The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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48 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2016-17 Pack was fresh off its second Sweet 16 ap- pearance in four years. Smith came from a family of Wolfpack fans, but he himself tended to be more neu- tral growing up, he said. However, Smith said that he has always crafted an under- dog approach, which led to a natural draw towards the Pack. "That's what NC State has," Smith noted. "NC State is definitely the under- dog. [Gottfried] turning it into a winning program was something to see, and I liked it a lot. "That played a big part in recruiting me." Smith noted that other than year five, an injury-riddled season that provided Gott- fried with his one losing record in five years, "there was just a lot of winning." "Since he's been here, it's a winning program," Smith noted. "If I say so myself, it's been something to see." Selling a winning brand at NC State to attract a recruit of Smith's caliber, a con- sensus five-star prospect that many tout as a one-and-done and high lottery pick, is a tribute to Gottfried, Glenn noted. "Consistent success in college basketball involves a number of things, but it's first and foremost about recruiting, and Coach Gottfried and his staff have left some very important, positive marks in that regard as they have rebuilt the Wolfpack program," Glenn said. A Clearer Vision There is no truer cliché than "time flies." Life provides many examples of it. Gott- fried's run at NC State is one for him. "It's gone quick to me," Gottfried admit- ted. "I sometimes am surprised myself this is already my sixth year. It's been a great five years. Even though last year was a tough year, I've loved every minute I've been here. "It's a great place, and every year has been different; just like this year. I think it's completely different: different pieces, different spirit. But it's been good. It has gone fast." Another true fact of life is that the older you get the wiser you tend to be. This is Gottfried's second go-round as a head coach. Between 1996-2009 he coached at Murray State for three seasons before moving on to his alma mater, Ala- bama, for 11 years. After stepping down as the Crimson Tide coach, Gottfried took a two-year break and became a college basketball analyst for ESPN. He used that time to keep a note- book of observations he made at different colleges' practices, a habit that he noted was "fun for me." He also used that time to gain a new per- spective of what it takes to be a successful head coach. "Once you step out then come back in like I did, I think you see things more clearly," Gottfried said. "Whether mistakes you personally are making or how you can improve our team or how I can improve my staff, whatever it may be, I think you see all that differently when you step out. "It's a healthy experience if you look at it from the right perspective." Odds are that at some point during the coming season Gottfried will get his 400th career win. He starts this year, his 21st as a head coach, at 386 victories. Of those, 108 of them have come in his five years at NC State. Only Everett Case, with 137, won more games in his first five years at NC State than Gottfried. For Gottfried personally, he's had only one better five-year stretch in his career, from 1998-2002 when he won 29 games in his final season at Murray State and then had back-to-back seasons of 25 and 27 wins at Alabama included among his 111 wins. But those successes came at a mid-major and in the SEC, not the ACC. And in that particular five-year stretch, he had just two NCAA Tournament appearances and never made it past the second round. Thus the past five years collectively could legitimately be the best of any time in Gottfried's career as a head coach. That can be attributed to both his approach to- wards his two-year sabbatical from coach- ing and a natural growth. "I think I've been more comfortable," Gottfried said. "I'm older, obviously, and been around a little bit longer. I think you see things better, have a better perspective — at least I have this time around." The results show just that, and the Wolf- pack program under his leadership has been the beneficiary. ■ Gottfried credited his two-year break from college basketball with helping him in his second go-round as a head coach. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN T.J. Warren, who was the ACC Player of the Year in 2014, exemplified the talent upgrade Gottfried has provided for the Wolfpack. War- ren picked NC State over UNC, among others. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN