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Arizona State has fired coach Herb Sendek after nine seasons.
Who couldn’t see this one coming a mile away? Just aint that much wood to chop in the desert.
According to un-named sources, HWSNBN said he has no interest in applying for his old job.
Methinks he’s landed his last major conference HC job. He’ll be back in the MACtion, or go back to the assistant ranks.
I do wonder if Howland would have rather had that job than the Cowbells.
Does this give anyone else a feeling of closure? Not that this is a front burner issue anymore, but we all knew this would happen eventually. That our fanbase was beaten up about “chasing” this guy away, who was cast as the best NC State would ever do when it came to the HC, only to be now truly vindicated that Herb was indeed only a mediocre coach at best.
Not that I revel in guys getting fired, but Herb’s a millionaire so that should soften the blow. I’m sure he will land on his feet somewhere (Ivy League?). It’s just nice to finally be able to close the book and end the mythology that the rabid NC State lunatic fringe ran the so-called savior of our program out of town.
Edit: I love the comment in the linked article about Colorado wanting Herb.
Some interesting comments following the article. One commenter referred to State as moo u.
Behold, the entitled, elitist hole fan decreeing what others should want and expect in their own programs … of course, this thought process doesn’t apply to his school – they’re better! What I wouldn’t give to have Herb as the next Cheats coach.
“second school he’s been at that has fired him after consistent success. every school thinks they can just change the coach and win a national championship. news flash, asu, you will never win the championship so be satisfied with someone who takes you there half the time. so many schools would kill for the success they had under sendek, just like at moo u”
If there is a just God, Chapel Hill’s sports programs will receive the brimstone that they deserve.
haha, I don’t have a twitter account so I can’t remind him of this…
JasonP, I was thinking the same thing. It seems to give a bit of closure on the whole thing. In less than half the time as he was at ASU, Gottfried has as many S16 appearances as he did NCAA appearances. There’s something about that that seems to vindicate what a lot of “haters” were saying.
By the way, I hadn’t really seen a picture of him in a long time. Hardly recognized him.
Oh, and maybe he can Capel can just switch jobs. And Herb can be Duke’s coach-in-waiting.Not only that, PackerInRussia, but in Gottfried’s FIRST YEAR, he won more NCAA Tournament games than HWSNBN won in 9 at ASU.
For those of us who’ve started to forget specific details of Herb’s time here, our own archives offer probably the best serialized in situ history of the end of the Sendek Era at NC State. Start here:
Sendek: “Complete Body of Work”
It was written by Jeff, one of the best writers this site has ever had, and one if its founders as well. Seriously, I wish I had his insight and sharp wit with a pen…and I am not so bad myself, if I can humblebrag. Jeff is just that damned good as the article shows.
Anyway, I read through several of the articles — the late season flop, the ACCT egg, the departure and the pain of the coaching search.
Thank GOD we have Debbie Yow in charge now. Thank God we have Mark Gottfried. Those days truly were one of the three darkest times in NC State hoops.
Sendek’s work doesn’t look much better even if you take his last five years and put them in context:
Anyone remember this? Who’s laughing now, Paola?
Arizona Republic / Paola Boivin
@PaolaBoivin“All job openings on Tobacco Road should be accompanied by a Surgeon General’s warning: Coaching here may be hazardous to your mental health and induce premature departures and rabid expectations.
Really, North Carolina State fans? This is the coach you were so anxious to see leave, the one that has the Arizona State men’s basketball team in most preseason Top 25 polls? If this is your idea of a castoff, well, where should the Sun Devils send the thank-you bouquet?In only two seasons, Herb Sendek has made ASU basketball relevant again. It has opened practice under the watch of a national eye thanks to a 13-win turnaround from seasons 1 to 2 and a sophomore guard, James Harden, who is projected to be an NBA draft lottery pick.
