Lorenzo Charles Laid To Rest

((HT: WRAL-TV))

Wake Chapel Church in Raleigh was the place where former NC State hoops star Lorenzo Charles was celebrated. He died when the charter bus he was driving wrecked on Interstate 40 earlier this week.

Former NC State basketball coach Sidney Lowe and Wolfpack players served as pall bearers while NC State coach Mark Gottfried and AD Debbie Yow spoke at the service.

Charles was buried just one space over from Coach Jim Valvano

Here's the coverage from our friends at WRAL-TV in Raleigh

TRIBUTE: ACC creates nice video memory reel for Lorenzo Charles

The Atlantic Coast Conference has created a nice video tribute to Lorenzo Charles, voiced by Mike Hogewood.



"It’s devastating," former NC State teammate Thurl Bailey told CBSSports.com from his home in Salt Lake City, hours after hearing the news from another ex-teammate, Cozell McQueen. "It’s really like losing a member of my family, a brother. It’s just way too soon. Everyone talks about [Jim] Valvano running around, but Lorenzo was really the face of the culmination of what we did."

The crash scene (Travis Long/AP)

According to the Associated Press, what caused the accident has not yet been found as of Wednesday afternoon.

BREAKING: Lorenzo Charles killed in bus wreck in Raleigh

Lorenzo Charles

((ht: wralsportsfan))

Former NC State basketball standout Lorenzo Charles died in a bus accident on I-40 in Raleigh, according to Raleigh PD.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash. Raleigh experienced heavy rain and thunderstorms, but no word yet if weather or speed was a factor. Charles was the driver of the bus, heading to Durham to pick up passengers.

The bus was owned by Elite Coach, which is a limo, bus, and charter service located in Apex, NC. 

Here are some images from WRAL's Sky5 of the accident scene:

Charles is best known for completing Dereck Whittenburg's "alley-oop" to defeat Houston in the 1983 NCAA championship game.



Here's the original story from our friends at WRAL and WRALSportsfan.com


And here's a follow-up on reaction from teammates from Raleigh...
((HT: WRALSportsfan.com))

Russell Wilson Shopping His College Football Services

[HT: The Asheville (NC) Citizen Times, WRAL]

Russell Wilson spent his off day Tuesday from the Asheville Tourists in the Class A South Atlantic League down in Auburn, Alabama checking out the Tigers. Even though Wilson has cashed a six figure check from the Colorado Rockies he can't stay away from football. Wilson is searching for a school to play for because NC State head coach Tom O'Brien made it clear that junior Mike Glennon is his starting quarterback.

Those of us in the OSG HQ know how talented Russell Wilson is, he's third in the ACC in career touchdown passes with 76 and threw for 3,563 yards last season.

We are also imagining Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn getting his hands on Wilson for a year. Might up the win total a bit for the 2010 BCS national champions.

While Wilson is shopping around for a new school to play one ACC head coach isn't impressed. Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said this Tuesday on Mark and Mike on 620 the Buzz.

"He's a tremendous player, it'll work. I'm just uninspired by that type thing. Russell Wilson is an N.C. State football player and should leave it at that. Where is he an alum from when that happens? I don't know," Cutcliffe said.

"The intent of that rule is that truly if someone wants a graduate degree from somewhere and it's not offered at their school you can immediately be eligible. I just think that's abuse of a rule. And he's a great young man. I'm very proud that he's from our conference and tremendous representative and I hate for anybody not to have a chance. But I just personally don't like that. I don't like guys all of the sudden getting waivers...and I hate to say this but it's abuse on transfer when a family member is sick and then they waive the year of transition. Appeals bother me, they seem to be funny. All of that is easily approved is what I'm getting at."

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/duke/audio/9642315/

As for the Rockies well if Wilson decides to play football this fall then a portion of his $250,000 signing bonus must be returned.

“It's a significant portion he would have to return,” Marc Gustafson, the Rockies' senior director of player development told the Asheville Citizen-Times.

Wilson did notify the Tourists that he intended to go to Auburn in persuit of resuming his football career.

“He called (Monday night) and said a lot of (college football) teams were courting him,” Gustafson said. “He said he doesn't know what he wants to do, so right now, it's all speculation.”

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20110525/SPORTS/305250035/Asheville-Tourists-infielder-Russell-Wilson-visits-Auburn?odyssey=tabtopnewstextSports

Does Wilson have a major league baseball career? Maybe but his focus isn't entirely there. Russell Wilson still wants to play football even on the professional level.

He would make a great CFL quarterback eh.

First Auburn's Trees, Now NC State's Dogs Are Poisoned

Those of us in the OSG HQ thought the poisoning of the trees at Auburn's Toomers Corner was off the charts. We had no clue there would be copy cats out there.

Four Tamaskan dogs, two directly related to NC State's mascot "Tuffy" were poisoned.

According to the Daily Advance of Elizabeth City, N.C. the dogs owner John Bannow saw the dogs acting strangely Sunday and found a large bowl containing fish that later was determined to be laced with antifreeze. The bowl was set in a freshly dug hole and covered in grass.

Tuffy's father three year old Blaze and sister 2-year old Kana Ti' along with two other dogs are recovering and will survive.

The Tamaskan breed originated in Finland and are bred to have a wolf-like appearance.

Yow: We Need More Funding...

((HT: Charlotte Observer/Tysiak))

One Deborah Yow, current Athletics Director at the North Carolina State University, feels that her program is not a top-25 program. And, subsequently, if the school doesn't spend more money in and/or toward athletics they won't ever be...

Tysiak was at a lunchtime talk with the Board of Trustees that had a lot of slides and power-pointy things...

Yow didn't hold back...

"We do not have the funding to achieve a top-25 athletic program today," she said. "We don't."

The current budget of, roughly, $55-million will have some more money added to it through the new TV contract, but Yow also thinks there are other places where revenue can be added- parking, marketing, apparel, ticket sales, and ((get this)) increasing student fees...

That last one will go over really well...

Maybe, she'd like to ask Chancellor Woodson about that with an $4-billion shortfall at present...
((HT: NCState))

Mark Gottfried Ready To Lead The NC State Wolfpack

Our friends at WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina interviewed new NC State head basketball coach Mark Gottfried Wednesday in depth. If you are a Wolfpack fan you will be very encouraged after watching this.

Gottfried even addresses Debbie Yow's comments on Maryland head coach Gary Williams on sabotaging the process.

(Thanks WRAL-TV)

Yow: Williams "Sabotaged" Search, Gottfried Official Anyway...

Debbie Yow, the former Maryland athletic director and now NCState AD, is not happy at her old school and her old hoops coach...

At the presser where Mark Gottfried was introduced as the new court boss for the Wolfpack program, a reporter asked Gottfried about whether Yow had a reputation as being difficult to work with.

Yow said she had a "reputation of not getting along with Gary Williams, who has tried to sabotage the search. Come on, we all know that."

Oops...

Williams released a statement to the Baltimore Sun saying he hasn't talked to anyone connected to the N.C. State search and that anyone who says he did "isn't being truthful."

When is that first game with NCState and Maryland again...???

WRAL's Jeff Gravely got his one-on-one with Gottfried after the fireworks...
Self-created or otherwise...


Here's the presser in all of its uneditedness...
If you want to sift through 43 minutes of Q-and-A to find the bite...

NC State settles for Mark Gottfried

Mark Gottfried/Courtesy: al.com

Congratulations. Wow, that's an inspired choice. Oh, wait, there weren't any "Big Name" coaches left? Really, did someone tell Debbie Yow that?

Well, the day after the NCAA Championship game, North Carolina State has found their man....at least for now. And that man is former Alabama coach Mark Gottfried. To his credit, Gottfried did get 'Bama to the NCAA Tourney 5-times in 11-years. Not stellar, but what can you do?

NBC-17 in Raleigh confirms the story RIGHT HERE

Apparently there is a 5pm presser scheduled in Raleigh for the announcement.

Sorry about the facetiousness of the beginning of this story, but we find this somewhat funny. The Wolfpack alumni just assumed that after letting go Sidney Lowe that great coaches would just flock to them. They didn't. And they never were going to.

While we understand they had success back in the 70's and 80's and few odd moments since, this isn't a "Top Level" ACC job. Can Gottfried get them to the North Carolina/Duke level? We doubt it. He couldn't get Alabama over the top, does anyone think that is going to change?

Basketball fans and in particular college fans need to understand, unlike football, the playing field is pretty even in hoops. There is no "BCS" keeping the mid-majors from competing for a title. And that's why NCAA Hoops is fun. Neither Butler....nor VCU would ever have been in the Tournament, much less the Final Four if Basketball worked like football does.

In the meantime, Wolfpack fans, enjoy your Mark Gottfried. We wish you luck. Maybe he will stumble across that miracle recruit than will bring you back to your past glory. But don't hold your breath...

