What Hath God Wrought?

After ten years of this nonsense, I’ve finally had enough.

Herb Sendek must go. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Today’s result was a disgrace. A supposedly Top 25 basketball team was punk’d Broadway style by the alleged worst team in the ACC – and for the second time in less than a week. France showed more gumption against Hitler’s Panzer divisions than Herb Sendek’s basketball team showed against Wake Forest today.

Hell, shutting up Eric Williams’ overfed, overbearing, overindulgent mother was enough motivation for any normal team to stomp Wake’s ass into the Greensboro turf. Instead, we were treated to a 40 minute clown show of Justin Gray gangsta signs, schooling by Division II Wake white boys, and – most of all – Mrs. Williams and Eric, the most obnoxious mother-son duo since the days of Greek mythology. And our coach let all of this happen.

What the hell? I mean, really … what the hell?

And worst of all, there are no answers. Herb Sendek ain’t talking. Just another daytight compartment. Just another career effort by allegedly inferior players, from allegedly inferior teams, who just coincidentally happened to rise to the occasion – again – against a supposedly superior opponent.

This isn’t Herb’s regular UNC and Duke punking, folks. This is complete collapse. If you don’t realize that, if you keep on posting the same old platitudes to camouflage the fact that we are now an official conference laughingstock, then you’re dumber than a sack of hammers.

Herb Sendek must go. It’s that simple. Wendell Murphy can sit in his box, wipe ‘cue grease off of his lips, and mutter of “clean programs” all he wants. Smedes York can huff and puff with all the superannuated basketball expertise a late middle-aged ex-basketball white boy can summon. It matters not – Herb Sendek must go.

How long, one wonders, must what once was a proud championship tradition be hijacked by an athletic director whose benchmark for success is a lack of indictments? How long will big donors, supposedly intelligent men, be seduced by the siren song of Herb Sendek’s ego-stroking platitudes? How long will people who remember the glory days of NC State basketball continue to tolerate an athletic director who claims that fan discontent with this sorry state of affairs is, well, normal – because Coach K has his detractors, too?

Our tradition – what’s left of it – has been hijacked by bunco men and frauds. What will it take to wake the fanbase up and demand accountability?

General NCS Basketball

53 Responses to What Hath God Wrought?

  1. TNPackFan 03/11/2006 at 1:14 AM #

    Before this game, I was pretty neutral about Herb. I wasn’t on the HSSS, but I didn’t think he should be fired. Even with the losing streak to end the regular season, I thought the team could make a run in the tournament, as he’s had some success in the past in the tournament. I became a State fan in the Les years, so I have no memories of the glory years, so for me the Herb years have been pretty good, relatively speaking.

    After this game, I am fully convinced he must be fired. There is no excuse for losing two games in a row to the last place team in the conference, much less getting blown out both games. He had a whole week to prepare, and showed no game plan at all. You would think that after playing WF twice, he would have some idea of how to play them, how to exploit their weaknesses, of which there are many. But no. A lack of preparation falls onto the coach.

    I heard that toward the end of the game, the TV cameras showed a shot of Herb in the huddle, just staring at the players and not saying anything, just chewing his gum (I couldn’t watch this game, but I have also seen this in the past). Now I don’t know much about coaching stratigies, but it seems to me that pouting and fussing and giving the slient treatment to your players is not the best way to motivate them. Instead of urging his players to never give up, and giving them a strategy to come back in the game, he is silent. His lack of emotion has clearly rubbed off on the players. It’s time for a change.

  2. WufPacker 03/11/2006 at 4:31 AM #

    “Herb set an NCSU record for most consecutive NCAA appearances and you guys want to fire him?�

    Thats great! Lets get that banner hung and ride this wave of momentum straight thru to the ACCT championship! Oh, wait…I forgot… 🙁

  3. Astral Rain 03/11/2006 at 5:06 AM #

    Maybe fans should do what was done in Detroit to Matt Millen. Some early game show up with bags on the heads and wear the Div II school de jours colors or something…

    I”m sorta hoping the players are trying to get Sendek fired, but I know that isn’t the case.

    It’s not like Sendek’s old or anything, so he can keep his streak of mediocrity another 25 years easily. (He isn’t 50 yet) I knew Herb’s limitations, but I thought this could be the year he overcomes them, in a down ACC, with an experienced team. Instead, we get this. I’m not a big fan of Amato- but at least his problem isn’t a lack of intensity and effort.

