Coach K Defends Herb Sendek at PC

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Coach K came out swinging today in support of Herb Sendek.

“He’s really one of the terrific coaches in our country,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s a proven winner. It makes me appreciate what we have at Duke with the support we’ve had.”

“There are still some (Iron Dukes) I would never talk to,” Krzyzewski said. ” … But I’ll always talk to my president and my administrators, because they didn’t flinch. Hopefully (N.C. State’s) people won’t flinch, either.”

“For those people, go write a letter and complain about me, then,” Krzyzewski said. “Because I am going to say something good about a good guy and a really good coach.”

“We had, I think, four outstanding teams in our conference, and I think that’s State included,” Krzyzewski said. “State had some problems at the end of the year when they were hurt and injured and whatever. I mean, they beat (George Washington) by (21). They were really good.”

I love these!! Talk about signs of the death-spiral. Am I the only who remembers that Matt Doherty came to Sendek’s public defense in 2001? At that time Doherty was 2-0 against Sendek. Of course that doesn’t compare to K’s 21-3 record vs Sendek in the last decade…but you get the point. (Just out of curiosity, how many times do you think Dean Smith came running to Coach K’s defense when things weren’t going well?)

Sendek never had, or chose to take the opportunity to return Doherty’s support. Chalk up another example of how other program’s are run compared to the one at NC State; you have to give Carolina credit for making their decisions decisively and without lingering in purgatory to create confrontations with their own fans.

Coack K also commented about how difficult his 2nd and 3rd years were at Duke. Allow me to repeat that – 2nd and 3rd years. For all you homegamers out there, Coach Sendek is now in his tenth season at the helm of the NC State program and has compiled:

* The second worst record of performance in the history of the NC State program

* A performance that clearly ranks him ahead of a ONE of the 17 coaches in ACC history that have been provided the honor to coach for a decade or longer in the ACC.

Unwillingly, K’s comments served to praise the NC State fan base while simultaneously highlighting the difference between he and Sendek – both currently and historically.

Evidently, K feels that Duke fans are far worse than State fans. You see, the Dookies were on K’s case in year two and three. NC State fans didn’t start getting on Herb’s case until his 5th (horrible) season that came on the heels of four previous seasons with no NCAA Tournament appearance. And, K was coaching at a time when the NCAA Tournament had less bids than they do today. WOW!! Talk about a stark difference in fans’ support!

You’d think that NC State fans didn’t help finance a $166 million 20,000 seat arena that State built before financing one of the most plush basketball practice facilities in the country. Poor Herb Sendek. The fans just don’t do anything but shell out their time and money to watch other coaches call seasons like the last two “terrific”. Herb Sendek may be a “terrific” coach. Unfortunately for him, coaches (at most places) get paid to deliver “terrific” results. I won’t argue that Herb isn’t a terrific coach since I know that nobody in the world that can spell their name will argue that he has produced terrific results.

In the mid-1980s, K ultimately succeeded as most coaches do — he succeeded by his 4th and 5th year or he would have gotten canned. Past performance is the #1 indicator of future behavior. Is it any wonder why Herb Sendek hasn’t broken through yet? He never has, and history, of which K is a major component, indicates that if he hasn’t by now then he never will.

No wonder K wants to support Sendek. Just like Matt Doherty did. Next up…Roy Williams and Skip Prosser.

vsBig4-update

Post-Mortems from the News & Observer:
February 7, 1996
“WOLFPACK ADVISORY: North Carolina State fans wanting to dump coach Les Robinson should remember that no coach in the league has a better record against the Tar Heels. Robinson is 4-2 against the Heels in Raleigh and 5-7 overall for a .417 winning percentage. Duke, under Mike Krzyzewski, is 13-24 (.351) against the Heels, and no other ACC coach is over 30 percent against them.

Even before the Wolfpack’s win over Carolina on Saturday, Robinson received strong support on the editorial page of the Raleigh News and Observer. “He (Robinson) represents the very best of college athletics and N.C. State is blessed to have him,” the editorial concluded.”

March 6, 1996
AMEN CORNER: Every coach in the league has offered support for North Carolina State’s embattled Les Robinson, but none has done it more eloquently in a few short words than Virginia’s Jeff Jones. To critics who suggest Robinson is too nice to be a good coach, Jones replies, “There is nothing wrong with being a nice guy. There’s too many jerks in this profession, anyway.”

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45 Responses to Coach K Defends Herb Sendek at PC

  1. WTNY 03/20/2006 at 8:13 PM #

    Next batter, Roy. On deck, Skip.

  2. SaccoV 03/20/2006 at 8:32 PM #

    It’s starting to get ridiculous that other coaches are defending our coach. No one really has questioned whether or not he’s a good coach. In a league of great coaches, however, Mr. Duke Basketball, good doesn’t cut it. Period. Next thing you know, John Bunting will come out in support of Amato. Wait, I think he’s already done that several times now. What a farce!

