Dereck Whittenburg is Wolfpack through and through. If there’s one thing Wolfpack fans agree upon in this coaching search, it’s this. Some fans, however, fear that Coach Whittenburg’s candidacy is based on that fact alone.
Let’s put that fear to rest right away: it’s not. What it is to Whittenburg’s candidacy I will get to later. But first, there are very good reasons why those of us who know about Coach Whittenburg wish him to be the next coach of the Wolfpack.
These are reasons that I think would make Coach Whittenburg an attractive candidate regardless of where he went to school.
Such as this: Over the seven yeas that Dereck Whittenburg has been a head coach, he is the only coach to improve his team’s record from the previous year each year. His team’s record was better than it was the previous year for each of those seven years.
At his first head coaching job, Wagner, Whittenburg inherited:
— a team that had just posted a record of 9-18 (7-9 conference) in 1998-1999
— a program that had never won its conference
— a program that had never gone to the NCAAs
Here is how Coach Whittenburg’s teams did:
In 1999-2000, his first team went 11-16 (6-10).
In 2000-01 he posted winning seasons in conference and overall: 16-13 (11-9).
In 2001-02 he improved on that mark, and his team ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring while nearly reaching 20 wins: 19-10 (15-5)
In 2002-03, Wagner under Coach Whittenburg again ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring, posted a record of 21 wins and 11 losses (14-4), won the conference title, and went to their first NCAAs.
In four years.
Impressed by that, Fordham came calling. Already the phrase “Whittenburg magic” was entering the lexicon. But maybe Whittenburg got lucky?
COACH WHITTENBURG AT FORDHAM
Here’s what Whittenburg faced at Fordham. If Wagner was a mountain to climb, then Fordham was Everest. Fordham had never posted even a .500 conference record, let alone a winning record. They had never even won a single game in the conference tournament. In fact, the Rams hadn’t had a winning season since 1991-92.
And the team Whittenburg was inheriting had just posted a grand season total of two wins. The previous coach’s record at Fordham was 36-78 in his four years there – and a paltry 2-26 his last season.
Coach Whittenburg wasn’t daunted by that challenge. Why would he be? He invited challenge. His attitude at Wagner was “play us any time, any day.”
About Fordham, he said, “I am very passionate about Fordham basketball. I know it will be a hard task. I welcome the challenge. I embrace the kids in the program.”
He also gave a hint about his success.
“I concern myself with the character of the program and the kids. Start with that and the winning will come.”
Fordham’s administration was impressed by Coach Whittenburg. Their decision to hire him was unanimous.
As Fordham president Rev. Joseph O’Hare said, “Dereck Whittenburg’s record, first as an assistant coach and more recently as head coach at Wagner College, demonstrates that he is the kind of coach who can achieve athletic success on the hardwood while maintaining academic integrity.”
His first year at Fordham, 2003-04, was a rough one. His team won only six games – 6-22 (3-13).
His second year, 2004-05, Coach Whittenburg had a team of five freshmen and only four scholarship players. But this team became Fordham’s first to avoid a losing record in conference. Their final record was 13-16 (8-8).
That year Fordham won its first-ever conference tournament game. There’s an excellent report about this here:
Though Duquesne spoiled the Fordham’s Senior Night a week earlier, this year’s Rams enjoyed the success the Dukes had aspired to. Six wins turned into 12, and a sixth-place finish became a four-seed. There was no great secret to the turnaround – an energetic and charismatic coach named Dereck Whittenburg was beginning to work his magic …
This year Coach Whittenburg’s team posted Fordham’s first conference winning season ever. They finished .500 for the season at 16-16 (9-7) – a far cry from the two-win team he had inherited and on the doorstep of Fordham’s first winning season since Les Robinson’s first year at NC State.
In short, Coach Whittenburg has put Fordham on the same path of ever-building success that he had his Wagner teams on. He did it with his “magic”: kids of integrity, his own unflagging energy, his charisma, his delight in a challenge, and his tireless effort.
