Lowe Meets The Press

ACC Now has the goods:

• If the NBA allowed high school players to jump directly to the pros, there's a chance Hickson wouldn't be at State.

"He has skills right now, that NBA players that I've seen don't have," Lowe said the 6-9 power forward from Marietta, Ga.

Hickson impressed Lowe with his footwork and ability to face the basket and shoot but most of all, his attitude.

"He hates to lose," Lowe said. "He has got a focus about him. It's just not like a freshman."

• Kentucky, Florida and UMass will be on future non-conference schedules, Lowe said. He did not detail who the Wolfpack would play this season out of the ACC.

Kentucky and Florida--that'll be fun. And that praise for Hickson is really not helping me reign in my enthusiasm for the upcoming season. I'm trying to keep too-often-dashed hopes at a reasonable level here, Coach!

Also of interest: one hypothetical lineup offered by Lowe was Johnson, Grant, Costner, Hickson, McCauley. Hello, improved rebounding.

When asked about the rotation, Lowe was very non-specific, offering only that we're going to be deeper than six or seven this year. He said he wasn't sure we'd go ten-deep.