Arizone State met with NC State coach Herb Sendek at the Final Four, and offered him the head coaching job, double his current salary, a fan base that doesn’t hate him, and boosters who aren’t calling for his job. It took him about 10 seconds to accept.
I know not all NC State fans wanted him gone, but a lot of people did, and it made things difficult for him. And it’s too bad… I think he’s a damn good coach. And now NC State’s got to find someone to take the job with the knowledge that five straight tournament appearances, and a sweet 16 last year, just aren’t good enough. This is not going to be a positive step for NC State.
No one thinks of them as one of the nation’s elite programs. Yes, they do have two national titles… they’ve got the Jim Valvano video clips and everything else. But they’re just another team looking up at UNC and Duke in the ACC. I’m not saying they can’t ever get to that elite level, but they’re not getting there overnight, and there aren’t many guys more likely to get them there than Herb Sendek.
Nice little deal for Arizona State. Expect them to improve in the next 2-3 years.
unc_samurai Says:
April 3rd, 2006 at 9:56 am
Thank the vocal portion of Wolfpack fans that were brewing the Haterade. We’ve heard nothing in the Triangle but bile and venom towards this man. The third of the fanbase that doesn’t think he eats babies never was vocal enough in their support of him. Personally, I don’t see how he - or any coach - can satisfy the demands of State fans. They look at Durham and Chapel Hill with a jealousy that combines with the legacy of two national titles and somehow expect that despite a handful of sanctions, followed by a ten-year period of ninth-place conference finishes, NC State should be as good as UNC and Duke. State fans just refuse to admit they dug an enourmous hole in the 1990’s, and their upset last year of UConn was the first sign they had made progress. Impressive in spite of ten years of publicly berating their coach, a highly effective practice to boost recruiting.
I sincerely hope Arizona State makes a Final Four in the next five years, because I will laugh at all the Wolfpack faithless who would rather root for their team to lose just so they could find a new coach. Congrats, State, you’ve cemented your status as third-best team in the Triangle.
Doug Says:
April 3rd, 2006 at 2:52 pm
what in the world is going on in that picture?
CheeseheadPete Says:
April 4th, 2006 at 5:20 am
Arizona State has a wonderful Interpetive dance program also!