Without question, N.C. State Athletic Director Lee Fowler needs to hit a home run. He needs to think big in selecting the new Wolfpack basketball coach.
State fans would love for that new coach to be Rick Barnes, the current head coach at Texas. Barnes has North Carolina ties, went to Lenoir Rhyne. He coached at Clemson before he went to Texas. He knows the ACC.
State fans still remember how Barnes, at Clemson, went at it with Dean Smith at the '95 ACC Tournament. That's the kind of fire Pack fans want to see.
Now, Barnes does have a great situation at Texas. He's got a heck of a team set for next season, and he makes a lot of money. Barnes could be too expensive, but State has to try, and I think they will. That would be a hire that all State fans could and would get behind.
Barnes may be comfortable at Texas, but basketball will always be second fiddle there to football, and the Big 12 is not the ACC. And Barnes knows first-hand State's basketball potential.
Someone else I haven't heard mentioned, but I think State should think about is Jay Wright, the head coach at Villanova. He's young, he's energetic and he can coach. His team almost upset Carolina last year in the Sweet 16, and he just coached the Wildcats to the Big East Co-Championship, and Villanova's Elite Eight finish is better than any team in the ACC did this season.
You gotta swing for the fence State if you wanna catch Duke and Carolina.
