Oof. Talk about your gut punches. It was a done deal, wasn’t it? Calipari was coming to NC State and he would (by any means necessary) build the program back up so that it was once again challenging Duke and Carolina for conference supremecy. Coach Cal would fit right in and maybe he’d even get Coach K to threaten to kill him in a press conference. Wolfpack nation was giddy with anticipation. The only question was when the press conference would be.
But then – poof – the dream ended. We’ll probably never know all the reasons why it fell apart.
So, what now? The A-List candidates are pretty much out of the question now. For one thing, there aren’t many left, for another, now that two top guys have said no any other top guy will have doubts by default, and finally, no big name coach will want to be seen as the third choice.
From reports, LSU’s Mr. Misty Champagne is next on the Lee Fowlers checklist. Yawn. Other than his wife, John Brady doesn’t do anything for me. Yeah, they made the Final Four, but that seemed more like a team of raw talent than a well-coached squad. Because of their location, LSU has always had talent. There’s no reason to think that Brady could pull those sorts of players to Raleigh.
If not Brady, then Fowler will probably have to go the more traditional route – an up-and-coming mid-major (or minor program) coach. The problem with that is that the fan base is tired of waiting. They don’t want a guy who can build. They want a guy who can WIN NOW! Sorry guys, I don’t think that’s going to happen now.
Oof indeed. I hope they locked the doors of the bell tower. Wouldn’t want to have to clean up any fans off of the bricks.