page 5 in some other language

8/26/2007 11:48:07 PM

Can anyone rank the top teams in the country in terms of # of players likely to be first rounders? In general, this is a good indicator of who is going to win the NC/go far in the tourney.

We've got Costner and Hickson, but I don't know that both would be first rounders.

8/26/2007 11:53:52 PM

Hickson isn't going anywhere.

8/27/2007 10:05:25 AM

he might pull a Josh Powell you never know. If the right people are telling you lies then you might believe them.

8/27/2007 10:15:09 AM

the poll on the front page of espn college basketball is asking if nc state will be the top acc team.
Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/index

[Edited on August 27, 2007 at 11:43 AM. Reason : link]

8/27/2007 11:40:23 AM

yeah there's already a thread about that

8/27/2007 11:48:14 AM

sorry, i'm a noob, didn't see one.

8/27/2007 11:50:32 AM

You posted the link in this thread. Not really a bad place to put it. You didn't do anything ridiculous like make another thread while the poll thread is on the front page.

8/27/2007 1:41:08 PM

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/index.php?title=lowe_s_father_passes_away&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

Lowe's father has passed away. Stay strong Sidney. Here's to a man that raised a great son.

Quote :

"The father of N.C. State basketball coach Sidney Lowe has died, an athletics official said today. Willie Gwyn and Carrie Lowe, Sidney's mother, lived in Raleigh. It is believed funeral services will be held in Washington, D.C., where Sidney Lowe was raised. No other information on the funeral arrangements was available today, said Annabelle Myers, NCSU assistant athletics director for media relations."

8/31/2007 7:46:49 PM

R.I.P.

Don't think this will really bother him if it was fairly expected....his son's troubles didn't seem to bother him either.

8/31/2007 7:49:53 PM

http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=271397

New State staff has success in recruiting

Dan Wiederer

Individual workouts for the upcoming basketball season began at N.C. State last week. And the Wolfpack coaches couldn’t wait to unwrap their newest and most exciting toy.

New in Raleigh! Freshman big man J.J. Hickson, a 6-foot-9 beast with superhero power!

“J.J. is almost unconscionably strong,” State assistant coach Pete Strickland said. “He’ll turn, guys will get wedged out of the way and he’ll look like, ‘What happened there? I did that?’ He’s just a thick, strong guy and very, very skilled. And there’s some strength there that he’s not aware of.”

The same may be true of the Wolfpack’s recruiting pull. It’s crazy how these things sometimes unfold.

Just 16 months ago, after a jumbled and laborious search to find a replacement for Herb Sendek, State gave the controls of its basketball program to Sidney Lowe. But the former national championship point guard took over with one prevailing question looming: without a day of college coaching experience to his name, would he be able to recruit at a high enough level to compete on Tobacco Road?

Sixteen months later, the answer is a resounding yes. This year’s crop of freshmen is nothing short of impressive. Hickson, the headliner of the class, is joined by forwards Tracy Smith and Johnny Thomas and guard Javier Gonzalez, additions that will undoubtedly enhance the Wolfpack’s talent level, depth and competitive fire in practice.

What’s more, Lowe has already worked further into the future, securing verbal commitments from Class of 2008 forward C.J. Williams, a versatile wing from Jack Britt High School, and guard Julius Mays.

The Wolfpack even has an early commitment from 2010 blue-chipper C.J. Leslie, a heralded 6-foot-8 forward from Holly Springs who has yet to play a game as a high school sophomore.

How it happened

Needless to say, Lowe and his staff have done plenty of homework, even more planning and, to date, surpassed all expectations on the recruiting trail.

Strickland has been pleasantly surprised with State’s progress but hardly shocked by it. When Lowe and his staff came together in the late spring of 2006, they knew they had to play catch-up.

“By necessity what we really had to do was narrow our focus. Big time,” Strickland said. “We weren’t going to be able to do the normal routine of canvas, shorten the list, focus in. We had to skip the first two steps and boom, focus in.”

Yet with Strickland, fellow assistant Larry Harris and associate head coach Monte Towe combining for more than 60 years of college coaching experience, the Wolfpack staff wasn’t worried about its recruiting inexperience as much as many outsiders.

