Attention Young Hoops Fans: Don’t Say Stupid Stuff

ACC & Other General NCS Basketball37

There has been a lot of discussion, on our forums and NC State blogs all around, about the current state of NC State basketball and where we have been in recent history compared to where we were decades ago.  As a younger fan (Born in the mid-1980’s, Class of 2009), I have had to suffer through the knowledge that our “happiest” moments were going to a Sweet Sixteen while my parents and the older generations always spoke about the “Glory Days” in the 1970’s and 1980’s with National Championships and multiple ACCT runs.

Fortunately, a few of these old geezers managed to pack enough Ginkgo Biloba to educate me a little before I made stupid claims.  Chiefly, that NC State was “really, really good when Sendek was taking NC State to 5-straight NCAA tournaments”.  Here is an excerpt to a response from what I perceived to be such a claim.

This is from a guy a bit younger than you, [Poster’s Name Hidden]…. that was one of the dumbest things I have ever read with regards to NC State basketball and it is exactly the reason why I don’t blame older fans for having stereotypes of us youngins.

I mean, seriously? …
“The “streak” of Elite 8s you speak of was a whopping 2 in ’85 & ’86.”

So you are stating that the 5 NCAAT in the 80’s were less impressive because there were only two elite eights?  Newsflash: two is more than zero.  You are saying that the 1983 Championship was a miracle.  You are almost dismissing the talent of the 1983 team just because you see it as “a miracle”.  So what make 1983 luck more than 2005?  You know who we had to beat to get to the Sweet Sixteen?  UNC-freaking-Charlotte and a UConn team that was coming off losing players to winning the National Championship the previous year.

PS, in 2005, we lost to Wisconsin in classic… classicHerb Sendek fashion by gaining a 9pt lead at the half, then letting them run up the score on us in the second half.  Even the droopy-dog face of Sendek couldn’t save us then.

Droopy Dog or Disappointed NC State Coach?

Can’t tell, can ya?

Ok, so maybe that was a bit insulting (and I apologize upfront for singling out a particular post from a fellow NC State fan), but come on, folks.  It is undeniable that NC State is a national program, historically, and still has a right to be a national program. ESPN/Saragin computes the all-time rankings based on every program’s level of success.  Despite the past 20 years, NC State is still the 22 best program in the country.  That puts us right in front of ‘Cuse and right behind ‘Nova after basically not winning at all in the area of titles in the last 2 decades.

Now do not be confused: this is not some hack piece on a former coach.  What this has to do with is the increasing distance between the older generation of NC State basketball fans and the newer generation.  The fact that a comparison would even be made between the 2002-2006 NCAAT streak and 1985-1989 NCAAT streak says it all.

To conclude, I just want to say this: younger fans, do not accept any of the utter crap that is unloaded on you by the sports media that somehow NC State should be happy with what it can get.  What a load.  Instead, take the time to actually determine whyNC State finds itself in it’s current predicament and then ask yourself why NC State shouldn’t expect to be a nationally competitive program.  To the older fans, have patience with the younger.  There is a generation gap at NC State unlike any at other basketball institutions.  It’s not the fault of the younger crowd that the NC State administration and Board of Governors have done an effective job of cryogenicly freezing the NC State program.  Try to understand where they are coming from but, by God, don’t let them get away with this stupid concept that somehow NC State needs to “know their place” or should “accept what they can get”.

About NCStatePride

***ABOUT THE AUTHOR: NCStatePride has been writing for StateFansNation.com since 2010 and is a 2009 graduate of the College of Engineering.

ACC & Other General NCS Basketball

37 Responses to Attention Young Hoops Fans: Don’t Say Stupid Stuff

  1. 61Packer 01/28/2011 at 9:58 PM #

    Some of us remember Speaks. I do. Gone way too soon.

  2. NCStatePride 01/28/2011 at 11:25 PM #

    tjfoose1, you are the man. I owe you a beer.

  3. ldr of the pk 75 01/29/2011 at 12:23 AM #

    John Speaks played with Larry Lakins if memory serves me. But then again, I’m an old fart. Great job Highstick.

  4. 61Packer 01/29/2011 at 12:43 AM #

    John Punger was another player on Speaks’ team. Hit the winning FG as time expired at the Indoor Stadium against Duke in a big upset in the early 1960s.

  5. jamieinkorea 01/29/2011 at 10:46 AM #

    You got owned by a kid because you can’t say what you mean.

    What you say: NC State was awful under Sendek.

    What you mean: NC State wasn’t good enough under Sendek.

