RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Former North Carolina State basketball coach Sidney Lowe was arrested Monday and charged with failing to file his North Carolina state income taxes for three years.
Lowe, currently an assistant with the NBA’s Utah Jazz, didn’t file returns in 2009, 2010 and 2011 _ the last three years he coached the Wolfpack, according to the state Department of Revenue. He was booked at the Wake County jail Monday and released on a $10,000 unsecured bond on the misdemeanor charges.
Lowe was not with the Jazz when they returned to practice Monday night after the All-Star break, but head coach Tyrone Corbin said Lowe would be with the team Tuesday when it faces Golden State in Salt Lake City.
“It’s a personal matter,” said Corbin, who indicated he had spoken with Lowe. “We’ll deal with it. He’ll make a statement at some point, but it’s a personal matter.”
Corbin said he doesn’t believe Lowe’s arrest will affect the team as it gears up for a stretch run toward the playoffs.
Jazz center Al Jefferson, who has had to deal with off-court issues in the past, also said it wouldn’t affect the team.
“Coach is a great guy,” Jefferson said. “I don’t know the story. … he’ll take care of. “
At N.C. State, Lowe was paid a base salary of around $210,000 per year. That was boosted to $760,000 with television and radio commitments, and with bonuses and endorsements could have been up to $900,000 a year. A contract settlement after his 2011 resignation was expected to pay Lowe around $900,000, athletic director Debbie Yow said then.
Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey declined comment about Lowe’s arrest.
Lowe couldn’t be reached for comment, and it wasn’t known if he had an attorney.
Lowe kept his home in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, even after taking the job with the Jazz, authorities said. He ignored a television reporter’s request for comment Monday as he walked out of the home and entered an airport taxi.
Lowe was one of the most beloved players in N.C. State history for his role as starting point guard on the “Cardiac Pack” team that won the 1983 NCAA championship. He returned to Raleigh in 2006 to replace Herb Sendek as coach, but the Wolfpack struggled to sustain any momentum in Lowe’s five seasons. He never made the NCAA tournament as a coach.
The Wolfpack never finished higher than ninth in the Atlantic Coast Conference under Lowe. He went 86-78, including just 25-55 in ACC play. Lowe was 3-16 record against rivals Duke and North Carolina, with two of those wins coming in his first year.
Lowe twice reached the NIT. He resigned in 2011 and the school hired Mark Gottfried, the current coach.
Lowe also spent five years as an NBA head coach in Minnesota and Memphis, compiling a 79-228 record.
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Sports Writer Lynn DeBruin in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.
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