    Is Rick Majerus avaliable- though that’s a risk of a heart attack every day.

  4. P.E.S.T.-84 03/11/2006 at 7:26 AM #

    I have watched for years and have heard so many excuses from Sendek supporters,… “It was just the match-ups”, …”The threes were just not falling”, …”at least Hodges had a great game”, …”we only lost by three”.

    It is sad to watch a team look to thier coach for leadership and get we just need to get some rest and hope that we can win the next one. Great coaches gain the attention and focus of thier teams, inspire that courage and confidence that they can win. I have watched simple fundamental flaw of this offense for years. There is no way to rebound if you miss a shot since most shots are taken from the outside and when it doesn’t work Herb continues to run the same offense. He doesn’t have the knowledge to adapt.

    It is going to take getting back to basics. If you can’t make a shot then you work the ball into the lane and you make them foul you and put you on the line for those free thows. “Drive it down their throats”. This is what every team that has made Duke look bad has done. If you have picks use them. Box out and get the rebound. If you don’t your riding the pine.

    Most people are overlooking the opportunity of Pat Knight. Instant media darling. He could shake up the stuffy civilized coaching in the area and can join Miami, Virginia, Wake Forrest coaches and bring back the toughness and heart of the game.

    Sendek means well and is a good person, but what we need is an ACC basketball coach with the same determination to win as the players.

    May Jimmy V forgive us for putting up with this for this long.

  5. SmithraxterPack 03/11/2006 at 8:41 AM #

    Anyone that has ever been involved at any level of basketball (fan, player, coach, reporter, janitor…) understands a simple coaching tactic………..if your starters aren’t performing you replace them with players that “might”.
    Yesterday’s game was more than dissapointing it was like watching a train wreck of which you were told would happen! Every trip down the court produced the same results…pass around the perimter…find a small gap in the defense…fire up a three…and go back on defense. Here is a hint Herb…if your players on the court miss most of those shots, the defense will gladly let you keep shooting them. Why will Sendek keep the same players on the court without regard to their performance or effort. What prompts him to change players? Anyone from Raleigh could stand at half court and shoot as well as his starters in the first half. I guess the players on the bench are so bad that he can’t make a change? If this is the case next season is going to be a long year.
    I have supported Sendek as a loyal fan should, but if he is not going to Coach, I am not going to support. Sendek should move on….we all know and so does he!

  6. class of '74 03/11/2006 at 8:54 AM #

    I just hope all of the HSSS crowd is pleased with what their blind faith has brought to our once proud program. Their support of this joke and the tacit support from Lee Fowler have put us in the worst of all circumstances. A moderately successful program unable to acheive any real meaningful accomplishments while gaining most of it’s wins against inferior competition.

    I don’t pretend to know what will happen regarding Herb’s future in coaching, but in two years from now, if he and Lee Fowler are still here, we will be darn lucky to draw more than 7,500 people for ACC home games!

  7. class of '74 03/11/2006 at 9:00 AM #

    Astral Rain had it right when he said it’s time to embarrass this staff and administration by wearing bags on our heads at home games! Desperate times deserve desperate measures! We really need a fresh start from top to bottom in the athletic department!

  8. Jeff 03/11/2006 at 9:34 AM #

    Guys…don’t fall for the trolls. We aren’t going to allow much idiocy and trolling in this forum, but when something does sneak through don’t let it deter you too much

  9. class of '74 03/11/2006 at 9:48 AM #

    Another way to look at Herb’s ability is if Tyler Hansborough had played for Herb he probably would not have made ACC third team all conference. Now that’s coaching ability!

  10. rollingtide 03/11/2006 at 10:30 AM #

    the wolfpacks’ bball and fball programs are in decline, it’s clear and coaching and also board politics to blame. it’s sad when you have to go outside your capital city to find a strong coach and program in either sport.

  11. BJD95 03/11/2006 at 10:33 AM #

    I don’t think we should FIRE Sendek. But give him the “Dave Odom treatment?” Sure!

