Caught in the middle of a flurry of activity during the last several weeks, which included a high-profile signing and the hiring of a new Athletic Director, men’s basketball coach Sidney Lowe was the picture of calm Tuesday morning as he addressed the media for his annual summer press conference.
Fans are just starting to get worked up for the season’s start, which the coach said is the “way it’s supposed to be.” However, Lowe said he’s not putting any undue pressure on his trio of five star recruits in point guard Ryan Harrow, shooting guard Lorenzo Brown and power forward CJ Leslie.
“I know these guys,” Lowe said. “I’ve watched them for years. I know how they are and how competitive they are. I’m going to give them all they can handle, but I don’t want them to think that they’re coming in as saviors or anything. I just want them to come in and play like they can.”
The pressure of beating conference rivals, when coupled with the usual rigors of being a student, can be a lot for a college freshman to handle. Lowe pointed to his experience coaching one-and-done center JJ Hickson during the 2007-2008 season as a positive one, saying it will help him ease Harrow, Brown and Leslie into the fold.
Despite this, he expects the freshman class to contribute early, if not right away.
“You like to think they can come in right away and help you right away, but we know how tough it is in our conference,” Lowe said. “Very few guys come in and dominate as freshmen, so I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on these guys. They’re going to take some bumps, but they’re going to do more good things than bad and be great for our program for years to come.”
Lowe also has specific knowledge regarding what it’s like being an untested point guard on a team looking for answers, having gone through the process himself. He said he will look to senior Javi Gonzalez to help Harrow grow and develop.
“I know Ryan Harrow will have some ups and downs, but he will get it,” Lowe said. “We also have a senior at that position in Javi who can support him.”
Gonzalez and second-team All-ACC selection Tracy Smith are expected to benefit from the extra coverage that is all but assured for Harrow, Brown and Leslie. Smith, who tested the draft waters earlier in the summer, has much to teach and much to gain from the three newcomers, according to Lowe.
“I hope it will make it a little bit easier for [Smith],” Lowe said. “Nothing is easy, but hopefully it will open it up and maybe he’ll get a few more easy baskets. We’re going to move him around quite a bit, play him at the four spot.”
A handful of Pack players, including Johnny Thomas, Josh Davis and Julius Mays, didn’t see a place for themselves on this revamped team and opted to transfer for the 2010-2011 season.
But even after those departures, the only reason depth might be a problem, Lowe said, is in case of injury.
“We’re two-deep at each position and I feel pretty comfortable because we have guys who can move around,” Lowe said. “We’re covered but certainly injuries always can change things.”