Perspective is a funny thing. ASU athletic director Lisa Love looked at Sendek in 2006 and saw a coach who had run an impeccable program, who was known as one of the sport’s few remaining gentlemen and who had averaged 21 victories and posted consecutive NCAA tournament appearances in his last five seasons with the Wolfpack.
N.C. State fans saw a coach with a losing record against Duke and North Carolina and a demeanor that was a far cry from the Wolfpack’s most recognizable mentor, the late Jim Valvano.
When Sendek took the ASU job, Orlando Wright, the father of then-recruit Chris Wright, now with Georgetown, told reporters Sendek’s treatment by N.C. State fans was the equivalent of “a modern-day lynching.”
None of that matters to Sendek anymore, and he is too polite to speak negatively about the experience. These days, he barely resembles the Sendek that was portrayed in Raleigh.
His conversations aren’t effusive, but they’re thoughtful. He can be open and funny, sometimes when he doesn’t mean to be.
“He’s big on old-school jokes,” said Drake coach Mark Phelps, a longtime Sendek assistant. “They’re the type that would be hilarious back in 1960, but now they’re funny just because he’s telling it.”
People forget Sendek was only 33 when he took the Wolfpack job. More than a decade has passed. He is constantly tweaking and refining.
Those who criticized Sendek for his deliberate offense with the Wolfpack might be surprised to know the Sun Devils will pick up the pace this season.
When Sendek was offered the ASU job, Phelps tried to talk him out of it. N.C. State was coming off a 22-10 season and sported a strong recruiting class. Yet Sendek saw potential in a Tempe program that was often an afterthought in a Pac-10 Conference dominated by its Arizona neighbor just two hours south.
Was he entering another tempest? Maybe not. Sendek already is 2-2 vs. the rival Wildcats and has posted three victories vs. ranked teams. In the previous 11 seasons, ASU had gone 2-28 against ranked teams at home.
One thing he hasn’t changed is his eye for detail.
“When you present an idea to Herb, and you have fought through it from every angle and you give it to him and you’re feeling good that you’ve covered it all, you can be guaranteed he’ll find some holes,” Phelps said. “That’s what makes him great.”
“Put it this way,” Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. “I’ve been in league meetings with Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski, and Herb is the brightest guy in the room.”
Does Sendek, 45, think he’s changed?
“I’d like to think I’m different,” he said, “but without forsaking any last chance of humility, it’s difficult to answer. I’ve done my best to continue to learn.”
ASU fans hope he doesn’t change too much. There was a lot to like at N.C. State.”
9 years in the desert? Where the hell does the time go. Guess that’s right though. 5 glorious Sidney Lowe years followed by 4 with Gott in the driver seat.
Dick Vitale is already pimping Sendek:
Dick Vitale
?@DickieV
Someone in the hunt for a quality guy & coach should seriously think of Herb Sendek – has fab character !It’s true, Herb does have great character. He’s just a mediocre coach…at best…and after a certain point, coaches are hired to win games, not lose them with character.
Where the hell is A$$HAT….
We need to hear from that desert rat !!!
#NCSU-North Carolina's #1 FOOTBALL school!If only he had just made the Meh-lite Eight (which starts in 5 minutes!!!!) perhaps he’d be celebrating a 5-year extension. So sad.
He’s cerebral??? Assuming I take the media’s word for it (this is akin to a jock with a 100 IQ calling someone with 110 IQ smart), having intellect without the ability to APPLY it to one’s vocation is worthless. He never optimized talent to an extent to believe he was smarter than other coaches. He had a few top 25 recruiting classes at State and turned them into bubble teams.
He’s nice??? That’s what human beings say about other human beings when nothing else comes to mind. I am offended when people describe me as nice – luckily I don’t have that problem very often 🙂
Herb is only NOT forgettable due to his bizarre ability to polarize our disenchanted fan-base.
Thought it was Jeff Capel they were after…Duke Associate Head coach.
Me, I would go after Wiscy’s AHC, Greg Gard. He’s 43 and has 20 years under Bo Ryan.
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