Oh Sweet Relief...Mark Gottfried?

My apologies on the late follow-up to the passion-inducing story of N.C. State's basketball coaching search.

It ended unexpectedly with ESPN analyst and former college coach Mark Gottfried being named the new head coach of the Wolfpack.

Gottfried posted a 277-152 record at Murray State and Alabama including five NCAA Tournament appearances for the Crimson Tide in 11 seasons.

His results were fairly consistent until the end of his tenure, when he was forced to resign mid-season during the 2008-09 campaign.

There have been rumblings about questionable recruiting practices under Gottfried. The most notable was when he contacted Wake Forest commitment Tony Woods to attempt to get him at Alabama the day after Demon Deacon coach Skip Prosser died unexpectedly of a heart attack.

It'll be interesting to see how it pans out with Gottfried and State. It's safe to say he's an upgrade over the dismissed Sydney Lowe, but many a warm-body with heartbeat can make that claim.

Interestingly enough, I insinuated in my last post on the matter that N.C. State athletic director Debbie Yow was thought to be difficult to work for and part of the unusual succession of coaches in Raleigh.

During Mark Gottfried's introduction press conference, Yow, rather dramatically accused Maryland head coach Gary Williams of trying to sabotage the Wolfpack coaching search.

"I have a reputation of not getting along with Gary Williams, who has tried to sabotage the search. Come on, we all know that. OK, so whatever," Yow said.

Apparently, she and Williams have a long-standing feud dating back to Yow's time at Maryland. Williams is a prickly guy sometimes and Yow seems to be the same. I'm sure they're both lovely to work with.

I said the other day that this was an important hire, and it was. It certainly wasn't what N.C. State fans were looking for, but it was a decent choice after being spurned by State's top choices.

I'd give the hire a C+ at first glance. Gottfried will have more name recognition on the recruiting trail, but again that's where he likes to cause controversy.

Ultimately, don't expect a Steve Lavin type of charge put into the 'Pack next year with their new announcer-turned-coach, but they will be a bit better and that's a start.

N.C. State Still Looking For New Basketball Coach

I'd just like to take a moment to witness and make fun of the North Carolina State basketball program and athletic department as they flounder to replace former coach Sydney Lowe, who was fired this season after amassing an 86-78 record during his time in Raleigh.

Lowe was a baffling hire at the time. He was a State alumnus and was part of their 1983 Jim Valvano-coached National Champion squad, but he had posted a career record of just 79-228 as a head man in the NBA when hired to lead the Wolfpack.

Of course, Lowe was hired to replace longtime coach Herb Sendek, who was dismissed after five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (something Lowe never accomplished) and a 191-132 record at N.C. State.

Sendek went to the postseason in nine out of his ten seasons with the Wolfpack but was ultimately rewarded with a pink slip.

Now comes the news that flavor-of-the-month coach Shaka Smart from VCU chose to stay in Richmond after being offered the N.C. State job. Wichita State's Gregg Marshall was also a candidate, but is also choosing to stay at his current position.

So what does it say when an ACC team can't attract basketball coaches from mid-major schools?

It's partly a reflection of the mid-majors stepping up their payments, Smart is due a base salary of $1.2 million a year.

But also, it speaks rather poorly of N.C. State's athletic department. Athletic Director Debbie Yow is apparently no cup of tea to work for and the State fans still suffer from the delusion that their basketball program matters outside of Raleigh.

N.C. State is in a position to make a move in the ACC and reclaim what once was fleetingly theirs. But, this is a massively important hire, one which needs to be much improved from their result of the last search for a head coach.