College Hoops Rumors: Can Ryan Harrow Beat Sidney Lowe's Learning Curve?

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

Scout.com Photo

Have you had the chance to tune in to the NC Pro Am? If not, I'll fill you in on how NC State's big three has done thus far. Well, their big-three looks great. No chemistry issues or anything that could possibly hurt the team heading into this season. 

However, even though the trio seems to be working well together, Sidney Lowe believes Ryan Harrow isn't ready for the challenges of college basketball.

About a week ago, Sidney Lowe hinted towards a learning curve for the freshmen Harrow.

For one reason; many people look at Harrow and say he isn't ready for the college game. 

He is 6-foot and smaller than most guards. Everyone complains about his lack of bulk but forgets about his ability as a basketball player.

Since hinting at the learning curve, Harrow has been "Working hard every day to be the best."

In fact, he stated "The motivation for me is them telling me what I cannot be."

Definitely with that kind of mindset, Harrow will be able to beat the learning curve hinted by Sidney Lowe. He is too dominant and a superstar caliber player. He is certainly one that doesn't deserve the learning curve.

A point guard is the key to any big three. Harrow, Lorenzo Brown and C.J. Leslie on the same court together can cause damage. However, without Harrow leading them, I don't think they can be as good as they should be.

Harrow is a complete point guard that will make players around him better. With his vision and passing skills, he will make Brown and Leslie play to their full ability. 

Not to mention, he will score from the backcourt as well.

So just a short message to Sidney Lowe and Wolfpack fans out there; Ryan Harrow will be on the court for NC State as a true freshman. He will beat the learning curve and prove to his coach that he deserves to be on the court.

He has had to prove himself all of his life. Not one time has it failed. So why would a downfall start now?

NC State Has The Best Freshmen Trio In College Basketball

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Before the 2009-10' season, if you said NC State could beat Duke I would have told you how crazy that sounded.

However, the Wolfpack were able to defeat Duke with just a solid roster last season. 

Not just Duke but they also defeated a very defensive-minded Florida State team and Wake Forest. Not to mention, all three of those teams were ranked inside the top 25 at the time of the defeat.

So with that in mind, don't you think with the recruiting class the Wolfpack acquired this year, added on to the success last year; do you think they'll have a chance to be one of the better teams in the NCAA?

Well let's dig deep. In the 2010 recruiting class, the Wolfpack brought in Ryan Harrow, C.J Leslie, and Lorenzo Brown. They required other recruits, but these three collectively turned heads once they committed.

Harrow is the lead guard. He has the ability to get anywhere on the court with his ball-handling skills. On top of that, he is equipped with great vision and passing skills. For some reason, I think scouts overlooked Harrow because of his height. 

But even at 6-foot even, I believe Harrow will be the best freshmen guard in the country. He has a great head on his shoulder, very dedicated and a skilled player on the court.

Harrow has all the intangibles you need to succeed at the college level. Once he adds more bulk to his frame, I don't think any guard in the country will be able to hold him one-on-one.

As for C.J. Leslie, he is what will make the big-three successful. He has length, toughness, attitude--not the bad one--and the ability to take over games.

He is listed as a power forward, but watching him you can tell he'd be more comfortable at the three.

He has had success catching the ball outside the arc and working his way inside. Not to mention, he will be a great addition to the pick-and-roll offense. With his length and leaping ability, you can throw him a lot of passes and expect a finish.

On defense, Leslie is an improving shot blocker. His length forces a lot of players to try to shoot over him. Regardless if he records a block or not, his length and commitment on defense will allow him to be successful.

It won't matter if he is on the low-block or the wing, Leslie will be create match-up problems at any position.

Now lastly, Lorenzo Brown and Harrow will complement each other well in the backcourt. They're particularly the same but Brown has more height.

If Brown wanted to, I think he could be a great lead guard. He has great ball-handling skills, vision and the ability to score a lot on offense.

He has great size at 6-foot-4 and his ability to attack the rim cannot be taught.

I often witness him doing a nifty crossover move that freezes the defender. Once that happens, either he is still attacking or hitting the jump-shot.

Overall these three players will have a big year together. At the NC Pro Am, I witnessed great team chemistry and the winning mentality at all cost. There were no issues on who would be the most dominant in the offense.

No player tried to steal the spotlight or anything. It was all great teamwork displayed by the three and they'll be a great trio to watch once the season comes around.