  3. Lou 03/20/2006 at 8:34 PM #

    this is all one big joke. seriously. Go ahead keep Herb here b/c that way its on less game we have to worry about. THIS IS CRAZY!!! of course coah K is gonna praise Herb….he whoops up on him year in and year out.

  4. Wolfpack Willie 03/20/2006 at 8:42 PM #

    Maybe Athletic Directors at other schools will buy K’s BS and make Herb an offer!

  5. NCBP 03/20/2006 at 8:49 PM #

    if you can’t see this is serving for Coach K, then you have no brains at all

  6. Wolfpack Willie 03/20/2006 at 8:51 PM #

    Site Admin:
    I read/heard that there was a poll of alumni to determine basically if HS should stay or go? Is this true? If so, where can it be seen?
    Thanks.

  7. Chris 03/20/2006 at 8:54 PM #

    I like K, but he can take his compliments and shove ’em up his ass. The only reason he comes out in support like this is because he owns Sendek and he knows it. You think he’ll come out and support Roy like this if the shoe was on his foot? Hell no. Whatever. I expect this kind of crap from the coaches, so nothing really surprising here.

  8. 4NCST8 03/20/2006 at 9:12 PM #

    Coach K is a moron and a total and complete idiot. 23-3 vs. Buddha with more wins to come in the next few years. Coach K is stupid for interjecting his unwanted opinion in this situation. Man, it’s amazing all the people who’ve gone to bat for Sendek: the Faculty Council representative, a few of his players, Barnes, K. Who’s next? ‘Ol Royboy.

    Amazing. Unbelievable. Hell, if I had a 23-3 record against a coach of a school that used to beat me about 60% of the time in the ’80s, I’d say the same thing.

    Kryzewski . . . What an idiot he is! He makes me sick with all of his nonsense!

    He’s a complete and total moron. He’s the biggest fraud in the college basketball coaching business.

  9. WolfInVolCountry 03/20/2006 at 9:23 PM #

    I have heard it said that K (and Sendek) is data driven. Someone should ask K that when presented with Herbie’s terrible records vs. him, and Roy, or our prowess in the ACCT and NCAA if his comments would stand up vs. the truth. Would he, in all honesty, have survived at Duke for 10 years with this sort of performance. Better yet, would his succesor survive 5 years with this record. I think not.

    Herb may be a nice guy, with boat-loads of integrity, but you can have that and be a good coach (ACC titles, Final-Fours). We don’t have that. We are also-rans.

    K’s comments are laudable in defense of another coach, but in the end it is just another way to keep the boys from Moo U. down on the farm.

  10. scott 03/20/2006 at 9:31 PM #

    The poll on SenDICK is at redandwhitefromstate.com

  11. graywolf 03/20/2006 at 9:39 PM #

    Herb has beaten K 3 times in 10 years. If I were K I’d support him too.

  12. BJD95 03/20/2006 at 9:46 PM #

    I think he said something similar about Gillen last year. As Jeff has said before, the only opinion of Sendek that really counts is that of the market. And that assessment is a poor one.

  13. lumberpack 03/20/2006 at 10:08 PM #

    Totally self-serving

  14. Cardiac95 03/20/2006 at 10:13 PM #

    This is entering comical proportions…,.

  15. MaupiNL 03/20/2006 at 11:40 PM #

    Come on guys….this is NC STATE. To think the university will consistently compete with Duke and UNC in basketball is like asking Vandy to compete with Tennessee and Florida in Football.

    State has very little to offer compared to the other two schools. Less tradition, less current success, crankier fan base, worse colors (seriously, red is hard to wear with most clothing. All shades of blue go well with Jeans..Unless you are a blonde bombshell, red isnt a good color to wear), a national or international fanbase for Duke and UNC and not for State.

    How do you expect ANY coach at State to compete when he has that kind of odds stacked against him. It doesnt look like Duke or UNC have any down years in sight so overcoming one or both of the top two programs in the country is lubicrous. Throw in the fact that State fans scream for the axe after any loss to a rival and I can see how coaches and players would treat the red from state like a scarlet letter.

  16. Mike 03/21/2006 at 12:10 AM #

    Maupi, it is obvious you have no clue. Up until a few years ago, State was tied or ahead of Duke and UNC in tradition, titles etc. If not for Everett Case, the ACC would not……heck college basketball would not be what it is today.

  17. class of '74 03/21/2006 at 6:09 AM #

    Would you burn your annuity? I expect Kofi Annan to issue a statement from the UN in support of Herb later today.

  18. dukeman033 03/21/2006 at 7:29 AM #

    What kid wants to play for a program whose fans criticize coaches non-stop? I think yall should be glad that you have a clean and classy program that can compete with any team in the country. Your players really like the coach, the program, and their teammates. That is the foundation of a great program, which Herb is building. Its a little difficult to compete and be great with 2 Hall of Fame coaches down the road in the top conference in the country. If yall would sit back and just love State thick and thin, I think you would be happy.