Strickland had solid ties in the Washington D.C. area; Harris had strong pull inside North Carolina as well as in New York; and Towe often flourishes in the South.

Lowe’s NBA ties, an obvious asset when he was hired, have also helped in turning the heads of recruits.

“We’ve got some good coaches in this neighborhood,” Strickland said, “but none of them has done what Sidney’s done on the level where most of these kids want to go. There’s no question he’s been able to use that. When they come in and sit in his office and they can see all the pro memorabilia. And it’s not just ‘That’s my favorite team.’ It’s ‘I coached Kevin Garnett for three years.’”

Big score

That certainly played a role in landing Hickson, a potential NBA talent who has become the crown jewel in State’s recruiting treasure chest. Harris’ efforts in convincing the McDonald’s All-American to join the Wolfpack were nothing short of momentous. And the big man’s commitment immediately raised State’s profile while adding instant credibility to Lowe’s sale pitch.

This is the beauty of college basketball. Unlike football, where programs need two or three recruiting classes with a half-dozen difference-makers each to vault to championship levels, the fortune of a basketball program can improve exponentially with one decision.

For State, Hickson provided that springboard. Suddenly, prospects all across the country were able to see the Wolfpack as a legitimate player at the highest level of recruiting.

With the start of practice less than six weeks away, State has a golden opportunity to make this season its best in recent memory. After a strong finish to last season the anticipation is ready to explode as State returns to the hardwood with even more firepower, thanks to the strong initial recruiting efforts of Lowe and his staff.

9/4/2007 7:15:11 PM

Lowe is the man

9/4/2007 8:02:35 PM

Basketball photos are up on GoPack.com.

http://www.gopack.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9200&KEY=&SPID=3731&SPSID=41962

9/5/2007 5:58:53 PM

haha looks like harris,hickson,and costner are standing on their toes in the pic

9/5/2007 6:08:24 PM

haha, you're right.


Clayton Beard #22 was a recruited walk-on. He's supposed to be pretty good, and probably could earn a scholarship in the coming years. He's from Detroit, so him and Tracy Smith have that in common. I'll be pulling for him in the future to earn that scholarship. He could come up big for us in his final years, like the way Nieman did this past year.



[Edited on September 5, 2007 at 6:17 PM. Reason : ]

9/5/2007 6:11:20 PM

You can really see the difference between this years team and last years team when you look at the team photos.

2007-2008 Team Photo



15 players. 12 of those players are true scholarship players, i.e. not a glorified walk on (Hickson, Smith, Degand, Johnson, Thomas, Ferguson, Horner, Gonzalez, Grant, McCauley, Costner, Fells). Only three are walk ons (Harris, Williams, Beard).

2006-2007 Team Photo



12 players. 2 that had to sit out (Degand, Harris). 2 walk ons that earned scholarships (Braxton Albritton, Nieman). 1 7'3" Polish guy that suffer a career ending injury early in the season. Note Marques Johnson, Darrell Davis, walk ons Justin Clark, Chad Williams, and Kenny Pittman were not on the team yet. Only 7 available true scholarship players (Costner, Fells, McCauley, Grant, Atsur, Horner, Ferguson) that year.

[Edited on September 5, 2007 at 6:45 PM. Reason : ]

9/5/2007 6:37:25 PM

we have "the look"

9/5/2007 6:46:28 PM

in last year's pic, we look like the "Hoosiers" except w/ some black guys

9/6/2007 12:05:21 AM

Costner looks 2 inches taller than McCauley.

9/6/2007 12:11:11 AM

^ refer to

Quote :

"haha looks like harris,hickson,and costner are standing on their toes in the pic"

JasonNSCU85, I hope you're fucking w/ me

[Edited on September 6, 2007 at 12:42 AM. Reason : look at the quote]

9/6/2007 12:13:14 AM

WTF happened to Costner?

look at McCauley and Costner in the 2 pictures. did Costner grow like.. 5 inches?

9/6/2007 12:27:00 AM

Anyone know what happened to Johnny Thomas? I heard something about him being out for the season.