  12. Wolfpack Willie 03/11/2006 at 10:35 AM #

    I was at the game yesterday, and was at a complete loss as to what Herb was trying to do. Just like last week, he’s down 16 or so with 6:00 left, and does absolutely nothing! No press, no traps, no challenge of inbounds passes…nothing. It defied reason, until it hit me – he’s already committed to leave after the season ends! He’s found another job! This would explain not only his greater-than-usual passivity, it also explains the players’ very obvious lethargy and lack of desire. It’s a lame duck program!!!
    Anybody out these optomistic enough to give this thought credibility?
    I’ve been a Pack fan since age 9 in 1960 – graduated in ’74 – and I can assure you that Case, Sloan, and V are rolling in their graves!

  13. Sub-dude 03/11/2006 at 10:38 AM #

    Great blog. Very therapeutic.

    In defense of those of us who have traditionally been neither HSSS members nor Sendek-haters, I remember how it felt at the low ebb of 1993 to see the Pack win all of 2 conference games en route to an abysmal 8-19 season. It’s not hard to understand where the support comes from when your team goes from the bottom of the barrel in the ACC to being competetive. And the Pack has been competetive in the last five years–whether or not people want to accept “competitive” is another story, which is the most common theme running through this blog.

    Since February 22, however, I’m finally willing to say that it might be time for the coach to move on. Hate to say it, because I don’t think he’s a bad guy. I think most of the players he’s recruited have been standup kids, and I think Herb, like Les Robinson, has done a lot to repair both the program’s and the school’s image. But, as somebody once pointed out, UNC and Duke have both run clean programs the whole time, and both have quite a few more wins (and ACC titles) to show for it.

    The past three weeks have been absolutely disheartening to watch, especially given that this was a down year for Maryland and was supposed to be a down year for the Tarholes. It’s disheartening to see a team that apparently thinks the zone defense is illegal. It’s disheartening to see a team so thoroughly outrebounded in four games, 174-126. It’s disheartening to see a team shoot .387 overall and .262 from the arc during that stretch. Of course, when you take 50.2% of your shots from 3-point land and miss nearly 3 out of every 4….

    Anyway, I at least quit yelling at the TV screen after the BC game. I am as frustrated as anyone by a season that held a lot of promise. NCSU will not make it past the opening weekend of the NCAA, continuing the streak of not making the Elite Eight since 1986. And we will continue to see a team that can’t rebound, has 5-minute+ scoring droughts, and jacks up enough 3-pointers to lose.

    I think the frustration in Pack nation is less about where we’ve been than where we’re going. Maybe we have gone as far as we can with Sendek; at least he’s given us back a measure of respectability that wasn’t there when he arrived, and that means we won’t have to scrape bottom for a coach or recruits when the time comes.

    In the meantime, however, I remain a fan of the Wolfpack (much to the chagrin of my Chapel Hell alumnus father).

  14. Hoot Owl 03/11/2006 at 11:20 AM #

    I’ve stuck with Herb while the “haters” were beating him down. Had the priviiedge to sit with him at a few WP Club dinners and learned to appreciate his demeanor and sense of humor. Because of this I’ve given him the benefit of the doubt for the past few years. But now it’s time to move on. And for me it’s not even about the W-L record or how far we get in a tournament….it’s about the style of play. It’s just plain boring and very hard to watch for someone who appreciates basketball. Herb has chosen to stick with it through thick or thin and it’s time for him to take the show on down the road. Maybe introduce the (it’s not the) Princeton style of offense to a conference that hasn’t seen it yet. We need to bring excitement back to our program. Clemson, Miami, Fla State…were all more fun to watch in the tournament. Let’s face it, the conference is down right now as a whole and it wouldn’t take a new coach too terribly long to become competitive while implementing a more exciting style of play. Kennedy…Whittenburg……the guy from Marquette….the guy from Wisc – GB……anybody…..

  15. RedFred 03/11/2006 at 11:34 AM #

    HERB IS A NICE GUY AND A GOOD MAN! So is my neighbor, great family man and community leader, but he paints houses for a living. PLEASE give that nonsense up, it has nothing to do with basketball.

    As far as consecutive trips to the NCAA goes, sometimes it’s better to just go on home early before you totally embarrass your conference, school, and all the fans, by being in the national spotlight while taking away the spot of a more deserving team, by looking like a group of pre-programed robots with no hope of winning a competitive game.

