http://www.wralsportsfan.com/ncsu/story/6227619/
Very interesting quotes from Julius Mays:
"We have no individual just about themselves. When I got here, we've had players that have been more about themselves. They'd rather score 30 points than N.C. State win the game.
"You can't win like that. We've also had players that try to turn other players against Coach to get them on their page instead of Coach's page. You can't win like that."
And Tracy Smith:
"Last year and the year before that, everybody wanted to come in and play their own way," Smith said. "I don't think we'll have that problem. Everybody's on the same page."
packpowerfan
Member
Posted 9 months ago
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That's an interesting story, but I wonder how much of it is fluff and how much is reality. Sure, there were obvious issues with Hickson/Grant (something with a mutual girlfriend, supposedly), and Costner/Fells/the rest of the team; but I wonder how much had an effect on W's and L's. Team unity is a huge part of the game, but a perfectly unified team can't always overcome shoddy coaching and game management.
FunPack
Member
Posted 9 months ago
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I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It seemed like something unseen was always off with that group. I hope like heck this problem is solved now.
ncsufan13
Member
Posted 9 months ago
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Nothing like taking responsibility for your mistakes.. Oh wait, just dump on players who aren't a part of the program anymore. I think its interesting that they talk about team loyalty while at the same time ripping their former teammates.
sautz
Member
Posted 9 months ago
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Maybe coach didn't lose his teams if he never had them in the first place. Is that any better? Guess we'll find out this year.
howlie
Member
Posted 9 months ago
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One amazingly admirable characteristic of Coach Lowe is his diplomacy.
He had it as a college student [google his address before the NC Legislature after winning the title in '83] and throughout his career.
YOU WOULD THINK he would 'prep' players for these interviews, ESPECIALLY in regards to these types of questions about toxic chemistry of the past.
Unless he believed it was the right time to air dirty laundry... & if he ever "approved" of that, you would have thought it would have come when he could have done something about it and cleaned it.
Alpha Wolf
Administrator
Posted 9 months ago
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If it is true, it is refreshing honesty rarely seen in today's PR disguised as sports journalism.
If it is not really true, it is an indication of problems that still lay unresolved.
Two years in a row that the annual version of the team criticized the previous version as being selfish and also proclaiming that this year would be different.
Honestly, I think there's truth to that. At least from what I saw on the court it's plausible. I always thought T.Smith and even Mays played notoriously harder than the rest. Also, the gf issue had nothing to do with Hickson. Hickson always got blamed for something he had nothing to do with except for the fact he was better than some upperclassmen who pouted about it. He was never a part of the chemistry problems from his own doing....unlike, as you've pointed out, some of the others who broke some serious man-code when it came to their teammates.
GoldenChain
Member
Posted 9 months ago
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I agree that it always appeared that there was something not right about the chemistry and the effort last year and the year before. Even on SFN many were saying 'play the young guys because they play harder'. I suspect that there is some truth to the comments. Then again I can also see Lowe allowing players to to think and say this because it buys some time i.e. "I know its the 4th season but its really like the 1st because of the bad apples I had in here. Now we have to REALLY start the building process and in two or three seasons....."
If you know what I mean Vern.
I do think that there was some comment-coaching because no names were called.
packplantpath
Member
Posted 9 months ago
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Did anybody else notice the pic of sid on the wral page? Has he gone on a crash diet, or is that pic stretched?
tvp1
Member
Posted 9 months ago
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Why should anyone be surprised that the players are saying this? Lowe himself said essentially the same thing this spring when addressing boosters. He implied that some of the departed players were not good teammates.
Let's hope it's true and we go 10-6 this year. I am skeptic until I see results.
highstick
Member
Posted 9 months ago
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I guess this is the "chemistry equation" that we've heard about for several years.
Tiew
Member
Posted 9 months ago
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I really don't like this kind of thing. It seems unclassy.
BJD95
Administrator
Posted 9 months ago
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I think one of Lowe's WORST qualities is how he lets others put out messages for him. He does it with respect to "blame the guys no longer here" BS (as SFN said, this is two years in a row for that trick) and is doing it HARD with respect to Harrow/Brown blackmail strategy.
At least Sendek had the nads to say "Julius goes where I go" with his own mouth when he was on the hot seat.
It's funny how different folks read others differently. I always thought Herb was as sly as the next guy and in no means worthy of his clean cut and supposedly straight-forward image. He always reminded me of the preacher who will try to sleep with your wife and misappropriate your tithes. He used underhanded, mind-trick excuses to cover his own ass weekly. I felt he thought us, as in the collective bunch of State fans, weren't smart enough to read between the lines of his post-game comments.
BJD95
Administrator
Posted 9 months ago
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Oh, Sendek was an awful excuse maker. No question. But he did at least make them on his own behalf.
See I always thought he threw others under the bus... he just seemed to be smart of enough to do it with backhanded compliments. I paraphrase: "We played hard and did a lot of good things but we just missed some open looks that could have made the difference." Translated: "My offense gets open looks and the guys can't shoot. it's their fault we lost today." Reality: "The weave and heave only works when your team shoots 40 percent from behind the arc b/c you get no second looks and who cares that on our last 5 possessions we didn't get a shot off, twice after time outs."
LKNpackfan
Member
Posted 9 months ago
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If "those" guys were juniors/rs-sophomores the first time, then yes, it could be used two years in a row...
Wulfpack
Member
Posted 9 months ago
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Enough of the excuses. I don't care. Makes no difference to me. It's the coach's job to nip this junk in the bud. Sid hasn't up to this point.
highstick
Member
Posted 9 months ago
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Uh, guys, he is not to be referred to as "Send.." or "Her.". It's HWSNBN! Get with it!
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