9/6/2007 2:12:42 PM

Quote :

"haha looks like harris,hickson,and costner are standing on their toes in the pic"

they are standing on their toes
hahah, you can see their feet hahah lol hahah lol hahah lol

9/6/2007 2:26:37 PM

Quote :

"• Davidson is stepping up to play a schedule that could earn the Wildcats an at-large berth. Coach Bob McKillop has his team playing UCLA, North Carolina, Duke and N.C. State. "

hahaha, damn

9/6/2007 2:35:05 PM

Quote :

"Anyone know what happened to Johnny Thomas? I heard something about him being out for the season. "

im hearing the same thing

9/6/2007 3:13:01 PM

harris on his toes in both pics haha

9/6/2007 3:14:13 PM

that's actually a good thing

he'd probably be playing behind grant/horner/smith anyway

9/6/2007 3:23:25 PM

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3004815

BC, Skinner agree to contract extension through 2012-13 season

Associated Press

Updated: September 4, 2007, 8:01 PM ET

BOSTON -- Boston College coach Al Skinner has agreed to a contract extension through the 2012-13 season.

Skinner is 196-120 in 10 seasons at BC, including 164 wins and six NCAA tournament berths since the 2000-01 season. The Eagles were 21-12 last season, losing to Georgetown in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

"Al Skinner has led our basketball program to a level of consistent excellence," athletic director Gene DeFilippo said in a release Tuesday. "He has established himself as one of the top coaches in all of college basketball. Our program is in very good hands, and we are pleased to have him continue as our head coach."

Skinner came to Boston College after nine years as coach at the University of Rhode Island. He was named Big East Conference coach of the year in 2001, when BC won 27 games, and in 2005, after the Eagles started the season with a Big East-record 20 straight wins. The team won a school-record 28 games in its first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

9/6/2007 6:52:18 PM

so premium users, whats up with thomas?

9/7/2007 8:20:54 AM

Thomas had a serious knee injury this week and will indeed be out for the season

[Edited on September 7, 2007 at 4:58 PM. Reason : .]

9/7/2007 4:56:51 PM

What teh flaming fuck is going on around here? Like knee cap r us?

9/7/2007 5:02:13 PM

Good God we are losing some important athletes right now. I know Thomas would not have seen serious minutes, but a reliable body off the bench is still valuable.

9/7/2007 5:18:39 PM

"The good news, according to Johnson, is that Thomas should make a full recovery without losing any of the athleticism that made him one of the top recruits in the state last season."

Glad to hear that he's expected to get back to 100% next year.


http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070908/NRSTAFF/709080308/-1/SPORTS


[Edited on September 8, 2007 at 12:42 PM. Reason : .]

9/8/2007 12:42:25 PM

http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/blog/marchmadness/2007/09/great-leap-forward.html

A good basketball article to hold you over till the season starts.

Quote :

"North Carolina State: To some, the Wolfpack are getting way too much hype considering they only went 5-11 in ACC play last season. However, Sidney Lowe has amassed enough talent in Raleigh to make a legitimate push at the NCAA Tournament after reaching the ACC Tournament title game a season ago. Brandon Costner is primed to make a name for himself on the national level after an outstanding freshman campaign, while Ben McCauley is a versatile forward who can do a variety of things on the court next to Costner. Gavin Grant is a long and athletic wing that can play multiple positions and produce in every category. Courtney Fells is another scorer on the wing. Throw in McDonald’s All-American J.J. Hickson up front, and the Wolfpack have what it takes to contend in the ACC and reach the Dance."

[Edited on September 10, 2007 at 9:54 PM. Reason : ]

9/10/2007 9:52:34 PM

We will be a little better than to make the dance

9/10/2007 10:14:04 PM

better be.. we were merely two minutes away from the dance last year

9/10/2007 10:15:14 PM

three of those fools in the back row are on their tippy toes. wtf mate?

9/11/2007 8:21:07 PM

On a totally unreliable note, my sister claims she saw Costner getting "xrays or something" at the health center yesterday, I claimed bullshit personally but Im bored at work and just remembered this.