  6. tjfoose1 01/29/2011 at 10:50 AM #

    Camel – really?

    I hope that isn’t even a veiled comparison of K and Dean to Sidney.

    K and Dean would not have lasted 5 years, let alone your benchmark of 6, if either had Sid’s results. Heck, neither of them would have even been hired.

    Time is not an independent qualifier. It is about what it accomplished within said time. Not just in W’s and L’s, but in overall program development, player development, development of team culture, chemistry, and leadership. In many ways, Sid’s program had regressed, not progressed.

    Sid’s best team was 4 years ago, late in his first year, with Sendek developed players, a healthy Atsur, and leadership developed by his predecessor.

    4 years and better talent have only brought worse teams, bad chemistry, less unity, and zero leadership… in a worse ACC.

    Clue anyone?

    That alone should be all anyone needs to justify a change. Period.

    But oh well, we do find quite the spectrum on this site.

  7. tjfoose1 01/29/2011 at 11:15 AM #

    Korea – NC State was awful under Sendek.

    Don’t get ‘owned’ by your own assumptions.

    I can still remember the home BC game in Sendek’s best year at State, back when I still bothered to get season tickets…

    Still had a chance for 2nd and/or 3rd in the conference, if I recollect correctly.

    Who here remembers that double overtime game and those ‘splendid’ plays coming out of timeouts?

    ‘Awful’ is being kind.

  8. camel77 01/29/2011 at 11:09 PM #

    tjfoose1. Were you around when Dean started? His first few teams were not that good. The same thing with Duke. I am not saying Sidney is a Dean Smith or Coach K but Carolina or Duke did not give on on their coach. If we fire Sidney now or at the end of the year, it means another five years of sucking. Don’ t think these freshmen will stick around if we fire Sidney. They are at State because of him.

    State fans are our rivals best weapon with all the blasting of coaches and players.
    Sendek was half way successful even with State fans making hard to recruit with all the negativity and hostility toward the coach. A highly rated recruit doesn’t want to go to school there not knowing the guy that recruited will not be there. We had a coach that had us in the post season 9 out of the 10 years (4NIT and 5 NCAA) he was here even with tying his hands on recruiting. It would be nice to beat your rival ever once in a while but I rather be playing while most teams season is over. This is why we couldn,t get a coach after Herb and will be hard to get a big named coach now unless we give him an awful big contract that is guarantee for a long time.

  9. heavy 01/29/2011 at 11:32 PM #

    Camel – I thought the reason why Sendek couldn’t recruit was the Weave and Heave offense. I now feel bad for saying that he was aweful. All of the recruits I must have chased away. Also, if we are going to ‘suck for 5 more years’ what’s the harm in switching coaches – this one hasn’t worked out. Additional time for Sid will not improve his abilities…

  10. jamieinkorea 01/30/2011 at 6:59 AM #

    That’s why top tier coaches won’t come. If not winning national championships every season is greeted with chants of “awful,” who would want to coach or play in that atmosphere?

    And, isn’t awful relative? Is Sendek more or less “awful” than Lowe? If making it to the tournament is considered “awful,” what is acceptable?

  11. camel77 01/30/2011 at 10:45 AM #

    heavy- I’m not saying give Sidney five more years. If you had read my previous post, what I said was given the youth of the team ( 6 sophomores and freshmen) give him one more year. With the last two recruiting classes being pretty good and this one looking promising , I think it would be sad to have to start over. If we fire Sidney, I think we would lose the freshmen and most of this year class. The sophomore would probably stay but that not enough to keep from being bad.

  12. tjfoose1 01/30/2011 at 2:35 PM #

    Some of you are missing the point. I don’t think anyone is giving up on the TEAM, what many have realized is that the coach of the team simply isn’t qualified to do the job he was hired to do.

    It has nothing to do with the talent level on the roster. It has very little to do with the wins and loses. It’s about having the ability and required skill set to lead the Wolfpack Basketball program.

    Sidney has already proven he has neither, regardless of the names that make of the roster.

    If you can’t see that, then so be it. Some of us have the experience and knowledge that to us, it is abundantly clear.

    Doesn’t mean we don’t love Sid as one of our own, doesn’t mean we are bashing him. We see it as simply stating the facts, same as stating blue is blue and green is green.

    You can love your son, and he can be one of the most talented persons you know… but if he doesn’t have the skill set to do so, you certainly wouldn’t want him performing brain surgery on another loved one.

    That analogy is not far off from the way many of us feel.

    For the good of all, it’s time for Sid to go (after this season). Hopefully it will be his decision.

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