Who's Got the Herb?

North Carolina State University is searching for a new men’s basketball coach. In case you did not hear, Herb Sendek has left the Wolfpack program to become the head coach at Arizona State University. Yes, they actually have a basketball team there. To answer 311’s famous question “Who’s got the Herb?” the answer is now the Arizona State Sun Devils do.

Anyone who follows ACC basketball or lives in the area knows how much the majority of NC State fans wanted Sendek to leave. I have defended him for years now, which makes sense seeing as I don paraphernalia of the light blue team that played a large role in forcing his exit. Short aside: people forget Herb led NC State to four consecutive wins over Carolina during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. In fact, my first game at the Dean Dome was a shocking upset of Jamison, Carter, et al during the 1998 season. That loss was the last until the Utah loss in the Final Four by one of the best teams the Tar Heels have had.

So why have I defended Sendek? This is where State fans typically get all upset, so hear me out. He rebuilt a program in shambles following its NCAA penalties stemming from Coach Valvano’s tenure and the Les Robinson era of participating in the ACC Tournament play-in game (aka the Les Robinson Invitational). He graduated players, he stayed out of NCAA trouble, and eventually put State in the Big Dance five consecutive years. I think he’s smart, a likable guy, a solid coach. Most schools would gladly take him.

But Coach Sendek failed to “play to the fans” enough to appease the red and black. “Play to the fans” means making them laugh, being witty, playing up-tempo, recruiting sick athletes, wearing pink. Basically, being trendy. Coach Sendek has never been interested in appeasing anyone; he is too smart for that. And not in the “I’m Bobby Knight, I don’t give a sh*t about anyone” way, but in more of an “I’m not here to be anything cool or hip; I’m just a near-genius dork who happens to be a good basketball coach” way.

In short, Coach Sendek got fired for being himself. He was not a super-popular hire from the beginning, but things were eased by State’s magical ACC Tournament run in 1997 and eventually by NCAA Tournament appearances. The alumni base was not particularly united by Sendek, as many preferred a flamboyant, bubbly personality a la Jimmy V. Trust me, I know Wolfpack Club members and have attended many an NC State event; that’s what a lot of people wanted in 1996 when Sendek was hired and still desire today.

So without looking back too much more, look at where this discourse has gotten us. Sendek was eventually worn down by the pressure and the expectations. He left for more money and more appreciation, both of which he will receive. He also left for a warmer climate and hotter girls. Although I’ve never bought into the notion that State has “zero hot girls” as some Carolina grads might say, they certainly are not in Arizona St’s class (ASU is known for a plethora of hotties).

On the other hand, State is coachless and the majority of its fans could not be happier. Tom Burleson, former Wolfpack center on its best team (1974 NCAA Champions) went as far as to go on a local sports talk show and make it known that “former Wolfpack players” were united in wanting a new coach. To his credit, Athletic Director Lee Fowler has held the wolves at bay the past few years as they tried to tear down Sendek. This includes the general alumni base, some former players, and the local media who love to attack Sendek. In contrast, the administration has been very patient and supportive of Coach Sendek, rolling his contract over each season recently.

What is wrong with this picture? The perception of the program.

NC State has the ability to play with Duke and Carolina in every sport every season. The problem is, they have not done it consistently. Yet, many big money boosters think they have an equal tradition. This is simply untrue. There have been many, many down years for the Wolfpack, making their two championships seem more like flashes in the pan than part of a legacy. The longest running period of tradition for State is found in the waning years of the old Southern Conference and at the onset of the ACC. Everett Case and company dominated the league and changed basketball in the south forever.

Trouble has plagued the program since then. The 1974 squad that claimed the NCAA title had been banned from the tournament the season before because of NCAA probation. More penalties would follow in the late seventies. The 1983 team eventually would be investigated as well. Most of the penalties that occurred under Valvano were charged to his teams following their magical NCAA run. The reason Coach V was run out of town was the black cloud surrounding the program from an NCAA investigation and eventual penalties. The point of bringing in Les Robinson and Herb Sendek was to run a clean program that would also remain competitive. This took a while, but became reality under Sendek.

