In what would be a bold move, the NC State Wolfpack are wooing Memphis coach John Calapari. This move would/could put NC State back on the elitist map they were in the 1970s and 1980s when they captured two National Championships and created icons like David Thompson and Jim Valvano.
It would put State on the relevance scale just a tad behind Triangle rivals North Carolina and Duke. Those schools have dominated the Triangle [Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill] over the past two decades while NC State slid back amid point shaving scandals and poor management. This also would be the only big time coaching get for a Triangle school aside from UNC's landing of Roy Williams just three years ago. Even guys like Dean Smith and Coach K were relative unknowns before they got their jobs.
It would also be a bold move for Calapari....who would be leaving a comfortable situation in Memphis to take this job. He'd leave Memphis, where he would pretty much own that conference like Jerry Tarkanian owned the Big West in the late 80s and early 90s. He leave Memphis where he's had a great time recruiting [just imagine if all the guys he landed didn't jump to the NBA] against a bunch of nobodies. But, he'd arrive at State with the task of trying to bring back that program to the level that Duke and North Carolina have obtained. If he did so, the Triangle would strengthen their grip even more as the hotbed of hoops.
You'd have the firey Coach K....now, ironically, the "dean" of ACC coaches and the most accomplished coach east of Texas Tech. You'd have the equally firey Roy Williams and his "aw shucks" attitude...yet the winningest coach in the game right now. Then the firey John Calapari....the lone one with NBA coaching experience.
Of course, would Calapari be able to recruit as well in Raleigh?? I think so. NC State has great facilities and an NBA-ready arena. It is the ACC....so recruits know that every game they play will be on TV. Going against Duke and Carolina on the court and in the standings is a plus too. And while Calapari may lose some guys to Carolina and Duke [what program doesn't] he will be able to fish a few away....especially ones who may fear those school's "systems" to Calapari's style of play. Not to mention that Wake Forest and coach Skip Prosser is just a stone's throw away.
If he cannot recruit as well there...he may be in trouble. This isn't the Atlantic 10 where he had UMass dominating. This isn't Conference USA where he needed an exodus of Cincinnati, Marquette and Louisville to grab a stranglehold. This is the ACC where you got to bring it if you want to get ahead. Duke, Carolina and Wake have been at the mountaintop of this conference. Maryland has fallen a bit....but they have a title they won just 5 years ago. Boston College is now in the mix. Ga Tech's been to a title game with Paul Hewitt. Florida State and Miami are improved. Virginia is on the rise.
And this is a school that ran out a coach [Herb Sendek] that only took them to 5-straight NCAA tournaments and a Sweet 16 appearance.
As much as I hate State....this would be an interesting move to say the least. Not only would Duke-UNC be a hated rivalry.....but the UNC-State rivalry [which has picked up in recent years] would be bloodshed again.
Yet, this could be just a money ploy for Calapari. As i said, he has a good thing going at Memphis. State recently flirted with Texas' Rick Barnes [who used to coach in the ACC for Clemson]....but Barnes turned it down after Texas gave him a raise. Memphis has stated that they will match State's offer for Calapari....so this could be more of a financial move than anything.
If Calapari turns it down....expect State to go after LSU's John Brady who is one of the hottest and underpaid coaches in the nation.
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