Most of you...and us are probably too old to remember David "Skywalker" Thompson and when NC State was huge. Here's a reminder:

Does Anyone Want The NC State Job? UPDATE: Mark Gottfried Does...

[HT: packinsider.com, ]

The search to find a new head coach at NC State continues. It's been a month since Sidney Lowe stepped down. Credit athletic director Debbie Yow for keeping it private and not playing this out in the media. What NC State might be finding out is even though it's in the tradition rich ACC it's not a very desirable job. Shaka Smart, the hottest young coach in college basketball, turned NC State down. Gregg Marshall and Mack Cronin received extensions from Wichita State and Cincinnati.

So who does NC State turn to next? Who knows and exactly what is left. Yow sent this e-mail to Wolfpack fans recently asking of patience.

Dear Wolfpack Family,

I am writing to share with you the status of the search for our new head coach for men's basketball. There have been telephone conversations with successful coaches that did not develop into meetings -- sometimes because we did not wish to pursue those coaches further and sometimes because the coach involved is happy where he is.

The conversations have been candid. We have not tried to sugarcoat the challenge of rebuilding our basketball program. Our absence for 5 consecutive years from the NCAA Tournament was noted by each coach as evidence that the program is in poor shape and will require a special effort to rebuild. Finding a coach with the fight and fire to do this job has been a challenge.

That said, we will find an excellent college coach who shares the vision of what State Basketball can become and is up for the challenge. I realize there are multiple rumors surfacing about the nature of the search on websites and in newspapers.

Once our new coach is hired, I will be in a position to bring perspective to a number of those rumors. But, right now, we need to remain focused on finding a talented collegiate coach who is a fighter, full of confidence and appreciation for the opportunity to lead our basketball program back to national prominence. That will happen in spite of those who believe this cannot occur.

Wolfpack Basketball is destined for a revival. We will accept no less. Please keep the faith while we continue the search. Your emails and text messages of support have meant everything to me.

I am blessed to be your AD.

In the Spirit of the Pack,

Debbie


http://packinsider.com/2011/04/45-update-where-are-we-now/

Stay tuned.

1530 UPDATE: Mark Gottfried, the former coach at Alabama, will get the gig...

An update from the school is scheduled at 5PM eastern time...
Here's early returns from our friends at WRAL-TV
((HT: WRALSportsfan.com))

NC State gets territorial about their "Wolfpack"

NC State Mascot/Courtesy: mancavesports.org

And they are pretty determined to not let anyone else use the name. At least not in the form that they use it in.

The Raleigh, North Carolina school has apparently told tiny Loyola University that they can no longer use the name "Wolfpack" or logo because it's "Trademark Infringement". But...they did say that "For a Fee", they could use it. How generous

Read the story from the Charlotte Observer RIGHT HERE

Loyola Logo/Courtesy: loyola university

Apparently NC State had a similar dust up with the University of Nevada. That suit, required Nevada to rename themselves the"Wolf Pack" and change the mascot--slightly.

While we understand the world of "Trademark Infringement" and marketing and all that, this is just plain STUPID. We half expect to hear from NC State from either using the term "NC State" or "Wolfpack". Though we find it hard to believe that it might lead anyone to believe that NC State is sponsoring us.

Suits and legal action such as this are happening more frequently these days. And they are happening because schools and/or teams think they can make a buck off of it. Even if a school or team uses a similar name and/or logo, we find it incredibly hard to believe that there would be "Confusion" over who it represents or endorses. Which is exactly what the Assistant General Counsel, Shawn Troxler of North Carolina seems to be inferring.

And since the Washington Redskins sued the Washington Post for using the name "Redskins" in their pro football section, we'll have to let you know if we get legal paperwork from the clowns at NC State.

And because we always wanted to know what would happen if a 3rd rate mascot from a 4th rate school in the ACC did the weather, we found this which includes the NC State Mascot:



Try suing this version of the "WOLFPACK..BITCHES!"



See what happens when Tony Schiavone tried...???
((HT: WCW/TNT/youtube))

The 4-Letter's Mike Patrick Has NC State Wolfpack Fans Howling

Wednesday night during a forgettable NIT broadcast on the 4-letter, the subject of job openings in men's college basketball. Mike Patrick and his analyst Dan Dakich discussed. Then Patrick gave an opinion of the ACC openings that NC State fans took offense to.

