What is going on with the Men’s Basketball program? This offseason has been tumultuous even by NC State standards. Some of the moves were foreseen, while others have been puzzling to say the least. Lets look at some of the big headlines and dig a little deeper as to what is happening…

Coach Moxley taking a different position in the program…

This move makes perfect sense, Coach Moxley had serious health issues last offseason and was not really capable physically to handle the demands needed for an assistant coach. His whole demeanor was different on the sidelines, and I am sure that this affected him mentally. I will be the first to say that Coach Moxley is one of fiercest competitors that I have ever been around. He was fiery and intense to a point where you either stepped up or stepped out. The players always found a little extra for Rob Moxley in his drills. I believe he will be a vital asset to the Pack in his new role as Director of Player Personnel. In this role he will help in player development and in setting up on campus recruiting visits. His knowledge and experience will be utilized in this position.

Cody and Caleb Martin transferring…

This may of seemed like a shock for many NC State fans, and was probably frustrating. Many fans echoed the same story, “Gottfried cannot keep players.” While it is troubling it seems like the Martins wanted a guaranteed minutes allotment for next season. Mark Gottfried cannot guarantee minutes for any player, they determine their minutes through their work ethic and play on the court. Sorry but the Martins had some good moments but by and large they were not up to the challenge. Both struggled defensively and offensively. They had their opportunity this season to earn their stripes and didn’t. I believe that there was room for one Martin, but not two, especially considering they play the same position. Now I applaud Coach G for sticking to his guns and not giving in to demands or outside pressures. It would of been nice to have the added depth but if they were expecting 30 minutes apiece then that was not going to work.

Cat Barber going pro…

This was expected and the staff did a great job at covering themselves for this by landing Dennis Smith Jr. NC State also has Terry Henderson, Torn Dorn, and Maverick Rowan to play the perimeter. Coach Gottfried shouldn’t be too concerned about his perimeter play this season. Sure a back-up point guard would be nice, but both Henderson and Dorn are more than capable of filling that void in spot situations.

Coach Lutz moves into a new role…

If Lutz would have just moved into this role it would of been understood, but he has had his name tossed around for potential Head Coaching jobs, and the same day he accepted the new role he was linked to a move to Georgia Tech. It was a whirlwind of rumors that lead to him staying at NC State, albeit in a different role. On the flip side NC State losses a great basketball mind on the staff, but at age 58 Lutz was not very active in recruiting. This really left the Pack shorthanded on the recruiting trail as Moxley was still recovering. The silver lining to this move is that Lutz will be a great tool for NC State moving forward in his administration role and State hires another coach that will be a good recruiter.

Hiring Butch Pierre…

Gottfried went with a proven commodity as he hired former Oklahoma State Associate Head Coach Butch Pierre. Pierre has been around the college landscape his whole career and will be a great assistant under Gottfried. It is noted that Pierre is one of the top recruiters in college basketball and has a keen defensive mindset. Oklahoma State finished 3rd in points allowed per game in the Big 12 a season ago. Hopefully Pierre can help implement some new defensive schemes to alleviate the porous defense the Pack have employed the past few seasons.

Hiring Heath Schroyer…

To replace Lutz, Mark Gottfried hired Heath Schroyer former head coach at UT Martin. On the surface I am sure many like myself were less than excited about the hire, but upon more research it seems that Schroyer could be an excellent fit for the Pack. In his first season at UT Martin he had the biggest turnaround in wins for a first year head coach that year, taking a team that only won 8 games prior to his arrival and winning 21 games in his first year. That is a big improvement regardless of competition level. Not only was he successful as the head coach but he was a great assistant at UNLV. In his three seasons with the Runnin’ Rebels, Schroyer helped the program win 71 games, 7 wins over ranked opponents, two top 10 recruiting classes, and helped land a future #1 overall pick in the NBA; Anthony Bennett.

Another side note on Schroyer is he is from Maryland and went to high school at DeMatha High School, where he played for Morgan Wootten, whose 1,274 wins as a head coach are the second most in the history of basketball at any level. So Schroyer has plenty of experience and recruiting connections across the country!

Another reason why Gottfried mentioned why he wanted Schroyer is because he is a great in-game coach. This will help with the loss of Lutz who was utilized for his in-game coaching. NC State could benefit from the new voices around the program. Hopefully both Schroyer and Pierre can bring in some new ideas that will help NC State in getting back to the NCAA Tournament and challenge for the ACC.

Malik Abu transferring? Or going to the NBA?…Or neither? 

The report by Jeff Goodman of ESPN was a shocker to say the least, I thought Abu would test the NBA and find out he is not ready, then come back to State and have a solid Junior campaign. I still cannot understand why Abu would rather transfer than play for State next season. At State he will be the key player in the post, and would have plenty of touches. He will be playing along side Dennis Smith Jr., who is widely regarded as a program changing point guard. Smith is more than willing to distribute and is a great floor leader. He is a winner! Not only would Abu have a great point guard but he will have Terry Henderson and Torn Dorn. All the scouting reports on these two suggest that they will be solid contributors who bring versatility on offense and defense. Then throw in the fact that Maverick Rowan will be improved gives State a chance to have some real balance on the offensive end.

If Abu is not in Red & White come next season, the Pack will be against the 8 ball once more. Abu should be a walking double-double next season and could really make a name for himself. Whoever is trying to steer Abu away from the Pack would be doing him a huge disservice. Hopefully Abu can look at the positives and recognize that NC State offers him the best chance at succeeding!

Your Thoughts…

I am curious am I in the wrong at thinking Abu should stay? Being completely unbiased I still believe that State is the best option for him. As far as the other changes, I think it can be a positive that some new coaches are in tow, nothing against the former coaches, but sometimes new perspectives are needed.

How does Wolfpack nation feel about the state of the Men’s Basketball program? I am concerned as well about the turnover in players and would like to see improvements defensively, but I do not think Gottfried deserves to be fired. He has done some great things with our program, but the rest of this offseason and next season could make or break Coach Gottfried.