One of the reasons that we haven’t totally gone off the deep end about the way that NC State has/hasn’t handled the “Sendek problem” is because Final Four weekend was still on the horizon. (Final Four weekend is basically a large job fair for college basketball coaches)
Final Four weekend has arrived, and so has this morning’s news that Herb Sendek has emerged as the #1 candidate for the Head Coaching position at Arizona State.
SFN has tried to keep you informed and analyze the Sendek situation this off-season. The following are some related posts in which you would be interested:
Wheels in Motion? Coaching Scoop – March 13th
Saturday Sendek Update – March 18th
Will (Potential) Pitt be the last chance for Sendek? – March 24th
Our Analysis
====> Arizona State has whiffed on the first five or six candidates on their list. If Sendek has emerged as their leading candidate, then the job is Sendek’s for the taking. (We have placed some calls to some college basketball contacts at the Final Four and are waiting for more clarity on the situation). From the outside, Sendek’s resume looks solid; he would be a very solid/safe hire for a Pac-10 program whose job continues to lose luster as they continue to struggle to find a Head Coach.
====> We have heard, but have not confirmed that Herb Sendek has an offer from Arizona State and has at least 2 or 3 days to accept the offer. Rumors place the ASU compensation package above Sendek’s curreny makes $800k to $900k at State. But, we do not have confirmation on numbers at this point.
====> Sendek has always been very quiet/discreet regarding his discussions with other opportunities. Many of his inner-circle have not been made aware of this situation; although many are not surprised.
====> Many of “Team Sendek” are now spinning the situaion like the insider “gravis” from the Pack Pride Message Board who posted this morning that due to the “unilateral support” of Sendek by the NC State administration and the most powerful boosters that he fully expects NC Stat to match any offer made by Arizona State. (Oddly enough, this post has since been deleted and has disappeared from the boards.)
We cannot fathom NC State offering Sendek more money to continue to finish in the middle of the ACC and piss off the large majority of NC State fans. The sizeable number of angry fans will grow angrier if the administration actively works to keep Sendek in Raleigh. Sendek and crew have to know and recognize that.
We believe that the vast majority of all parties involved have to recognize think that Sendek getting a GOOD job like Arizona State provides everyone a fresh start that would be welcome by all.
====> The Arizona State opportunity is a miracle stroke of good luck for NC State (if NC State’s leadership had one ounce of common sense). Sendek jettisoning Raleigh for another program in a BCS conference is the best situation for all parties:
* Herb Sendek gets to move for a (relatively) lateral opportunity with a large pay raise. Additionally, his “clock” resets with little to no pressure with a new deal and the understanding that he will have a four or five year honeymoon. Due to his inability to produce a single high-water season at NC State (in 10 years), Sendek has built zero goodwill/equity with the fanbase; this pressure-cooker is only going to get worse next season with the current frustration of the NC State fanbase.
* Lee Fowler‘s resume is unblemished as he can always tell the world how principled he is (unless someone asks him about his days at Memphis State) and how he stood by such a “great guy” and great coach as Herb Sendek despite what the evil “win at all cost” fanbase wanted.
* The Players are often forgotten in these situations. Why does nobody ever think about the 18 to 22 year old kids in times like these? I have maintained since Sendek’s nightmare season 5 years ago that it is grossly unfair for Sendek to constantly put these kids under so much pressure that his selfishness creates. Unfortunately, the reality is that after 5 years of failure, almost every game DOES become some form of referrendum. It is the kids that have to live under this pressure cooker environment and it is unfair for Herb Sendek to continue to be so obstinate while subjecting the kids to this. Just as Sendek’s clock resets if he takes another job, the new coach (and resulting environment) at NC State resets the environment for our kids.
====> If you have ever doubted the level in which PackPride.com is nothing more than a mouthpiece for NC State Athletics (after building their readership on being “independent”) then today is your epiphany (or the confirmation that you are a moron). PackPride’s sister site at Arizona State – in the very same Scout.com network – has headlines about Sendek all over their front page this morning. But, PackPride.com doesn’t say a word about NC State’s Head Basketball Coach emerging as the leading candidate for another job? Classic. Typical NC State — if we close our eyes and tell ourselves something different than the truth then it will be true (at least in our own minds disconnected with reality).
====> You have NEVER seen StateFansNation call for Herb Sendek to be “fired”. Go read every entry on the blog if you must. Nobody on our author’s team has called for a firing since the beginning of Sendek’s 6th season in Raleigh as we are prudent enough to acknowledge that Herb Sendek hasn’t done enough to be fired from his position while reaching five consecutive NCAA Tournaments (no matter how contrived those appearances may have been).
^This acknowledgement does NOT indicate that we think that Herb Sendek deserves the honor of being NC State’s Head Basketball Coach. Nor does it endorse the confrontational, combative,and extreme manner in which Lee Fowler has consistently chosen to defend Sendek while simultaneously degrading the NC State coaching job and lower standards for the program.
We have recognized for years that NC State’s Basketball program is in a management conundrum while also recognizing that the blame for the situation lies squarely at the feet of Lee Fowler and every other leader at the University who has been complicit in allowing the situation to fester —
With 10 years of opportunity, Herb Sendek has generated the second worst performance in the history of NC State Basketball and one of the worst performances of any of the 17 men to have coached for at least 10 years at a single ACC institution. Yet, his recent performance has been good enough to “not get him fired” from an inadequate leadership team. Looking forward, their is no argument that the large majority of NC State fans are frustrated and have little true hope or excitement around the future of the basketball program.
Q: What is one to do?
A: PUSH Sendek to take the Arizona State job faster than he can say yes.
====> Note to Lee Fowler,
It may be time for you to stop telling the world how “difficult” the NC State job is because of having to play on mean and tough Tobacco Road. It is an embarassment that you have never been smart enough to realize the long term impact of your denigration of the NC State opportunity, but it is nonetheless time for you to start thinking a little about how to market NC State as opposed to defending and marketing Herb Sendek.
====> No word on if Arizona State’s Athletics Director thinks that Herb Sendek should have to compete with Lute Olson or UCLA in the Pac-10. We will keep our eyes open.