9/12/2007 10:20:09 AM

Quote :

"Costner getting "xrays or something" at the health center yesterday"

im sure our athelets get better treatment than student health

9/12/2007 11:09:16 AM

One would hope.. haha

9/12/2007 2:38:27 PM

what happened to the tall european guy

9/12/2007 3:30:29 PM

career ending injury

9/12/2007 3:44:29 PM

Doesn't the health center outsource imaging anyways?

9/12/2007 7:44:19 PM

I don't think anyone thought that bartoz was going to see an actual minute of playing time.

9/12/2007 7:49:34 PM

I thought he would see garbage time in the last 1-2 minutes of a blowout, which he did against some cupcake team early on last year. Everyone wanted him to shoot, but he passed it back out (which was actually the right thing to do). Everyone was screaming when he came in, and was like "BIG LEEEWWWW!!!", "BIG BART!", "PASS IT TO BARTOZ" and other things. Then he got the ball passed to him down low, took a dribble or two, looked at the basket for a second and passed it back out. But yeah I didn't see him getting significant playing time. Maybe the coaches could have worked with him to become solid defensive contributor as a sub in his junior or senior year. It would have been nice to have a 7'3" guy in the lane to block and alter some shots every now and then. He served his part though in being a big body for practice when we didn't really have many players to work with.

[Edited on September 12, 2007 at 10:17 PM. Reason : ]

9/12/2007 10:16:06 PM

Quote :

"Doesn't the health center outsource imaging anyways? "

nope...they have their own x-ray machines and all that jazz. Its really a nice health center considering its a state school. The health center that my grad school has is absolute crap and they outsource everything. Such a pain in the ass.

9/13/2007 12:30:47 AM

http://hoopsreport.com/news_view.php?id=313&type=Hoops%20News

Early Preseason Top 30

Final Four:

1. Memphis 33-4 (16-0 Conference)
Only one player is gone from a team that has been to back-to-back Elite 8’s. Returning veterans include Chris Douglas-Roberts, Antonio Anderson, Joey Dorsey, and Robert Dozier-- all of which have all-league talent. The addition of Derrick Rose, who will be one of the nation’s best point guards from day one, will get this team over that Elite 8-hump and have them cutting down the nets in San Antonio.

2. UCLA 30-6 (15-3)
Arron Afflalo left for the league, but everyone else returns for this back-to-back Final Four program including point guard Darren Collison who is a legit All-American candidate. Freshman Kevin Love is the most highly touted recruit in the school’s modern day history and he is an immediate impact player on the frontline. With the addition of Love to four players with Final Four experience (Collison, Josh Shipp, Lorenzo Mata-Real, and Luc Richard Mbah-a-Moute) the Bruins look the part of a national title contender.

3. Kansas 33-5 (14-2)
Four starters are back from a team that was a one-seed and went to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament last season. The Jayhawks season will largely depend on how Brandon Rush recovers from his off-season knee surgery (ACL), but if he comes back strong and lives up to his All-American potential we expect this team to advance a step further in the tournament than they did last season.

4. Tennessee 24-11 (10-6)
The top six leading scorers are back from a team that was up 17 points on national runner-up Ohio State at halftime of last season’s Sweet 16, including Chris Lofton-- who is a frontrunner for National POY. Add transfer Tyler Smith, a third team All-Big Ten selection as a freshman at Iowa, and Cameron Tatum, one of the nations top prep school players last season, into the mix and this team should be prime for a Final Four appearance.

Elite Eight:

5. Georgetown 30-7 (13-3)
The Hoyas lose Jeff Green to the NBA but return four starters from their Final Four team including preseason All-American Roy Hibbert. We expect sophomores DaJuan Summers and Vernon Macklin to be much improved this season and they’ll join Hibbert to form one of the nation’s most intimidating frontcourts. Throw in veteran guards Jessie Sapp and Jonathan Wallace in addition to a top-15 recruiting class led by McDonald’s All-Americans Austin Freeman and Chris Wright and this team has to be considered a legit national title contender.

6. North Carolina 31-7 (11-5)
The Tar Heels return National POY candidate Tyler Hansbrough in addition to Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington and we expect Deon Thompson to become a major contributor, but is this team going to be improved without the help of Reyshawn Terry and Brandan Wright? We’ll give them the nod as the team to beat in the ACC, but we‘re going to hold off before labeling them a Final Four team.

