RALEIGH - Seated on the podium in front of more than 1,400 Wolfpack Club members and N.C. State fans, men's basketball coach Sidney Lowe took a lighthearted crack from one of his newest coaching colleagues Monday night.

State football coach Tom O'Brien noted drily that Lowe was not among the hundreds underneath the tent for the Wolfpack Club Caravan dinner who raised their hands to identify themselves as State graduates, a reference to the degree Lowe finished at Saint Paul's College after playing four years at State.

O'Brien's quip drew laughs, but Lowe's comeback drew roars minutes later.

"I may not have raised my hand earlier, but I know how to beat Carolina and Duke," said Lowe, a reference to two of his first-year team's crowd-pleasing successes en route to a 20-16 finish. "I know how to raise my hand on that one."

Monday night's dinner on the Wolfpack football team's practice field was Lowe's first public appearance in the Triangle since his son, Sidney Lowe Jr., was arrested in Greensboro on March 27 on several charges, including felony aiding and abetting of an attempted armed robbery.

Lowe declined to discuss the status of his son's case, nor would he speak about what the last month has been like for his family.

The Wolfpack Club crowd welcomed Lowe to the podium with a standing ovation. Club officials said they believe Monday's event was the largest turnout ever for the popular annual tour that has taken Lowe, O'Brien and other NCSU coaches across the South.

For many State fans, it served as their first opportunity to meet O'Brien, who is preparing for his first season at State after 10 seasons at Boston College.

O'Brien drew his own cheers after noting that the football players at Monday's dinner had to sit quietly, while State softball players and other school teams were introduced and applauded for recent wins over UNC.

"We're not going to be sitting there next year," O'Brien said, all but promising a win this fall.

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