In a week that has seen dozens of dozens of articles that proclaim that Herb Sendek has been “redeemed” for winning a single game against UConn and advancing to the Sweet 16 in his 9th year at NC State. I could spend all day trying to put the loosely-written stuff in one entry…and another week trying to respond to the warped thinking that most of them implement.
But…one of the BEST and easily most thoughful pieces is this one by Pat Forde from ESPN. (In fact, ESPN.com’s whole coverage of the Syracuse Regional is very good and is focusing on the Wolfpack right now.)
In the article, Sendek doesn’t stray from his customary principle-centered behavior. He, unlike his wife’s quotes in the article, continues to refuse to comment on the criticism that he has endured through the years…and does so in a very honorable manner. This consistency deserves to be recognized and commended. He doesn’t worry with commenting on the siutation when he isn’t living up to expectations and he doesn’t take the opportunity to say something snide when he is reaching expectations. I’ve got no problem with that.
It is the class with which Sendek deals with this topic, as well as with most topics, that makes his history of sub-par performance so frustrating. Contrary to ridiculous beliefs by some morons in the media…many State fans appreciate this kind of behavior and the consistent manner in which Sendek goes about his job and publicly interacts with the media.
Now…Lee Fowler would be a completely different story…
Know Your Role You Wolfpackers!!!
Perhaps the most telling (and scary) information that came from Forde’s article was another piece of perspective from our esteemed “Leader” that again publicly reinforces his perspective of where NC State Basketball should rank and what we should (not) aspire to reach.
“Our fans are comparing ourselves to Duke and North Carolina. Every program in the country doesn’t do well when you’re compared with those two on a day-to-day basis. I understand that our fans want to be able to compete with them ? we all do. But you can be real good on a daily basis and not be better than those two programs.” — Lee Fowler, NC State Athletics Director