A GREAT COACH
Overall, Coach Whittenburg’s career record is 102-104. Detractors are quick to point out it’s a losing record. That’s accurate without telling the whole story. Whittenburg inherited losing programs and made them winners – his record reflects the years in turning those teams around. Here’s a little year-by-year breakdown for you in his rebuilding both Wagner and Fordham:
— Coach Whittenburg’s predecessors’ win percentage in their final years: 11-44 (20.0%)
— Coach Whittenburg’s win percentage in his first years: 17-38 (30.9%)
— Coach Whittenburg’s win percentage in his second years: 29-29 (50.0%)
— Coach Whittenburg’s win percentage in his third years: 35-26 (57.4%)
— And of course during Coach Whittenburg’s fourth year at Wagner, his win percentage was 65.6%.
Well, OK, but that’s just Fordham and Wagner. What could Coach Whittenburg do in the ACC?
Coach Whittenburg is no stranger to the ACC. In fact, Coach Whittenburg has experience recruiting top-notch players and All-Americans to two separate ACC schools, Georgia Tech and N.C. State. He learned under two of the ACC’s best coaches: Bobby Cremmins and Jim Valvano. As an assistant coach under both coaching legends, he has won ACC titles.
That is to say, Coach Whittenburg is no stranger as a coach to the ACC, to success in the ACC, and to successful recruiting coups in the ACC. (He’s also no stranger as a player to winning championships, as we all know.)
Furthermore, not only has Whittenburg learned under the tutelage of great ACC coaches, he has also played for great coaches – Jim Valvano, of course, and in high school, the legendary Morgan Wooten.
In my view, this is an impressive coaching pedigree. Coach Whittenburg is a winner. He knows what winning takes, and he knows how to achieve it, and he does so with passion and integrity.
And here’s where Dereck Whittenburg’s ties to NC State should matter. The position of NC State men’s basketball head coach should be more than a job. It should be a dream. It was Valvano’s dream. It was Norm Sloan’s dream. Remember how the Sports Illustrated cover story on David Thompson (prior to our first national championship) described Sloan’s decision to take the Wolfpack job? “Sloan, another player under Case at N.C. State, hurried back to his alma mater.”
Dereck Whittenburg is a great coach who loves NC State, and if he’s our coach, you can bet he’s going to put his reputation for energetic coaching, charismatic salesmanship and character-building to work for something we all love: NC State basketball. He would make us proud. And we know it. Hiring Coach Whittenburg would do more to unite this fractured fanbase than anyone. He’d hurry home. And we couldn’t help but become excited.
Coach Whittenburg’s bona fides stack up favorably against anyone else’s before you speak of his being “in the family.” His being a Wolfpack alumnus doesn’t matter – but it does. It matters that NC State is Whitt’s dream job. It matters that he knows what it means to Wolfpack fans to beat Carolina and Duke. (Anyone remember seeing him limp out onto the court to celebrate after Sidney’s between-the-leg pass setting up Thurl’s slam that sealed Valvano’s first win over Carolina?) It matters that he can show his recruits and his players those championship rings and talk about dreams and what it takes to make dreams come true. It matters that he’s stood before cheering fans in Reynolds Coliseum in April to talk about winning the national championship. It matters that he stood by in Reynolds Coliseum ten years later watching Jimmy V give his farewell address to the fans and talk about how his team taught him what love means.
Some would say hiring Whittenburg would be a longshot. Maybe even a 30-footer.
I think it would be a slam dunk.
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April 27th, 2006 at 11:38 pm
I see Whitt as a gamble. However, sometimes you have to be willing to roll the dice.
April 27th, 2006 at 11:39 pm
gregg marshall would be a better choice IMO
April 27th, 2006 at 11:45 pm
Of those coaches remaining on the “list” I feel he is the least gamble.
He understands the passion we have at State and the no excuses against UNC and Duke. All others will say they get it but only Whit truly does.
I have been a proponent of Whit from the beginning for that reason and many others. He has not had the chance to prove it at a big time program yet. And when he does he will be out of reach anytime soon for State – we will miss another good one.
This idea of how State and Whit handle failure is not a question unless everyone wants to fail. Whit hasnt shown he can fail yet.
April 27th, 2006 at 11:56 pm
Thank you. We honestly should have gone to Whitt right after Cal (or Monty, if that actually was a vialbe optoin). What makes him less attractive than Lavin, Beilein, etc?