My point is this. NC State fans are clearly unhappy playing third dog in the triangle area. Anyone would be and should be. Obviously the school wants to win the ACC every year and compete for the national title; any school that does not should fold its program. A healthy jealousy is not a bad thing, as it should be State’s goal to have equal success and build equal tradition. However, running off a quality coach is not the way to do this.

The result of the public unhappiness and bashing of Sendek that eventually led to him leaving is that the NC State fanbase has now developed a reputation. Unless you are one of six or seven traditional elite programs in America, you simply cannot run off a good coach and appear to be anything but ungrateful, misguided, and impossible to please.

This is clearly a trend with State because of the pressure Coach Chuck Amato and the football program has been under. Somehow the school went from throwing a parade after finishing fourth in the ACC and winning the Gator Bowl to wanting a new coach at the end of this past season. Fourth?!? The common factor hear is the same fanbase is unhappy with its level of success in two major sports where it has little prior tradition to point to as a precedent.

I will be the first to admit North Carolina’s fanbase did something very similar in running off Matt Doherty. For a fanbase that considers great basketball its birthright, it sure did not handle things with the utmost dignity. When things get bad somewhere, anywhere, people tend to panic and cry more than usual. Power struggles ensue and someone ultimately loses out. North Carolina, Indiana, and UCLA have all done this recently.

The key difference is that a higher standard is the precedent at each of those three schools than at NC State. Coach Sendek and whomever the new coach turns out to be are being asked to do something unprecedented at NC State: have prolonged (and legal) excellence. Coach Sendek was well on his way to doing so in my opinion, but apparently wasn’t “Jimmy V” enough to survive.

Jimmy V was actually a friend of my family’s. My aunt and uncle were extremely close with he and his wife, Pam, and their daughters. My cousin was best friends with one of their daughters. We hung out as kids, my parents got to know Jim and Pam. I wore Jimmy V Basketball Camp t-shirts as a kid (insert O-face here). He was funny and personable. I’m telling you this not to drop names, but to show that I honestly knew the guy a little bit and have a positive recollection of him as a person.

But Jimmy V cheated. At least his staff did while he toiled in entertainment and other activities, failing to keep the reins tight. I mean, he got Chris Washburn into school. He had a player call himself “amphibious” instead of “ambidextrous” (Charles Shackleford I believe). Somehow, a large number of old-time Wolfpackers believe Jimmy V walked on water and compare everyone to him. Living in the past of your program, especially when you have a skewed view of how strong that past was and have a history of NCAA violations, is not healthy for a program looking to move forward.

My question is two-fold. First, who will the next coach be? Will NC State capitalize on the allure of the ACC and coaching on Tobacco Road and make the big splash they are looking for? Obviously the university is willing to shell out the cash to compete, which is a positive. Second, will the new coach eventually experience the same treatment as Sendek? Roy Williams was seen as the prodigal son, coming home to lead “God’s Team” back to the promised land. But Kelvin Sampson and Ben Howland have been given wait-and-see attitudes from Indiana and UCLA. Surely the new coach at State will be given the same attitude.

In summary, I think the NC State alumni base, especially its older players and donors, have a skewed view of how storied it tradition is. David Thompson doesn’t mean a hill of beans to today’s recruits. Neither do Chris Corchiani or Lorenzo Charles. The average recruit might even say, “NC State…yeah, they’re the ones who won a national title off an airball aren’t they?” I do admire the desire to succeed and the aggressiveness of the department. However, building a winner is not as easy when your fans are so impatient and impossible to please.

I sincerely hope NC State hires a good coach and has some success. I just hope this coach receives better treatment than his predecessor. Who knows? Maybe Herb Sendek was next season’s Billy Donovan, poised to end past tournament frustrations with a run to the national title. If that was the case, thanks for leaving Herb. After all, it’s not like I really want to see such a tradition born at Moo U.