Lowe: Wolves' stars will only get better

Much has been made about the coaching future of Sam Mitchell, but the Wolves have one of the most tenured and well-respected assistants in the NBA in Sidney Lowe, who played in the league for four seasons and has coached with several college and pro teams for 17 seasons.

Lowe gained his coaching experience with the Wolves, on three different occasions, and also with the Cavaliers, Grizzlies, Pistons, Jazz and as head coach at North Carolina State.

When asked about his chances to continue coaching with the Wolves next season, Lowe said he would welcome the opportunity because of the amount of work the team has put in this year and the growth shown by the young players.

The biggest mistake Wolves owner Glen Taylor, who also owns the Star Tribune, could make is to not allow the present coaching staff to continue doing its great work.

"I think Coach Mitchell has done a tremendous job, and sometimes from the outside, people can't see what's going on in the inside and understanding all of the things it takes to get these guys to go," Lowe said. "One thing about it is our kids are playing hard, getting better. We've improved in a lot of areas, and that's what you look for in young teams. We're going to continue to work hard and hopefully we'll get that opportunity."

Lowe, who played point guard for Jim Valvano at North Carolina State and at that position in the pros, talked about the growth of Zach LaVine, who started the season playing backup point guard before moving to starting shooting guard.

"He hasn't even scratched the surface of how good he can be, I think," Lowe said. "We know about his athletic ability, but I think he's going to be a good basketball player, not just an athlete.

"Obviously he can shoot the ball, he can handle the ball, he can pass the ball, but he still, as I said, hasn't scratched the surface in terms of how good he's going to be in this league. … I told him something last year when he was struggling and trying to figure things out. I told him, 'You're going to be a very, very good player.' I said some other words, but I told him you're going to be a great player in this league one day, just be patient. Every now and then he'll say that to me, 'You told me that, Coach.' "

Lowe said the young Wolves seem to get along and enjoy each other's company, which he said is important.

"They're seeing things in each other and having some good times, some real happy times," he said. "Hopefully those things can turn into big things in terms of playing together, staying together, wanting to be together as they go through their careers."

While Wolves fans have justifiably been in love with the play of rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns, Lowe said forward Andrew Wiggins has continued to amaze in his second season.

Consider that with eight games to play, he has the NBA's seventh-highest scoring average for a player in the year in which he turned 20 years old.

The only players in front of him are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Shaquille O'Neal, Kyrie Irving, Carmelo Anthony and Anthony Davis. That's a collection of current stars and future Hall of Famers. And Wiggins, at 20.5 points per game, could still catch Anthony and Davis, who averaged 20.7.

"It just speaks on the type of talent we have, and the future that this franchise has, in guys like Wiggins," Lowe said. "You look at guys that have been in the league for six, seven, eight years, nine years, 10 years, to make plays like that, and he is doing it as a 20-year-old. That's what is so impressive and so exciting about it.

"This is something that Minnesotans can have for years to come. It's just a matter of continuing to get better."

Still, for the Wolves to keep improving, they're going to need production from more than only LaVine, Wiggins and Towns, and Lowe acknowledged that.

"These young guys are playing so well — Zach, KAT, Wiggins, Gorgui [Dieng], Shabazz [Muhammad]. Now it's just the players around them, the supporting cast," he said. "I think when you look at good teams you look at the starters, you look at the stars or whatever, and then you look at the supporting cast. Your supporting cast has to be strong, if you want to really win. If you look at any team around the league that wins, their supporting cast is strong.

"Obviously missing someone like Pek [center Nikola Pekovic] in the supporting role really hurts us. There are other guys there, Ricky [Rubio] is there, he plays well with those guys and he's good. But you have to have that supporting cast to help those young guys."

The Wolves' future is bright not only because of their talent but because of this coaching staff that has helped to greatly improve them this season.

• Former Gopher Hudson Fasching and former MSU Mankato standout Casey Nelson have seen ample playing time so far in their first three games with the Buffalo Sabres. Fasching scored his first NHL goal in his first game Saturday, and Nelson has four assists in three games. … Former Gophers defenseman Mike Brodzinski has played in three games for the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL and has registered five shots on goal. … Former Edina standout Steven Fogarty, who played his college hockey at Notre Dame, has signed an entry-level contract with the New York Rangers. Fogarty had 23 points last season for the Irish and was a two-year captain.

• Two former Twins didn't make their new major league clubs out of spring training. First baseman-outfielder Chris Parmelee was assigned to minor league camp with the Yankees, while pitcher Deolis Guerra was assigned to the Salt Lake Bees, the Angels' Class AAA squad. … Aaron Hicks, whom the Twins traded to the Yankees for catcher John Ryan Murphy, will most likely start the season on the bench behind starting center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury. ... Former Twins starter Mike Pelfrey has posted a 2-2 record with a 2.66 ERA in five starts for the Tigers this spring, and it appears he'll make the team as a fourth starter.

• Longtime former Anoka football coach Stan Nelson, now 95 years old, will receive the Bud Grant Distinguished Minnesotan Award from the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation on April 17 at the Minneapolis Hilton at that group's annual dinner.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on 830-AM at 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. and on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. shartman@startribune.com