April 28th, 2006 at 12:01 am
At this point even Whitt might turn Lee Fooler down.
April 28th, 2006 at 12:07 am
awesome article and I couldn’t agree with you more. give the man his shot
April 28th, 2006 at 12:08 am
I don’t think he would us Lee to get a pay raise, but who knows! This all goes back to the re-actionary attitude the AD department had with that guy that just left…he should have never been around as long as he was and now LEE FOOLER is LOOKING LIKE THE BIGGEST…CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR OF HIS RESIGNATION! He has done an awful job of running the Athletics at N. C. State…and just wait til football season…it’s not going to get any better…just another mouth, followed by NO ACTION!
April 28th, 2006 at 12:10 am
SFN:
Whitt is a viable candidate for sure. However, can somebody update us on Jamie Dixon’s (Pitt) status? He’s got a helluva record over the last 3 years against some pretty impressive competition (WVU, Villanova, BC, Syraccuse, Memphis, UConn, etc).
Thanks!
April 28th, 2006 at 12:10 am
I’ve been looking at this site and referring to it, arguing my points against all comers…even to the point that the site administrators kicked me off and I had to get a new name. All of this may seem irrelevant, but I must say that FINALLY I AGREE!!! I think that Whit would be more than wonderful. I would love to give him a chance. People can say what they want about tarnishing his reputation, or us losing patience and firing him, but Whit is different than Duh-orty…he loves us enough to admit that he is in over his head and get out before he goes 8-20. We’ll never have to fire him…he’ll offer to walk away. I think he’ll do a tremendous job. PLEASE…Lee Fowler…do the right thing. Give Whit a chance…this may be the only shot he gets and the only shot we get.
SFN…great piece. Well written and fact based…perfectly put.
April 28th, 2006 at 12:13 am
Now I see my expectations should have been lower for LF….
Direct quote from LeeFowler.com … (http://www.leefowler.com/)
“I’ve loved fabric and have created with it as long as I can remember. There were doll quilt embroidery kits and Barbie clothes when I was little, clothes for myself during high school and college, and quilting ever since. There is just something so satisfying about the feel of fabric and the process of making something from my own hands. ”
He is even sweet enough to put his sister’s pic on the website…
FOWLER is not the MAN for us!!!
(lol!!)
(BTW… I hate Carolina as much as the next wolf in the Pack, yet I say take Phil. He’s pissed enough with the Heels to give them HELL every time he got the opportunity… otherwise we’ll take the less experience options for a couple of years)
April 28th, 2006 at 12:16 am
Boy, we seem to have come a long way from the perennial Top 20 program we used be.
Daggonit, being the head coach at NC State IS AN HONOR. ANY coach is lucky to even be a consideration for the job, much less have it.
However, thanks to a comedy of errors, coaching State has now become TABOO to outsiders.
That’s fine … so be it.
We’ll right the ship with one of our own.
D-Whitt is a winner as a player, a coach and a man. He has proven he knows how to get it done, and get it done the right way.
It’s time we had a coach who isn’t afraid of competition at the highest level
… a coach who doesn’t want to risk tarnishing his precious national image by going head-to-head with the best
… a coach who doesn’t prefer a cupcake ride (in a cupcake conference) into the Tournament each year
… a coach who wants the rock when the game is on the line
Best of all, it will be nice to have a fresh dose of “kick a– swagger” back in Raleigh.
April 28th, 2006 at 12:18 am
I don’t buy the Ford is angry at Carolina angle. After he was not retained by Doherty, he spent several years working for the Rams Club and as an announcer on the Tarheel Sports Network. Face it, Ford is not a good match even if you overlook his other baggage.
April 28th, 2006 at 12:20 am
I talked with a Tarhole player and coach last night and they said Ford still loves the tarholes. They did mention that he would be a good coach and that he was one heck of a recruiter.
I just think Whit has the same qualities minus the loving of the tarholes…which makes him a better choice. Plus he’s not all liquored up all the time.
April 28th, 2006 at 12:21 am
Guys, please. This article is about Dereck Whittenburg, not Phil Ford. The Ford rumor was put to rest by the *Charlotte Observer* and others.