7. Louisville 24-10 (12-4)
The Cardinals return their top six leading scorers from last season’s squad that came within three points of advancing to the Sweet 16. Sophomore point guard Edgar Sosa looked like a stud at the end of last season and veterans Terrence Williams, Juan Palacios and David Padgett give this team plenty of experience. Sophomores Jerry Smith and Earl Clark are possible double-digit scorers and if Derrick Caracter even scratches the surface of his potential he could become this team’s most dangerous player.

8. Indiana 21-11 (10-6)
DJ White was Team USA’s most productive player at the Pam Am games this summer and he appears ready to make his case for All-American honors, but the Hoosier’s best player will likely be freshman Eric Gordon who could lead the Big 10 in scoring. White and Gordon will have a solid supporting cast with Armon Bassett, AJ Ratliff, Lance Stemler and junior college transfer Jamarcus Ellis in addition to several newcomers with ability to contribute. This team will be better than last season’s that advanced to the second round of the tournament before being exited by UCLA.


Sweet 16:

9. Duke 22-11 (8-8)
The Blue Devils aren’t going to be a popular pick for a ranking this high after their first-round exit from the NCAA tournament last season (not to mention the loss of Josh McRoberts to the NBA). But they return everyone else from a team that was, at times, very good (remember the 13-1 start that included wins over Air Force, G’Town, Davidson, IU, G’ Mason and Gonzaga?) and when you throw a trio of McDonald’s All-American recruits (Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and Taylor King) into the mix this team is hard to ignore. Expect breakout seasons from Jon Scheyer and Gerald Henderson in addition to leadership from veterans Greg Paulus and DeMarcus Nelson. The team’s Achilles-heel however, appears to be it’s frontcourt. They will need major contributions from Lance Thomas, Brian Zoubek and freshman Kyle Singler if they plan to make noise come March.

10. USC 25-12 (11-7)
There aren’t going to be many publications that will have USC in the top 10, but let’s not forget they return three key players from a Sweet 16 squad-- one of which has all-league talent (Taj Gibson). That’s not a bad core to build around and build is what Coach Floyd did when he rounded up the nation’s #2 recruiting class. OJ Mayo is a probable All-American and could have the closest thing to a Kevin Durant-like freshman campaign that we’ll see this season. Davon Jefferson is another newcomer that comes in with a big reputation: he was the #1 ranked post-grad player in the country this year. The question with this team will be chemistry. If the trio of all-world talents (Gibson, Mayo, and Jefferson) compliment each other it’s possible the Trojans will be a Final Four contender. If Gibson, Mayo and Jefferson don’t mesh, on the other hand, they might not make it out of the loaded Pac-10.

11. Michigan State 23-12 (8-8)
The Spartans return all five starters-- including All-American candidate Drew Neitzel-- from a 23-12 squad that advanced to the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament.

12. Arizona 20-11 (11-7)
Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger are as talented as any duo you’ll find in college hoops. Will the Wildcats finally have the chemistry to match the talent?

13. Stanford 18-13 (10-8)
The Cardinals have arguably the nation’s top frontcourt with Lawrence Hill and the Lopez twins (Robin and Brook). They were very good at times last season but also very bad at times. Which will it be this year?

14. Marquette 24-10 (10-6)
Every player returns from a team that won 24 games a year ago-- including All-American candidate Dominic James.

15. Kentucky 22-12 (9-7)
First-year head coach Billy Gillispie is a plus and the backcourt will be tough with seniors Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford in addition to talented underclassmen Jodie Meeks, Derrick Jasper and Alex Legion, but will newcomer Pat Patterson be able to carry the load in the frontcourt?

16. North Carolina State 20-16 (5-11)
Four starters return from a team that nearly won the ACC tournament. The addition of McDonald’s All-American JJ Hickson to an already loaded frontline will make sure this team won’t have to settle for the NIT this time around.

