Lowe lays down the law for Pack

Sidney Lowe will run the N.C. State basketball program "his way," the Wolfpack coach said Thursday, not by a committee of parents, AAU coaches, agents or girlfriends.

"It's going to be my way and that's it," Lowe said. "It's real simple. They're the players and I'm the coach and they're going to do it my way. And if they don't. They're not going to want to be here."

Lowe promised his third team would be better than the second, a fractured unit which finished 15-16 and ended the season with a nine-game losing streak.

"I'm excited about this year," Lowe said. "These guys understand. No one was more disappointed [with last season] than we were. That hurt. They want to certainly take care of it this year."

Lowe revisited the 2007-08 season and spoke in nebulous terms — without naming names — about "playing to win" and not for the NBA and he defined chemistry, the poor variety, which seemingly contributed to State's disastrous finish.

"In my dictionary, chemistry only means one thing and I'm going to stay away from that," Lowe said, then later offered his definition. "It's just players not accepting and players being selfish."

Lowe also said he has noticed a difference in the team's offseason workouts. Forwards Brandon Costner and Ben McCauley have lost weight and are in better shape — and healthier — as they prepare to bounce back from subpar individual seasons.

"I expect our guys to come back and be ready to play," Lowe said. "I think their mindset is going to be different."