Quote Originally Posted by Duvall View Post
At what point does State's fabulous basketball tradition become as irrelevant as CCNY's? State's glory days are now a distant memory not just for potential recruits, but for parents of potential recruits.

State does have the advantage of a large and engaged fanbase, which matters a lot. But it's not clear how much tradition still helps them.
To high school kids being recruited, State's championships from 74 and 83 are already irrelevant...and they're probably not sure if the Everett Case years happened before or after dinosaurs became extinct.

To NC State fans, that history will never become irrelevant. Whether or not it's a realistic hope for State to compete on an even level with Duke and UNC, the Wolfpack fans have the legitimate pride that their program was the foundation of Tobacco Road basketball. Yes, they've been long surpassed by Duke and UNC. Doesn't matter. Their fans aren't going to settle on a coach that makes them a somewhat more respectable third best program in the Triangle, they aren't going to settle for middle of the pack ACC finishes while Duke and UNC take turns winning ACC championships, and they aren't going to settle for occassional sweet 16s when we're making the final four.

And they shouldn't. They do have a great, rich basketball history, they have great facilities, they play in an elite basketball conference, and, as we've seen right here at Duke, a college program like that is one great hire away from being a national power.

I had hoped Sidney would get the job done at State, and I still hope he will (though I doubt it at this point), but if he doesn't, why shouldn't the State fans hope to hire some fresh faced Polish guy from a sorry program like Army and enjoy a return to basketball glory?