Judge for yourself. (Thanks Youtube.com)



Those of us at the OSG HQ give Mike Patrick the benefit of the doubt as a tough-n-cheek comment that was meant to include Georgia Tech. Yellow Jacket fans aren't raising hell but Wolfpack fans are showing their fangs. How dare Mike Patrick disrespect NC State like that.

NC State is in a tough situation in men's basketball but not an impossible one. Last I checked their are two NCAA Championship banners hanging from the RBC Center.

Chalk this up as "if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all."

Photo Courtesy: ESPN

BREAKING: Sidney Lowe Is Gone...

Not that this is much of a surprise... since the HQ told you this as far back as four days ago...

Lowe, officially, "resigned" and NC State Athletic Director Debbie Yow is holding a press conference at 6PM to answer the questions she chooses to answer about the whole thing...

Now, all NC State has to do is back the armored car up to Rick Barnes' house in Austin and ask him how much of it they need to empty so he can come home...

With Coach K on one side and Roy Williams on the other, Yow needs to make a splash and win more than just the press conference.

Whether or not she can get Barnes, that would do it...

Arizona head coach Sean Miller has been targeted but indications are he's not interested in moving back to Raleigh. Miller was an assistant coach at NC State from 1996-2001 under Herb Sendeck.

Other names being floated are Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall, Old Dominion head coach Blaine Taylor, Chris Mack at Xavier and Mark Turgeon at Texas A&M.

The OSG HQ is going to miss Sidney Lowe in that fire engine red jacket.

WRAL caught up with NC State guard Lorenzo Brown and broke the news of Lowe's resignation to him.



And former NC State guard Julius Hodge added his take saying Sidney Lowe is full of wolf blood. (Thanks WRAL-TV)

Sidney Lowe to be fired at NC State

Sidney Lowe/Courtesy: fannation.com

OSG Sports sources tell us that North Carolina State will part ways with head coach and former star player Sidney Lowe if not today--Friday, sometime within the next week or so. According to our sources, the decision has already been made to fire Lowe, there was still discussion as to the timing of it.

Lowe's team lost their ACC Tournament opener 75-67 to Maryland and have finished their season at a disappointing 15-16.

There have been rumors circulating for weeks that Lowe would get to finish the season, but that will be it as the folks at NC State seem to think a change is needed as the team has gotten progressively worse over the past few seasons. The Wolfpack have struggled to carve out their identity in the Raleigh-Durham area, they are normally overshadowed by the more widely known University of North Carolina and Duke.

Lowe, in his fifth season leading the Wolfpack also had experience in the NBA as the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves and later with the Vancouver Grizzlies.

Here's some highlights of Thursday nights game from our friends at WRAL:



And Lowe's post-game press conference:

Dead Coach Walking? Sidney Lowe Takes His NC State Team To Some Graves

There seems to be some rumblings on Tobacco Road as to the job status of NC State head coach Sidney Lowe. At press time the Wolfpack are 12-7 overall, 2-3 in the ACC.

Pack fans felt this was the team to emerge out of the "red-headed step child" role NC State is mired in with the success of Duke and North Carolina in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill triangle. It just hasn't happened.

This isn't entirely Sidney Lowe's fault. NC State's roster is full of talented freshman and the best thing about freshman is that they become sophomores. (Or NBA millionaires in the one and done era.) Then the Pack's best player Tracy Smith missed several games following knee surgery.

The point is many thought NC State would be further along than they are this season.

Recently NC State celebrated the 100th year of men's basketball and this is where Sidney Lowe got creative. Lowe took his players to the grave sites of former NC State head coaches Everett Case, who established NC State as a national power when the ACC began in 1953, Jim Valvano, who won a national championship in 1983, and took the players to visit with Joan Sloan, whose husband Norm Sloan won a national championship with NC State in 1974.

"They need to know these three men," Lowe told the Raleigh News Observer. "Any time they talk about N.C. State basketball, those three men should be mentioned. These kids really got a taste of who these coaches were."

Great move by Lowe, I'm sure this adventure brought home to the players that at one time NC State was a major player in the ACC and competed for NCAA championships. It's just been almost 30 years.

We here at the OSG HQ can't help but think if things continue to be mediocre Sidney Lowe's NC State tenure might be dead and buried.

Photo Courtesy: Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News Observer

TWTW Bowling: NC State Is Champs Over WBGV

((HT: WRALSportsfan.com))

There are just those bowl games where it's easy to see that one team wanted to be there, and the other really would have liked to be someplace else- any place else other than where they were on that night.

