A homecoming welcome awaited new N.C. State basketball coach Sidney Lowe as he entered Paul Derr Track on Saturday night.
And for Lowe, the point guard for the school’s 1983 national championship team, it was a sight to see.
“I can’t explain how touching it is for me to see all of you here,” Lowe said as he addressed the near-capacity crowd through a bullhorn.
He praised the State fans for their passion and their support.
Lowe then sought to identify with the fans by speaking of his faith in the basketball program’s potential.
“You know what you have in me because I’m someone who believes,” Lowe said.
He told the fans focusing on State rather than comparing the program with those at other schools is central to doing better against local rivals Duke and North Carolina.
Zeke Honeycutt, a graduate student in economics, said he agreed with Lowe’s apporach.
“That’s the right philosophy to take into it — not worrying about the other person, worrying about yourself,” Honeycutt said.
Stephanie Everidge, a senior in biology, said Lowe would be able to communicate the intensity of the school’s rivalries to his players because of his own experience.
“[Former coach Herb] Sendek could really do that because he didn’t go here,” Everidge said.
Matthew Jones, a graduate student in biological engineering, said he wasn’t sure if Lowe’s presence would have much of an effect on State’s rivalries.
He said, though, that the coaching change offered a chance for a brighter future for the program.
“It’s something new. It holds a lot of potential,” Jones said. “Definitely, the fan base is energized, so that’s a really big thing.”
Lowe finished his remarks to the crowd by offering a hopeful view of the future.
“We’re going to restore this thing to where it should be,” Lowe said.
He then shook hands with fans, signed autographs, received hugs and took pictures for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, Kenneth Lee, class of 1988, and other fans spoke more than just words of welcome. They encouraged Lowe to help sophomore center Cedric Simmons decide to stay in school rather than remaining in the NBA Draft.
“Don’t let Simmons get away,” Lee said.
After the speech to the fans and the time talking individually with them, Lowe said as he walked away that he wants to help the team to get where he once was as a player.
“We want to get back to that final game of the year…That’s our goal,” Lowe said.
Honeycutt said Lowe is the type of coach who can make good on that type of talk.
“He’ll bring in a new brand of player, somebody who wants to play in the NBA, somebody who’ll take us to the championship,” Honeycutt said.
