Sidney Lowe has finally seen the remains of Herb Sendek's recruiting classes leave NC State, and a shift in style should finally be seen this season. Lowe has been itching to play a more up-tempo style since he stepped back onto campus as the coach, but his personnel never let him. This season should be an opportunity for Lowe to play "his way."
Lowe will once again enter the season with question marks at the point guard position. Lowe used a three-headed point guard last season in the trio of Javier Gonzalez, Farnold Degand, and Julius Mays. Lowe gave none of the three consistent playing time, but it appears Gonzalez is the front-runner for the position this season. Degand appears most likely to be lost in the shuffle as his explosiveness has never returned after hurting his knee 2 seasons ago. Mays is a sophomore who made some big plays last season and should challenge Gonzalez for minutes. Freshman Scott Wood should step in at the shooting guard position. Wood has already scored 12 points on 4-4 three point shooting in NC State's first exhibition game, and instantly became a fan favorite. On the wing, CJ Williams will bring athleticism and defensive presence to the Pack. Williams' offensive capabilities are still developing, but Lowe sees potential in the sophomore. Johnny Thomas will see some minutes at the 3 as well. Thomas is simply looking for a healthy season after being injury plagued each of his first two years on campus.
In the frontcourt, everything should go through Tracy Smith. Smith was given the moniker of "the macrowave" (similar to former Detroit Piston Vinnie "Microwave" Johnson) due to his ability to enter games and heat up quickly. Smith has the ability to finish through contact and attacks the offensive boards at will. Next to Smith will likely be senior Dennis Horner. Horner is one of Sendek's final recruits on campus, and has the ability to stretch defenses on offense but is still tall enough to rebound effectively. Coming off the bench should be former Florida recruit DeShawn Painter. Painter is an athletic 6'8" player who needs to put on weight to be effective in the ACC. Due to the lack of frontcourt depth, Painter will be asked to contribute right away. Australian, Jordan Vandenberg, should also see a few minutes per game in the post and brings good size to the floor.
While Lowe has talent on his roster that better fits his system, its going to be a long season in Raleigh. Typically teams with less talent like to slow the tempo, but Lowe wants to do the opposite. More possessions means more chances to fail for a lesser talented team and more chances for NC State to make mistakes. For that reason, Lowe appears to be shoving a square peg into a round hole, and one has to wonder if Lowe may be on his way out before he gets a chance to win in his system.
by The Webmaster
Fantasy Player to Watch
Tracy Smith was used on the highest percentage of possessions (while in the game) in the conference a season ago. This season, his minutes will increase but expect his usage rates to stay the same. Smith should be a double-double machine this year and make for a great fantasy player.
Don't forget Richard Howell and Josh Davis - 11/9/2009 2:56:03 PM
I noticed that Richard Howell and Josh Davis didn't show up in the list of new players at the top of the page. Howell is injured at the moment, but keep an eye on him once he returns -- he's a beast.
WebMaster
Howell and Davis - 11/9/2009 3:16:24 PM
James, thanks for pointing out these two. Howell is 6'7" and 215 lbs and is better offensive freshman than Painter. Howell prefers to play facing the basket and could see some time at both forward positions.
Davis is a local Raleigh product from Athens Drive high school and at 6'6" is most likely suited for the small forward position. I wouldn't foresee Davis getting a ton of minutes as a freshman.
