That guy in the article is exactly right. As I said here, http://www.brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=505155&page=10

WE DONT KNOW HOW TO PLAY DEFENSE.

THIS IS NOT THE NBA....You cant stand around on offense and you cant stand around on defense.

Also, the "players were tired" excuse is a bunch of BS. How can they be tired....we dont press..we dont run fast breaks....we dont jump for rebounds.....all they do is jog up and down the court for 40 mins......If it dosent get better fast, its time to start pulling scholorships...

12/10/2007 11:51:05 AM

Quote :

"If it dosent get better fast, its time to start pulling scholorships"

that would do a wonder for recruiting.

12/10/2007 12:44:24 PM

Or take the current players scholorships and offer them to Duke and UNC benchwarmers....guys who want to play.....send a message to those who are left that its time to stop with excuses....and that if your not going to give it your all, your not going to stay.....hopefully, well turn it around in ACC play, but if this continues, I would be 100% for dropping 1/3 of the team and starting over.

Remember, your tuition is paying for Costner to loaf down the court....

12/10/2007 1:32:15 PM

Mine isnt

12/10/2007 1:33:49 PM

well mine either......What you been up to JT3

12/10/2007 2:01:22 PM

Quote :

"After compiling a 17-0 historical record over the Pirates, NC State loses the program’s first game in history against East Carolina. Prior to tonight, ECU was 0-57 against ACC opponents. Most ACC opponents weren’t dumb enough to discount their program and put themselves in an un-necessarily risky position to play on the road. Of course, most ACC programs haven’t historical been steered by a man more interested in political gain and avoidance of conflict than what is best for his athletics program. In games that mean everything to one team and nothing to another, a random guy can get hot (like Hinnant) and strange things can happen. Now you know why smart Athletics Departments don’t schedule out of conference, in-state games on the road. Lee Fowler may think he knows basketball, but he doesn’t know dick about management or how to steer NC State. Fowler BETTER have had his lazy ass at the game and not at his lake house or off on some golf excursion. Coach Sidney Lowe’s honeymoon is over. This team is inexcusably bad. As Mr. O said in a previous entry: This team isn’t going to do anything this year until Brandon Costner and Ben McCauley show up. I have no clue what happened to those two guys in the off-season, but they are horrible. Costner in particular because he is certainly getting his opportunities. Airballing free throw? Hardly drawing iron on layups and wide open three point shots? Maybe last year was just a fluke. At this point, he is the next Marcus Melvin in Europe….wow he just turned it over again. Why the hell do other teams get tons of offensive rebounds against us but we hardly ever get one? Rebounding is positioning and hustle. We are severely lacking in both."

12/10/2007 3:19:07 PM

it puzzles me how one of the "best backcourts in the country" gets out-rebounded on such a consistent basis

12/10/2007 3:22:51 PM

i think we could all use a little cheering up...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQ6JZpjdTY

12/10/2007 4:25:03 PM

^it's time to stop reliving 1983 and start coming to the realization that our bball team just isn't that good.

plz get past the past!

12/10/2007 4:51:54 PM

sidney lowe radio show tonight at 8 on 99.9 in raleigh. i'll be listening. curious to see how raked over the coals he gets by callers.

12/10/2007 4:53:19 PM

Quote :

"it puzzles me how one of the "best backcourts in the country" gets out-rebounded on such a consistent basis"

(frontcourt)

12/10/2007 4:58:32 PM

I bet someone calls him the N word.

12/10/2007 5:00:11 PM

i just want to hear the truth, not excuses from lowe tonight.

dont blame it on tired legs if its chemistry.

call it like it is obrien style.

12/10/2007 6:35:53 PM

I highly doubt that he is going to call himself out on the radio for being a piss poor defensive coach.

12/10/2007 6:37:48 PM

yea i'll be tuning in

12/10/2007 6:38:49 PM

Quote :

"sidney lowe radio show tonight at 8 on 99.9 in raleigh"

any links on this...google didnt come up with anything...

12/10/2007 6:41:00 PM