Sendek’s Focus vs Recent Hires

General NCS Basketball Quotes of Note36

Mick Cronin hired at Cincinnati.
From CBS Sportsline

“I’m here to win,”

Mike Anderson hired at Missouri.
From Kansas City Star:

“My goal is to win the national championship,� Anderson said. “I want to win the big one. I can get it done here. I can get it done.�

Anderson — the first black coach in MU history — exuded confidence during his introductory news conference Sunday at Mizzou Arena. Instead of dwelling on the Tigers’ recent, frustrating past, Anderson offered uplifting thoughts about Mizzou’s promising future.

“We’re going to attract big-name players here,� said Anderson, 46. “Believe me, I know the type of athletes that will come here. I know the visibility that this program will have. I know what kind of fan support we’ll have.

For the Tigers, Anderson’s optimistic attitude was sorely needed on a day that began with turmoil. Missouri’s Board of Curators began a nearly three-hour meeting around noon to discuss the future of athletic director Mike Alden. Even though the decision was made to retain Alden, the scenario was just another public-relations hit for a school that continues to draw criticism for its lack of organization and togetherness.

Jim Laranaga, head coach of Final Four bound George Mason on ESPN radio this morning quoting William Jennings Bryan:

“Destiny is not a matter of chance. It’s a matter of choice.�

Herb Sendek Friday, March 15, 2002
From News & Observer

“You always have to go on to the next game, the next season. There’s no final destination, so to speak. That’s why it’s important to enjoy the process, to take more out of it than just the final outcome. Because as soon as there’s one outcome rendered, there’s another waiting. If you live for only that, the final score on the scoreboard, it could be a very hollow existence. That’s why the relationships and the journey itself has to be treasured.”

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General NCS Basketball Quotes of Note

36 Responses to Sendek’s Focus vs Recent Hires

  1. Jeff 03/28/2006 at 7:55 AM #

    I can point to NO situation where a coach DID NOT talk about a national title and set tangible, measureable goals before becoming successful in winning titles.

    No reason to argue about it. It’s just different philosophies about life and how to live it. We are not all the same people; everyone is different. Sendek is the coaching equivalent of a know it all geek who could only successfully function in very limited environments. Hilariously, NC State has created one of those environments for him.

    No one can be successful if they haven’t defined success. At State, it has become clear to me that Fooler & Sendek are scared to death to define success in measureable terms because such a definition would risk failure. You see…they can’t fail, if they don’t define failure and success. That is why I wrote this entry about the annually sliding scale of (no) standards.

    What little definition of “success” that exists at NC State – that includes no objective standards and measurements – is somewhere between laughable and morose.

    I can’t blame you for feeling different about the subject, Mr.O. You don’t have the financial pain of being invested in LTRs and season tickets like so many of us. It definitely creates a different perspective on the topic.

  2. Mr O 03/28/2006 at 8:33 AM #

    Jeff: It isn’t necessarily different philosphies. It could be that Herb and Lee just don’t share with you or the public as a whole their goals and philosophies in their entirety.

    You are very into brand new coaches who have never done anything who talk about winning titles. I just assumed that if it is so important to talk about winning titles then there would be countless examples of coaches winning these titles after talking publicly about their goals at schools other than top 5 programs.

  3. Jeff 03/28/2006 at 9:22 AM #

    ^ You misinterpret my points.

    It could be that Herb and Lee just don’t share with you or the public as a whole their goals and philosophies in their entirety.

    It could be…but it is not. Regardless…NONE of this matters.

    This is the HOW and WHY of the WHAT. The WHAT is what matters – State’s program has plateaued at a level far beneath most fans’ acceptable standards (without providing a single peak season worth noting).

    When we discuss things like goal-setting, management, motivation, relationship with players, and x&o strategy….then all we are discussing are subjective opinions around the HOW and the WHY we don’t succeed. We all have different views on the HOW and the WHY.

    Far more people feel the WHAT is sub-standard and that is all that matters.

    MrO, is that why you argue these points? Because you are fine with the results?

  4. Mr O 03/28/2006 at 9:38 AM #

    http://www.businessnc.com/archives/2006/03/howling_success.html

    I don’t have anywhere to post this, so I figured I would put it here. This is a good article on Bobby Purcell. Talks about his background and seems somewhat relevant if Fowler were ever to jet for another job. Of course, that seems unlikely to happen anytime soon either.

    Here is an interesting question:

    If you could replace Herb Sendek or Lee Fowler, but not the other for 12 more months, then who would you choose to replace first?

    IMO, it makes most sense for Fowler to be replaced first so that whatever AD we would be able to hire the new basketball coach in 12 months.

    Bobby Purcell has a lot of positives that he bring to the table. Would a negative be the lack of existing relationships with other administrators and coaches in the business?

  5. Mr O 03/28/2006 at 10:36 AM #

    Jeff: I want our program to maintain the last 5 years as a base line of results that would be considered “average years” for NC State. I also want our program to have seasons better than the last five years as well. I don’t want seasons like Wake or GT had this year. I don’t think our fanbase could survive a year like that.