    Yes, I know, its easy for a Dukie to say all this, but I am also a Philadelphia Phillies fan and I love them no matter what. They can make all the bad moves they want and be in last place forever, but they always have a classy organization and they always have heart, just like NC State.

    Everybody just wants to WIN WIN WIN these days. How about sitting back and having a good time and cheering for the team you love.

    Good Luck State!! Your’e PROGRAM is nothing but class!

  19. class of '74 03/21/2006 at 7:31 AM #

    ^Pete Gaudet was classy too! If K were to step down would you bring Pete back?

  20. Cardiff Giant 03/21/2006 at 7:33 AM #

    Maupin, are you, well (how do I put this?), GAY? Not that I have a problem with that.

    As for this:

    “I think he said something similar about Gillen last year. As Jeff has said before, the only opinion of Sendek that really counts is that of the market. And that assessment is a poor one.”

    100% correct.

  21. wrNCSU 03/21/2006 at 7:34 AM #

    MaupiNL,

    You are either a Duke or Carolina fan, or not from this hemisphere. WOW! What an ignorant statement about the traditions of our three area universities. I’ll give you a brief lesson. Everett Case, of NC State, began a little tournament called the Dixie Classic at the brand new , state-of-art Reynold’s Coliseum in the 1950s. This tournament sparked interest in college basketball in the previously football-dominated south, and effevtively spawned the ACC. Until UNC and DUke’s most recent NCAA titles, all three schools were tied with 2. And until the UNC media helped to conspire against our entire university by starting the Jimmy V scandal and the ensuing post Jimmy V era, NC State easily was on par with UNC and miles ahead of Duke in tradition and titles. All it takes is a new coach with some balls and a ambitious vision for NC State. Everything else is in place. If you are an NC State fan and you aren’t aware of our tradition, check out some ACC history books or place a call to Caulton Tudor at the N&O, it will make you swell with pride. If you aren’t an NC State fan…well, go somewhere else, and take Herbie with you.

  22. VTPACKFAN 03/21/2006 at 7:53 AM #

    “For all the love and esteem Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski retains for his first Final Four team from 1986, he still harbors a certain emptiness for not being able to deliver them the ultimate reward: a national title.” Dan Wiedner, staff writer Fayetteville online.

    “If I knew then what I know now,� Krzyzewski tells them, “we would have won it all.�

    And so like the dukeman033, and coach K, lets not give a second thought to win’s and losses in the past.

  23. SaccoV 03/21/2006 at 7:53 AM #

    Maupin, would you say that Duke doesn’t have any tradition in football either? If you’ve only watched them play basketball for the last ten years, you would have no idea that Duke Football was once a perennial top-ten team, with a few Rose Bowl appearances (no other ACC school has one). It’s one thing to look at history, but it’s another to think that wherever your team is in terms of competing with local foes is marked in concrete.

    Dukeman, if your coach can’t sell your program to top-tier kids (regardless of the fanbase’s sentiments) you’re never ever going to compete. We fans can yell and scream about the program, but in the end, if Herb can’t beat (occasionally) the top dogs in this conference and establish himself as a consistent threat to Carolina or Duke, NC State will never be any program of merit. I think of Oklahoma basketball as a comparison when Kelvin Sampson took over for Billy Tubbs. Oklahoma was consistently competing on a national stage under Tubbs. Violations came it, coaches were fired, scholarships lost, and Sampson took the reins and built a Big 12 power and a dark-horse national contender in about six years. One final four appearance and three CONSECUTIVE Big 12 titles prove Sampson’s ability. Regardless of the situation, Herb hasn’t come close to that type of record at a university that has actually won a national title and has the third most ACC titles. A nice program is the same as a program that doesn’t win. I hate nice programs. Nice programs are for the CAA or MEAC or Southland conferences. Not for the top basketball conference in the country.

  24. VTPACKFAN 03/21/2006 at 7:59 AM #

    “asking Vandy to compete with Tennessee and Florida in Football”

    Close, but wrong thread. This is what Lee Fowler could do, by leaving Raleigh to focus on this instead.

  25. Mr O 03/21/2006 at 8:04 AM #

    I don’t think there is a reason to overreact to Coach K’s comments. In a lot of ways, Herb is a terrific coach. Our program has a great deal of respect now that our program has never had…maybe ever. He has some decent accomplishments the last five years and he built a stable foundation for our program. We don’t have significant dropoffs from year to year. But we also don’t have the outstanding seasons that many of us are looking for.

    I expect Herb’s peers to defend him. And I don’t think they are wrong in doing so. But that doesn’t mean that NC State shouldn’t want to change things up just to see what would happen with someone else at the helm. It has been 10 years afterall.

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