JimValvano, thanks for your comments. I thought about attacking the Doherty angle, but it was to my way of thinking not serious enough to address.
April 28th, 2006 at 12:24 am
Let’s bring Whitt to Raleigh. Celebrate him as our new coach by giving him a “Ticker Tape Parade” on Hillsborough Street.
April 28th, 2006 at 12:30 am
If Whitt is the man, let’s let ‘em know he is THE MAN. Patience is needed for two or three years.
April 28th, 2006 at 12:30 am
While I’m open to the possiblity of DW gettign the spot, one that I prefer go to a more “seasoned” coach, my only true hesitation is that of one in which after 3 years the marragie is just not working and that we give DW the “Doherty” treatment and villify one of our own. Just as that is fear, the opposite to that is that he comes in and becomes the hottest thing in college coaching. You never know, and fear should never influence a decision. Given all things considered, if he currently is the best option on the table then by all means we should persue the option.
April 28th, 2006 at 12:32 am
I’m just about swayed. I do believe that he has the ability to inspire and recruit, but does he have the ability to direct the offense and defense of an ACC level team? Seriously, how is he in that aspect?
April 28th, 2006 at 12:50 am
I ‘ll give SFN credit…you make a good case to give Whitt a shot…….but … I don’t know if the timing is right….the “fan base” is already divided (several ways)about AD Fowler and his handling of Herb and now the search for a replacement
Is it the right time to bring in Whitt ??? hard to say …but if it didn’t” work-out” –can you imagine the destruction within the “rank and file “fanbase…..BIG GAMBLE
Would we better served to hire a Coach Marshall to do the heavy lifting ,allow time (and wins) to heal wounds and then bring in “family” to carry on ???
THIS IS A TOUGH ONE !
April 28th, 2006 at 1:00 am
Heavy lifting? Greg Marshall from WINGATE University! I am not sold on Whitt either but Greg Marshall is not the man to tidy up. Especially with the lack of direction he will receive from the current AD.
April 28th, 2006 at 1:02 am
I would not be disappointed if Dereck Whittenburg was named the next head coach of the NC State Wolfpack, especially with some of the recent names that have been mentioned (Steve Lavin and Phil Ford). Having said that I do have reservations… don’t get me wrong I’m a NC State fan, so that makes me a Dereck Whittenburg fan. But let’s all be real honest, if he had any other school in the country listed next to alma mater in his biography, he wouldn’t even make the top twenty list of potential candidates for the job. Not this early in his career anyway. If you disagree with me let me remind you that there were 51 coaching jobs available this off-season and NC State is the only one where the fans want the administration to consider Derek Whittenburg.
My choice would be Gregg Marshall of Winthrop.
Here are some websites and quotes to check out on this more established coach.
http://www.winthropeagles.com/default.asp?section=2&type=biography&id=10
http://www.marshallhoops.com/
http://simonsayshoops.blogspot.com/2006/03/winthrop-is-my-favorite-mid-major.html
http://leftyloon.blogspot.com/2006/02/madness-begins.html
http://www.collegeinsider.com/angela/marshall.html
Dan Wetzel writes,
“Winthrop coach Greg Marshall may live in Rock Hill, S.C., but the dude can dress like he is from the Upper West Side. Big-time pinstriped number. And he can coach, by the way. His team flat-out gets after it. Note to college A.D.s with job openings, stop hiring Duke assistants and call Marshall.�
Mike Ashley writes,
“Want a hot young coach to keep an eye on as the tournament begins? Thirty-six year-old Gregg Marshall took Winthrop (S.C) to the NCAA in his first year at the former all-women’s college. The Eagles hadn’t had a winning season since 1990. They were 7-20 last year before Marshall took essentially the same cast and made them 21-7 and Big South champs.â€?
Stan Heath commented,
“I see this as a team (Winthrop) that will do some things that will make us a little uncomfortable,” Heath said. “We’ll get a lot of pressure. They’ve been a team that will press you, a 2-2-1, slow you down. That’s what they’ve done in the past. I don’t know what they will do this year. But they’ve always been a hard-nosed, aggressive team that rebounds the ball very well. We’ll have to do a good job, especially early in the game, of being the team that sets the tone and plays the tempo we want to play at.â€?