    I do think Herb Sendek has done a pretty good job at NC State the last five years. Good enough that he doesn’t deserve to be fired and good enough that I feel he deserves some level of respect from the fanbase. I used to spend my time on the internet bashing the guy as well, but he has succeeded at a level where I think it makes sense for our program to get past spinning everything about the guy as something negative. He is going to be our coach for at least the near future, so IMO the public discussion of his successes in a negative light does more harm than good to our program.

    An example would be Herb’s mark of five straight NCAA tournament appearances. Instead of embracing that as an accomplishment and accepting that there is only one other ACC program to match this mark and 17(?) others nationally, the folks on this website had to pick it apart to show us why NC State fans shouldn’t be happy with this accomplishment.

    The national media actually has a good amount of respect for this accomplishment. A lot of coaches around the country respect this accomplishment. Also, a lot of our rival fans respect this accomplishment and Herb Sendek as a coach. Nobody thinks he is one of the great coaches in the country at this point, but people respect the work he has done here. So why can’t NC State fans do the same while also expressing internally the importance of doing better?

    Herb Sendek isn’t going anywhere, so IMO it makes more sense to embrace the good things he has done. The thing I noticed more than any other against Texas was how out-manned we were. We didn’t have the horses. We aren’t getting a new coach this year, so I personally want our current coach positioned as well as possible to sign the types of players we need. Hence, my disagreement over publicly condemning the guy on a daily basis. That is definitely a change from where I was a few years ago, but Herb’s record at NC State changed also so he has earned some level of respect from me and what he is trying to do with our program.

  6. Rick 03/28/2006 at 11:11 AM #

    “I used to spend my time on the internet bashing the guy as well, but he has succeeded at a level where I think it makes sense for our program to get past spinning everything about the guy as something negative. He is going to be our coach for at least the near future, so IMO the public discussion of his successes in a negative light does more harm than good to our program.”

    So you spent untold hours bashing Herb, but now that YOUR standards are met everyone, who’s standards are not met, should now stop “bashing” because somehow it has started to hurt the program.
    That attitude is absurd. Do you not find it hypocritical to condemn others for something you have done yourself?

  7. Mike 03/28/2006 at 11:31 AM #

    Mr. O, you said we were outmanned by Texas. We are usually outmanned by most teams we play, but whose fault is that? Seems to me the guy who recruited the ones we have. Or better yet, the guy who has not DEVELOPED the talent we have.

    Last time I checked Texas had a kid playing for them from Raleigh who made 2nd team AA yesterday. Why is he at Texas? We did not recruit him. Grades may have been an issue but nevertheless he is playing in Texas not Raleigh.

    Finally, any good manager will require his people to set goals. One cannot measure success wihtout goals. I have a sales quota to meet. I set my goals higher than quota, becasue quota is just enough to get by. What goals have we set at NCSU? To get to the tournament? Congrats, we have met our quota 5 years in a row! Coffee is for closers. It is obvious our administration from Fowler down to Sendek sets no goals, proven by Herb’s quotes. Atleast give Chuck some credit, he sets goals. We may not hit them, but they are shooting for something. Shucks, I forgot again, we hit our goals in basketball, we continue to make the tourney as a 10 seed, which essentually makes us top 40. Woohoo, we hit our goal! Herb, Lee, no coffee for you, coffee is for closers.

  8. class of '74 03/28/2006 at 11:38 AM #

    Mr. O:
    The program will survive nicely without Herb for god sakes. Norm Sloan had some stinkers just prior to 1973. Lou Holtz came in following a 1 win season inherited from Al Michaels and went 7-4 his first year. The program and fanbase can easily survive we just need someone leading the programs that we can believe in and be willing to invest our trust.

  9. BJD95 03/28/2006 at 1:02 PM #

    West Virginia hung in with Texas quite nicely. I guess they just had much better “horses” than we do. Their roster is just crawling with premium athletes.

  10. Mr O 03/28/2006 at 2:12 PM #

    Rick: My standards aren’t met. But I think it best to give our current coach the best possible situation to meet those standards since he isn’t going anywhere.

    Class of 74: I agree that we can survive without Herb Sendek. But Herb isn’t going anywhere, so at this point that isn’t an option.

    Mike: Yes, Herb Sendek is to blame, but he still isn’t going anywhere. Neither Wake, UNC, Duke or NC State offered PJ Tucker.

    Do you think there was probably a reason why the local schools didn’t offer? Typically these types of situations have a very logical answer because Tucker wasn’t an unknown talent.

    BJD95: W. Va has one of the top players in the country. It will be interesting to see if Beilein can succeed at W. Va long term instead of just over a two year time period. W. Va beat us badly last year, so maybe they do have better horses? But I would agree that Herb is responsible for us not having the horses. Since he seems unlikely he is going anywhere, then I sure hope he gets the guys we need soon.

  11. class of '74 03/28/2006 at 3:17 PM #

    ^He may last another year but the heat will only increase and I for one hope he leaves the sooner the better. I’ve seen enough of his act to know how it will conclude. No banners, no acheivements nothing but mediocrity as long as he chops wood here in Raliegh.

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