On Saturday night many Wolfpack fans were watching the N.C. State versus Duke basketball game — and a few didn’t bother. A few fans tried to remain optimistic that the Pack could make a miracle win. However, many fans plastered less-than-optimistic comments on social sites that the Pack had no hope of winning against Duke.
A quick look after the embarrassing Duke game showed various comments like “Duke scored 53 points in one half while NCSU only scored 52 the entire game.” Other comments were asking Sidney Lowe to just step down or for Debbie Yow to fire him immediately. Nationally televised sports networks are also saying Lowe’s career is in trouble — and have been reporting this for two consecutive years. Still, Lowe is at the helm.
Lowe came to N.C. State with a few issues. There were questions about him not being qualified because he had not yet completed his degree. He was still under consideration as a coach and eventually graduated, but former Athletic Director Lee Fowler may have hired Lowe even when he had not fulfilled educational requirements. Many fans cautiously welcomed him while sports commentators and loyal fans shared the opinion that the Wolfpack basketball program might still be facing an uphill climb.
He currently has the worst record of any coach in the history of N.C. State basketball. While an NBA coach, Lowe had a 79-228 (.257) record for the Timberwolves and Grizzlies. He also has the lowest winning percentage in the history of the NBA of anyone who coached at least 300 games. Yet expecting improved results, N.C. State still hired Lowe. What has since occurred have been embarrassing losses to conference and non-conference teams. Most importantly to fans, not one ACC championship title or a trip to the NCAA tournament has been attained.
For nearly five years, many online Wolfpack fan boards have been stating that Sidney Lowe was not the correct choice as a University coach. While many fans appreciate what he did for the Wolfpack as a player, many of those same fans feel his coaching is not what the Pack needs today.
While many fans are appreciative of Coach Lowe for perhaps giving his best to coach the Wolfpack, most of them strongly feel that it’s time for him to step down. N.C. State fans want this coaching experiment to stop –and for Sidney Lowe to be replaced.
