Sidney Rochell Lowe (born January 21, 1960) is an American former basketball player and current assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lowe played college basketball and served as the head coach at North Carolina State University (NC State).

Sidney Lowe
Lowe at Washington Wizards training camp in 2017
Detroit Pistons
PositionAssistant coach
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1960-01-21) January 21, 1960 (age 64)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolDeMatha (Hyattsville, Maryland)
CollegeNC State (1979–1983)
NBA draft1983: 2nd round, 25th overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career1983–1990
PositionPoint guard
Number35, 34, 43
Coaching career1991–present
Career history
As player:
1983–1984Indiana Pacers
1984Detroit Pistons
1984–1985Atlanta Hawks
1986–1988Tampa Bay Thrillers
1988Calgary 88's
1988–1989Albany Patroons
1989Charlotte Hornets
1989Rapid City Thrillers
1989–1990Minnesota Timberwolves
As coach:
19911993Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant)
19931994Minnesota Timberwolves
19941999Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant)
1999–2000Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant)
20002002Vancouver / Memphis Grizzlies
2004–2005Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant)
2005–2006Detroit Pistons (assistant)
2006–2011NC State
20112014Utah Jazz (assistant)
20142016Minnesota Timberwolves (assistant)
20162018Washington Wizards (assistant)
20182021Detroit Pistons (assistant)
20212024Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant)
2024–presentDetroit Pistons (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Biography

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Lowe with NC State in 1983

Lowe began his career at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He played collegiate basketball at NC State. He was the point guard for the Wolfpack's 1983 NCAA National Championship. Lowe was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 1st pick of the second round in the 1983 NBA draft. He played a total of four seasons in the NBA, for five different teams.

After retiring from basketball in 1991, Lowe took a job as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Halfway through the 1992–93 season he took over as head coach of the struggling Timberwolves and remained in that position until the end of the 1993–94 season. From 1994 to 1999, Lowe served as an assistant coach to Mike Fratello with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lowe returned to the Timberwolves organization in 1999 for one season as assistant coach.

The 2000–01 NBA season became Lowe's second stint as a head coach when he assumed the role for the Vancouver Grizzlies. He was the fifth head coach in the team's short history and led them to a franchise-best record of 23–59 in his first season and again the following season in 2001–02, when the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis. Sidney Lowe resigned from his coaching duties early in the 2002–03 season after starting 0–8, leaving his head coaching record at 79 wins against 228 losses (.257 winning percentage). In 2003, he returned to Minnesota once again to take an assistant position under then head coach Flip Saunders. Lowe followed Saunders to the Detroit Pistons in 2005 and remained an assistant coach there through the 2006 season.

To become eligible for employment as an NCAA head coach, he completed the final nine hours of his business administration degree online via St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville, Virginia.[2] On May 6, 2006, Lowe was named the new head basketball coach of North Carolina State University, replacing Herb Sendek. Lowe was the first African American named head coach of the Wolfpack.[3] One of Lowe's trademarks as a coach was a red blazer he wore to significant games in honor of his former NC State coach, Jim Valvano.

In his first season at the helm of the NC State program, Lowe became just the third Wolfpack coach, after Everett Case and Press Maravich, to win 20 games and defeat the other three North Carolina institutions in the ACC (Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest). He is one of only four NC State coaches to have coached in the ACC Championship game in their first year.

In spite of the early success, Lowe failed to lead NC State to the NCAA tournament, and his teams only made two appearances in the NIT. He had an overall winning record (86–78) after five years but only a 25–55 conference record. Lowe resigned as head coach of NC State, accepting a buyout of the last two years of his contract, on March 15, 2011.[4] Later that year, he joined the Utah Jazz as an assistant.

At the beginning of the 2014–15 season, Lowe rejoined the Minnesota Timberwolves as an assistant coach.[5] On July 5, 2016, the Washington Wizards announced that Lowe had been hired as an assistant coach.[6] Lowe was hired by the Detroit Pistons beginning the 2018–19 season.[7]

On August 26, 2021, Lowe was hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers as an assistant coach.[8]

Personal life

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In 1984, Lowe married Melonie Moultry in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He had 20 groomsmen including Lorenzo Charles, Thurl Bailey, Dereck Whittenburg, Cozell McQueen and Clyde Austin.[9]

NBA playing career

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1983–84 Indiana 78 2 15.9 .413 .111 .777 1.6 3.4 1.2 .1 4.2
1984–85 Detroit 6 0 5.2 .286 .2 1.3 .0 .0 .7
1984–85 Atlanta 15 0 10.6 .400 .000 1.000 1.0 2.8 .7 .0 1.6
1988–89 Charlotte 14 0 17.9 .320 .000 .636 2.4 6.6 1.0 .0 1.6
1989–90 Minnesota 80 38 21.8 .319 .222 .722 2.0 4.2 .9 .1 2.3
Career 193 40 17.7 .367 .133 .764 1.7 3.9 1.0 .0 2.9

Head coaching record

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Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Minnesota 1992–93 53 13 40 .245 5th in Midwest Missed playoffs
Minnesota 1993–94 82 20 62 .244 5th in Midwest Missed playoffs
Vancouver 2000–01 82 23 59 .280 7th in Midwest Missed playoffs
Memphis 2001–02 82 23 59 .280 7th in Midwest Missed playoffs
Memphis 2002–03 8 0 8 .000 (resigned)
Career 307 79 228 .257

College

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
NC State Wolfpack (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2006–2011)
2006–07 NC State 20–16[10] 5–11[10] T–10th[11] NIT Quarterfinals[12]
2007–08 NC State 15–16[13] 4–12[13] T–11th[11]
2008–09 NC State 16–14[14] 6–10[14] 10th[11]
2009–10 NC State 20–16[15] 5–11[15] T–9th[11] NIT 2nd Round[15]
2010–11 NC State 15–16[16] 5–11[16] T–10th[11]
NC State: 86–78 (.524) 25–55 (.313)
Total: 86–78 (.524)

References

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  1. ^ "CBA all-stars". USA Today. January 22, 1988. p. 5C. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  2. ^ Katz, Andy (May 5, 2006). "Sources: Pistons' Lowe agrees to coach NC State". ESPN.com.
  3. ^ "First African American head basketball coach (2006 - 3/2011)". Historical State. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
  4. ^ Giglio, J.P. (March 15, 2011). "Sidney Lowe resigns as N.C. State coach". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved March 15, 2011.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "Wolves Name Sidney Lowe Assistant Coach". NBA.com. June 13, 2014.
  6. ^ "Lowe, Brown join Wizards staff as assistants". July 5, 2016.
  7. ^ "Detroit Pistons Name Sidney Lowe and Sean Sweeney Assistant Coaches". NBA.com. June 29, 2018.
  8. ^ "Cavaliers Hire Sidney Lowe as Assistant Coach". NBA.com. August 26, 2021.
  9. ^ Hobbs, Chris (July 1, 1984). "The Lowe Down". The Charlotte Observer. p. 11C. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "NC State Wolfpack 2023-24 Postseason NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Men's College Basketball Standings, 2023-24 season". ESPN. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  12. ^ "West Virginia 71-66 NC State (Mar 20, 2007) Game Recap". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "NC State Wolfpack 2023-24 Postseason NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "NC State Wolfpack 2023-24 Postseason NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c "NC State Wolfpack 2023-24 Postseason NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  16. ^ a b "NC State Wolfpack 2023-24 Postseason NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
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