9/16/2007 4:52:24 PM

#4 bitches!


wow

9/16/2007 4:57:43 PM

Best of the Rest:

17. Kansas State 23-13 (10-6)
Second team All-Big 12 selection David Hoskins returns from a team that barely missed the NCAA tourney-cut. Sophomore Bill Walker, a player with All-Big 12 potential, will be back after sitting out most of last season with a torn ACL and Michael Beasley is rated by some as the nation’s top incoming freshman.

18. Washington State 26-8 (13-5)
Four starters (Kyle Weaver, Derrick Low, Robbie Cowgill and Daven Harmeling) return from a team that was a #3-seed in the NCAA tournament last season.

19. Gonzaga 23-11 (11-3)
The Bulldogs should be prime to dominate their conference once again, but will they be a better team despite the loss of Derek Raivio?

20. Oregon 29-8 (11-7)
Aaron Brooks is gone, but every other impact player is back from an Elite 8 squad including 5‘6 sophomore-sharpshooter Tajuan Porter who scored 27, 28, and 38 points in the first three games of his college career.

21. Texas 25-10 (12-4)
National POY Kevin Durant left for the pros but enough talent returns that the Longhorns could be better than they were a year ago-- even without Durant. Sophomore point guard DJ Augustin is a HoopsReport.com Third Team All-American choice and AJ Abrams, Damion James, and Justin Mason should have breakout seasons.

22. Florida 35-5 (13-3)
The best six players from the National Championship team are gone so this is going to be a rebuilding year, but Coach Donovan has plenty of talent to work with after bringing in the nation’s #1 recruiting class. Expect big seasons from returning players Walter Hodge and Marreese Speights and newcomers Nick Calathes and Alex Tyus. This team will surprise a lot of people.

23. Davidson 29-5 (17-1)
All five starters return from a squad that went 29-5 a year ago, including Stephen Curry-- a HoopsReport.com Third Team All-American choice (preseason) that scored a combined 89 points in his final three games as a freshman.

24. Arkansas 21-14 (7-9)
The top eight scorers from last season’s NCAA tourney team return, including sophomore Patrick Beverly who is an All-SEC candidate.

25. Ohio State 35-4 (15-1)
It would be hard for any team to recover after losing five of their top players including a pair of NBA Draft lottery picks, but the Buckeyes return Jamar Butler, David Lighty and Othello Hunter-- three players that had their moments on last season’s national runner-up team-- and McDonald’s All-American Kosta Koufos will is ease the pain from the loss of Greg Oden. Like Florida, don’t sleep on this squad.

26. Texas A&M 27-7 (13-3)
Coach Gillispie is now at Kentucky and All-American Acie Law is in the League but new head coach Mark Turgeon has three starters back, including All-Big 12 candidate Joseph Jones in addition to a top recruiting class.

27. VCU 28-7 (16-2)
We all remember what Eric Maynor did to Duke in the NCAA tournament last season. Well, that performance wasn’t a fluke-- he’s one of the nation’s very best point guards and he’s back for his junior season along with a pair of fellow returning-starters from last season’s 28-7 squad.

28. Alabama 20-12 (7-9)
The Crimson Tide underachieved last season and missed an NCAA tournament birth and then to make matters worse lost to UMASS in the first round of the NIT. The good news is veterans Ronald Steele, Alonzo Gee, Richard Hendrix, and Brandon Hollinger return and they’ll get plenty of help from a top-25 recruiting class.

29. Purdue 22-12 (9-7)
The Boilermakers will likely get slept on this season because Carl Landry and David Teague are gone, but three starters return from a team that made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament (where they lost to eventual champ Florida). The real reason to get excited though, is the top-5 recruiting class that includes four top-50 freshmen (E’Twaun Moore, Scott Martin, Robbie Hummel, and JaJuan Johnson).

30. Mississippi State 21-14 (8-8)
All-SEC candidate Jamont Gordon is back and he will get plenty of help from guys like Barry Stewart, Charles Rhodes, Jarvis Varndado and Ben Hansbrough-- all of whom could have breakout seasons.

[Edited on September 16, 2007 at 5:00 PM. Reason : I had to wait on flood control before posting the rest. ]

9/16/2007 4:59:56 PM

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/acc/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/08prospectus.pdf

Complete ACC Prospectus for this year.

9/16/2007 10:39:39 PM