MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — When Da’Sean Butler made his first of two free throws with three seconds remaining in Tuesday night’s game, it gave the Mountaineers a four-point lead and ultimately ended N.C. State’s NIT run and coach Sidney Lowe’s first season at the helm.
But even though it ended on a negative note in the quarterfinals of the NIT, Lowe was able to reflect on the year.
“This is one of the most gratifying experiences I’ve had with a team in my 16 years of coaching,” he said.
Before the season began, the ACC media picked the Wolfpack to finish in last place in the conference. And after a 1-5 start in the league that included a home blowout at the hands of Triangle-rival Duke, that’s exactly where the team was.
But by the end of the regular season, State’s young, undermanned roster of mostly Herb Sendek recruits found a way to finish 10th in the conference. Then in the postseason, the team again exceeded expectations and made a run to the finals of the ACC Tournament, won two games in the NIT and finished the year with 20 wins.
Not bad, according to junior forward Gavin Grant.
“People didn’t expect us to do anything this year. But we actually won 20 games,” Grant said. “And in any program 20 wins is a good season. We had some ups and downs, but I thought coach Lowe did a great job. At times when we tried to get discouraged he wouldn’t let us.”
Chairman of the Board of Trustees Wendell Murphy, who made the trip to Morgantown, W.Va., echoed Grant’s sentiments and specifically praised Lowe’s coaching ability.
“We had an outstanding season considering the limited number of players that we had that we could count on,” Murphy said. “And [Lowe] clearly demonstrated he could coach from the bench and get the most out of what he has to work with.”
Grant said the coach was so involved at times, that he seemed more like a player than a coach.
“He was basically playing half the games,” Grant said. “He was as sweaty as us at halftime and after the games.”
Perhaps of those 20 wins this season though, two will standout most to Pack fans — the home win against North Carolina and the opening round ACC Tournament victory over Duke. To beat both rivals in one season was something the previous coach hadn’t done since 2003.
“[Lowe] made a statement about how there are three teams in the Triangle now,” Grant said. “It’s no longer just Duke and Carolina. He put N.C. State back on the map.”
So now the question is, what does Lowe do for an encore?
With a highly rated recruiting class coming in next year and the return of four starters, senior guard Engin Atsur, whose college career ended Tuesday, sees only positive things on the horizon.
“There’s a bright future for the Wolfpack,” Atsur said.