    To continually showcase the coach’s inept ability to fall far short of all expectations and his player’s abilities while under the microscope of national sporting events such as the ACC and NCAA tournaments is nothing but damaging for the future. Get off the radar screen as fast as you can, take your licks and go on home.

    Three of the former BIG 4 are still alive and representing the old guard of the ACC well. The fourth looked like they were newcomers, representing nothing from the past, and had nothing to prove.

  16. Pakbackr 03/11/2006 at 12:21 PM #

    If Sendek had Tyler Hansborough, he’d been on the bench most of the year, and would have have transferred at the end of the season.

  17. Jamie 03/11/2006 at 12:33 PM #

    Response to Class of 74’s Hansbrough Question: Better yet, what would Cedric Simmons be like in Roy’s system?

  18. class of '74 03/11/2006 at 12:36 PM #

    ^First team All ACC!

  19. Wolfpack Willie 03/11/2006 at 1:08 PM #

    Guys:
    Here is some e-mail information which may prove useful to those of you who are as disappointed in the direction of NCSU athletics as I am:
    NCSU Chancellor:Dr. James L. Oblinger – [email protected]

    Ath. Dir. Lee Fowler: [email protected]

    Board of Trustees -go to this Web address to identify trustees – you’ll have to wing it from there:
    http://chancellor.ncsu.edu/trustees/members.html

    It took Marye Ann Fox to get rid of Les. Who knows what it will take to get rid of Fowler/Sendek.

  20. formrwolffan 03/11/2006 at 3:56 PM #

    I can’t believe there is any way Sendek can come back next year after this – especially when we get dusted again in the first round of the NCAA (or NIT?). I have yet to meet a Wolfpack fan who thinks he isn’t worst coach in the ACC. All the Wolfpackers I know on this side of NC (west) are thru giving money to State at any level – athletic, alumni, or academic. Frankly it’s embarrassing being a State fan. I did greatly enjoy my fund-raising phone call last week from the Alumni Assoc. as I got the chance to say that after being out of school 26 years, all I REALLY care about as far as NCSU is concerned are the athletic teams. Call me back when something changes.
    Thanks Wolfpack Willie. I will be using these addresses today.

  21. Cardiff Giant 03/11/2006 at 4:02 PM #

    I am pleased and heartened by all the comments on here. It’s clear that the rank and file, with varying degrees of enthusiasm for the concept, thinks that Herb Sendek’s time at State should come to an end.

    I’ve taken a strong swipe at Wendell Murphy and Smedes York in this column, but with the greatest appreciation for their financial support THEY ARE TO BLAME FOR THIS through their insistent support of mediocrity in the form of the Sendek program. It’s as simple as that.

  22. Rick 03/11/2006 at 10:34 PM #

    Frankly, I am not sure what else to do or say.
    I am amazed at how long Sendek has been allowed to “coach”.
    He will continue cashing his $M checks and doing nothing for the fans.
    SIGH

  23. Roy's Boy 03/12/2006 at 9:12 AM #

    Guys, guys, guys. Have patience with Brother Sendek. You got 21 wins and will likely go to the Big Dance (AGAIN) this year. Look at my ‘Heels . . . they lost to Boston College for goodness sake! But, then BC was the # 11 team in the country. But, I digress. Carolina, er, State NEEDS Sendek in Raleigh. His calm demeanor is just the injection of level-headedness the conference needs. Not another hothead like Williams or Coach K. Who needs that? Who, other than Sendek, could lose his top 7 scorers and still end the next season ranked in the top 10? (Oh, yeah … that was Roy) But anyway … Look on the bright side: Sendek’s contract lasts through 2010, right? Keep the faith my Wuffpak brothers!

  24. class of '74 03/12/2006 at 9:49 AM #

    ^Your comments are only a further indictment of Herb. No UNC fans have our best interest at heart, please. I wish all of TarHole nation would draft a letter of endorsement for Herb! The sooner we wipe away all vestiges of Todd Turner’s years the better off we will be!

  25. class of '85 03/13/2006 at 9:17 AM #

    I am a 1985 graduate so I was there during the 1983 championship. Herb’s first 5 years were understandable but after 10 yrs there is no excuse. It is devasting for a true NCSU basketball fan to have to sit through this another year of this mess.

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