Despite originally denying that it would do so, NC State will part ways with head men’s basketball coach Mark Gottfried at the end of this season. In a somewhat unusual situation, Gottfried will continue to coach the Wolfpack for the remainder of this season before leaving Raleigh.
The Wolfpack this year have balanced wins against #18 Duke and #21 Virginia Tech with losses to Illinois and lowly Boston College and are just a couple weeks away from missing the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. All this despite having a potential top-5 draft pick on the roster in Dennis Smith.
Gottfried has had some tournament success, making four straight appearances (including two Sweet 16s) to begin his tenure. However, his teams haven’t finished higher than 6th in the ACC in the last four seasons and this year are struggling to stay above .500. NC State is a proud program – the Wolfpack won national titles in 1974 and 1983 – but in-state rivals UNC and Duke have made the job at State a difficult one over the past three-plus decades.
Attention will immediately turn to Dayton head coach Archie Miller, a hot mid-major coaching prospect that has rejected numerous power conference jobs over the past several seasons. The difference here is that Miller is an NC State alum, playing for the Wolfpack from 1998-2002 under Herb Sendek and spending two seasons as an assistant under Sendek at State from 2004-2006. Miller will again be in high demand for any job that opens this offseason, but the NC State opening will surely be a compelling one and may finally draw the coach away from his current gig.