Kinda like WBGV in Orlando playing against NC State...

The Wolfpack wanted to be there, and the Mountaineers surely didn't look like they were the least bit interested.

Russell Wilson threw for 275 yards in a 23-7 win for NC State, and now his future is in question- whether its baseball or returning for one more year of football.

"I've been blessed to have the opportunity to play football and baseball my whole life," Wilson said. "If it happens in the future that I can still do that, or if it doesn't, whatever, but I know that playing for Coach (Tom) O'Brien and playing for N.C. State — whether I do come back or not — has been a great opportunity and a great blessing.

"I'm very passionate about N.C. State and N.C. State football, and I will always be."

Here's Nate Irving, who came back from a really bad car accident to make an impact for Tom O'Brien in 2010, talking about the win...

TWTW: NC State Screws Up ACC Title Hopes Losing To Maryland

((HT: WRALSportsfan.com))

Danny O'Brien threw for a career-high 417 yards with four touchdowns to Torrey Smith. Maryland kept North Carolina State out of the ACC championship game by winning 38-31.

The Wolfpack, now 8-4/5-3, scored on their first two possessions to take a 14-0 lead. But the Terrapins, also now 8-4/5-3, rallied behind O'Brien, who made up for a running game that finished with negative yardage.

North Carolina State ends up in a second-place tie with Maryland behind Florida State, who faces Virginia Tech in the ACC championship game on December 5th.

Wolfpack coach Tom O'Brien, when asked, said about the loss: "They're really crushed. I don't think they fully comprehend what a great year they've really had, when you look at eight wins, the history of our school and how many times it's been done."

Especially when a lot of us thought NC State wouldn't be worth a flip-and-a-half.

Jason Jennings watched the end of the end...

TWTW: Clemson Win Over NC State Confirms ACC Opinion

((HT: WSPA-TV Greenville))

That they're really all just mediocre right now...

Kyle Parker threw for 214 yards and a TD as Clemson won despite themselves over 25th-ranked NC State 14-13.

The Tigers, now 5-4/3-3 in the ACC, fumbled five times, losing two of them, threw an interception, had a touchdown called back on a holding penalty and missed two short field goals.

How's that for a full day...???

The Tigers even got booed, but wouldn't you...???

The defense held the Wolfpack, now 6-3/3-2 to 275 yards total.

Todd Summers is indoors in front of a monitor...

East Carolina Gives The ACC Another Bad Loss

A couple of weeks ago NC State looked like they were for real and a team capable of winning the ACC. The Wolfpack may win the conference championship but they didn't help the reputation of the ACC losing on the road to East Carolina.

In fact, the Wolfpack gave the ACC it's first win over a BCS conference when NC State defeated Cincinnati last month.

Here's the highlights from Greenville, NC. (Thanks WRAL-TV)



Post game sound with NC State head coach Tom O'Brien. (Thanks WRAL-TV)



Post game comments from East Carolina head coach Ruffin McNeill. (Thanks WRAL-TV)

Are The Hokies Back? Virginia Tech Takes Care Of NC State

Timning is everything right. Before the NC State/Virginia Tech game Saturday NC State launched a website for quarterback Russell Wilson called russellwilson16.com. It wasn't a bad day for Wilson, 21-49 passing for 362 yards, 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Unfortunuately for Wilson and the NC State Wolfpack ran into a suddenly hot team.

Virginia Tech has been left for dead since an unexplainable loss at home to James Madison the second week of the season. Well the paddles were applied to the chest of the Hokies, my guess that happened at halftime of the East Carolina game, and suddenly Virginia Tech has mended.

After spotting NC State 17 points the Hokies come back strong, espically in the second half as Virginia Tech put up 34 points to prevail over the Wolfpack 41-30.

"We made too many mistakes to give ourselves ultimately a chance to win the football game," N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien said.

"I have been proud of this program a lot of times, but I don't know if I been ever more proud than of what we got accomplished here tonight,'' Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer said. "I think we needed this one badly.

"We just hung in there and kept believing. And things didn't look great -- it looked kinda bad matter of fact -- but we kept battling and got it cranked up in the second half, and we pulled it out.''

WRAL-TV's Jeff Gravley has the story from Carter-Finley Stadium.

NC State head coach Tom O'Brien's post game comments. (Thanks WRAL-TV)



NC State quarterback Russell Wilson says Virginia Tech just made more plays. (Thanks WRAL-TV)



More from the Virginia Tech angle from Grant Kittelson from WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, VA.