After former head coach Herb Sendek left N.C. State to take the job at Arizona State last spring, several high profile coaches-most notably Memphis' John Calipari-flirted with taking over in Raleigh.
Looking at the situation new head coach Sidney Lowe-who was seemingly the last man standing in the coaching version of musical chairs-now finds himself in, Calipari and the others are likely satisfied with their decisions to stay away from N.C. State. The Wolfpack will enter this season without what would have been its two most experienced frontcourt players-Cedric Simmons and Andrew Brackman.
Soon after Lowe agreed to take the job May 5, Simmons, who led the team in blocks and rebounds last season, left for the NBA after just his sophomore year.
"That was one of the toughest things that I've had to deal with so far," said Lowe, who was a key component of N.C. State's national title run under Jim Valvano in 1983. "When you see a kid-a good kid, too-that wants to [leave for the NBA].... It was all about his family. And when you have someone say that, there's no way I could tell him stay here."
The New Orleans Hornets drafted Simmons with the 15th pick of last June's draft, prematurely removing one of last year's starters from this year's roster.
Then, in early October, Lowe's roster was dealt another blow when Brackman announced he would not play basketball this season. The 6-foot-10 right-hander is a highly-touted pitching prospect and is thought to have the potential to become a first-round pick in the 2007 MLB draft.
Even so, Lowe is not counting out Brackman's return.
"I still haven't closed the door yet," he said. "I know that's being very, very, very optimistic, but I know he loves basketball."
Should he choose to play basketball again, Brackman may also have a potential career in the NBA. Lowe said seven NBA teams have called N.C. State concerning Brackman in recent weeks.
Without Brackman, the Wolfpack's most experienced big man is 6-foot-10 sophomore Ben McCauley, who averaged 2.1 points and 1.0 rebounds in 27 games last year.
"We definitely need [Brackman]," Lowe said. "He would be a major piece for us."
In addition to dealing with departures, Lowe-who was an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons last year-has been adjusting to life in the NCAA and building his program.
"In the NBA, it's pure basketball," he said. "There's just so much more involved now, and a lot of it doesn't really include basketball."
Lowe's players expect Sendek's emphasis on defense to remain the same, but the Princeton-style offense may be a thing of the past.
"It's a lot different," senior point guard Engin Atsur said. "We don't have a spread offense. We're just going to push the ball and run set plays.
"We just want to get this transition period over as quick as possible so we can have a good team."
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