Each of these players will have the chance to leave the program after one year. However, I don’t think that will happen. Each of these players will give the Wolfpack at least two years of college ball before thinking about a pro-career.

Sidney Lowe Ryan Harrow Has To Prove You Wrong To?

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

While doing my daily search of college basketball news, I noticed that Sidney Lowe the Head Coach of the NC State set the bar low for Ryan Harrow.

Now my initial reaction was that he had a few bad games. However, after visiting his twitter account, he hasn't disappointed.

So, basically Sidney Lowe is saying Harrow will not be what everybody is expecting.

The last person I would have thought Ryan Harrow would have to prove wrong was his coach. This is the guy that recruited him. Now, he is supposedly lowering the bar for Harrow?

That makes no sense.

I guess the 6-foot guard will prove him wrong like the rest of the nation. Lowering the bar for Harrow will only make him look that much better.

Sidney Lowe It's Time To Put Up, Or Shut Up

Posted by CoHoops DeAnte Mitchell

The NC State Wolfpack signed Sidney Lowe to be their Head Coach in 2006. In his first season, he led the Wolfpack to a (20-16) record, the ACC Championship title game, and a NIT Berth.

It was all a step-down from what NC State achieved the season before. 

The following year, the Wolfpack didn’t achieve a winning record and ended the season on a nine-game losing streak. It wasn't like they had scrubs on their team either. NC State was equipped with J.J. Hickson and Gavin Grant.

In the 2008-09 season, the Wolfpack did end the season above .500, defeated a ranked opponent, but besides that, the season did amount to anything.

Now let's talk about last season. The Wolfpack improved their record and was granted a NIT berth, defeated the eventual National Champions, but other than that, nothing significant happen to praise Sidney Lowe as a great coach.

But this year, the chances of the Wolfpack finally making Sidney Lowe look like a good coach is very likely. 

First off C.J Leslie, the Word of God standout will be suiting up for the Wolfpack next season. He is considered to be a 6-foot-9 power forward, but in my mind, I believe he is more of a wing threat. 

He has ball-handling skills, a jump-shot and the ability to score at will in the post. 

Leslie is the most versatile player that Sidney Lowe acquired this off-season.

I expect to see him playing inside-out depending on how Lowe adjusts to his game.

Next, we have Ryan Harrow. Harrow is a 6-foot guard that has handles for days. He has the ability to get anywhere on the court. With that, follows elite passing and vision.

At 6-foot even, Harrow is very long guard. He displays good leaping skills and explosiveness.

Harrow is the most underrated player in the recruiting class. He was tabbed inside ESPN, Rivals and Scouts top 100 prospects but people still question his ability to play at the collegiate level.

He is smaller than most guards but like he said when he was a child, "size doesn't matter; it’s how big your heart is."

Lastly, Lorenzo Brown will be joining the two at NC State. Last year in the 2009 recruiting class, Brown was considered one of the best in the class. However, he took another route before enrolling at NC State.

Brown is a 6-foot-4 guard that can do whatever he wants on the court. He kind of reminds me of Evan Turner. He has great ball-handling ability, not really flashy, but does get the job done.

Brown scores in many ways. His destine position should be at the two but with his vision and passing skills I could see him playing the one.

Brown will be the x-factor on this team. They will have Harrow running the show, Leslie in the post and Brown on the wing.

I expect to see Brown come in and help the Wolfpack contend in the ACC.

Now as for Sidney Lowe, this is your chance to prove that you can coach. You have now surrounded yourself with Elite talent, and now it's time to execute.

The Wolfpack fans are anxious to see what is next for the program. They are going to expect more than NIT Berths, wins over ranked opponents, and stuff that only matters in the regular season. 

They want to see NC State in the NCAA Tournament. Not just getting there, they want to see wins in the tournament.

It is now time for Sidney Lowe to put up or shut up. Can you handle the pressure? I sure hope he can. NC State is jam-packed with too much talent.

It's NC State's time to shine in College Basketball. One way or the other, Head Coach Sidney Lowe will prove if he is either a great coach or a potent recruiter.

North Carolina State Wolpack 2010-11 Season Preview

North Carolina State Wolfpack

2009-10 Record: 20-16

2009-10 ACC Record: 5-11

Last season was a pretty off season for the Wolfpack. They just couldn't seem to get things right. Inconsistent, is the perfect word to describe their season. 

However, all wasn't bad for the Wolfpack. They were able to defeat the National Champion Duke Blue Devils by 14, and competed against every top 25 team they played.