State of the Pack: The Pursuit of Gottfried
Yesterday it was reported by several outlets that Wolfpack Coach Mark Gottfried was THE choice among UCLA alumni for their head coaching vacancy. Some also said he would take the job if offered.
IMHO the UCLA job is a step down. Not to demean them, historically they have us beat, but the John Wooden era is long over. Heck, moving from any ACC school to another conference is probably a step in the wrong direction, at least when it comes to basketball.
This correspondent was outraged that he might consider such a move. I was going to write a scathing post, but real life intervened and I didn’t have time yesterday.
By this afternoon, the news had changed somewhat. Coach G tweeted last night that he is committed to State, and UCLA is apparently moving in a different direction, wooing Butler’s Brad Stevens. So I took a deep breath and wadded up my mental notebook paper, missing the trash can as usual, even in my mind. For now, this looks like a non-issue.
More basketball news: Lorenzo Brown announced today his intent to skip his senior season and enter the NBA draft. He and Gottfried feel that he will be a first-round pick; I think second round is more realistic. While we will of course miss him, we thank him for his time at State and wish him the best. He can probably learn more about the NBA and what it will take to succeed there by making the jump, even if it means riding the pine for a while.
That’s it for now. Enjoy the tournament and I hope your team makes the Final Four, especially if it is one of the two remaining ACC or one of the “future” teams. And have a great Easter weekend.
The Confidential 