April 28th, 2006 at 1:05 am
Just for the record, I would be quite pleased with Marshall. Way back when (last week?), he, Whitt and Montgomery were my top three. Seems like eons ago now.
It seemed to me, however, necessary to make the case for Whitt explicit, because of the kneejerk reaction (among some, not all — but apparently among some on the search committee!) to discount Whittenburg *just because he was an alumnus.*
April 28th, 2006 at 1:10 am
^Sorry, I meant Winthrop back there. My old girl friend went to Wingate, saw her the other day, she can surely do some heavy lifting now a days.
April 28th, 2006 at 1:17 am
Wagner enrolls a total of 1,929 undergraduates. The entire school operates on a $50 million budget and sits on just 105 acres. Their athletic teams compete in the Northeast Conference – quick, without looking at any sources, someone tell me another NEC member.
Fordham is a bigger deal, but the school is an urban commuter university with different campuses scattered about NYC. Here’s a rundown of what their men’s teams have done this past year:
* Baseball – currently 17-20
* Basketball – 16-16 (first non-losing season since 91-92)
* Football – 2-9
* Golf – average tourney finishes of 9.43 out of 13.6 teams
* Soccer – 8-5-5
etc. etc.
This isn’t a school that places a high priority on winning championships or even fielding competitive teams.
Yet, Whit has done some good stuff at both institutions. To just blindly state his overall wins and losses is no different than the media pointing to Sendek’s five NCAA tourneys in a row and four 20-win seasons in five years. Context is required in both instances.
I find arrogant to hear fans say Whit will be ready in five years or so, as if it should go without saying that he’ll stay at Fordham, turning down all opportunities until we decide he’s worthy for us to approach him. It’s only a matter of time before he’s snatched up by a major conference school. He has the pedigree, connections, endorsements, and yes, the results. I just hope if we don’t get him he doesn’t end up at another ACC school whuppin’ our butts on a regular basis.
The man is a winner. IMO doing what he’s done at Wagner & Fordham is much more impressive than what Barnes has done in Texas, a state flagship school in a huge state with little competition for in-state recruits.
At NC State, Whit would not have to “convince” a player to come and help build a program from scratch. Sendek did leave us a program in decent shape that gets some national recognition on an annual basis and has an excellent tradition behind it. If Whit can take his current players, who may well have been overlooked not only by major conference schools but also upper-tier schools in his own conference, why couldn’t he have exponentially more success with nationally recruited players at an established program?
He could come in and be just the salve we need, or he could fail miserably. I concede that. The difference between me and many others is that I also think the same could have been said of any of the big names we’ve gone after. A $2 million salary does not give anyone a lead-pipe cinch lock for championships and Triangle dominance. I believe Whit is a better value.
There is some precedent. Cremins went from Appy State to a moribund GT program and turned them into national players within four years. Gary Willams resurrected a lousy Boston U. program and parlayed that success to Ohio State. Barnes left George Mason – before the CAA was the mid-major darling it is now – and did well at Providence. Beilein’s career started at the junior college level and he’s consistently won as he’s gone up the ladder – and not at power schools either.
Hey, if you made 333 clones of Coach K (shudder) and put each one at the helm of every D-I school in America, half of them would finish the season with losing records. There are no guarantees, no matter who you hire, how big his name is, how much he’s won elsewhere and how much you pay him.
April 28th, 2006 at 1:50 am
Point well taken, Beowolf. If members of the search committee think that Whittenburg should be discounted just because he is an alumnus, then they should read your entry. He certainly is in the process of building quite an impressive record. I would hope they would contact him tomorrow and sign him to a contract as soon as possible if for no other reason – that my great fear is a horrible choice (Steve Lavin, Phil Ford, and who knows what other name Lee Fowler is liable to pull out of his “bizarre candidates for the NC State head basketball coach position” hat) will be named the next coach.
You have given us the reason why “they” may be cold on Whittenburg, and SFN has learned from “sources” that Lee Fowler is cold on Haith, because he thinks he is a poor X&O coach. Why do you think “they” aren’t interested in Gregg Marshall. Could it be that he isn’t a big national name.