How Good (Bad) Is The N.C. State Hoops Job?

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Must read from Al Featherston.

Parrish repeated the same glorification of Sendek, although he didn’t make the Patrick mistake of claiming he was fired. Instead, he wrote: “N.C. State fans were so tough on Sendek after five straight NCAA Tournaments that he decided to walk away and escape a scenario where he would very clearly never win enough to please the majority.”

If that makes State the worst high-paying job in the country, where does Boston College rank?

Al Skinner recently led the Eagles to seven NCAA Tournaments in 10 years (better than Sendek’s five in 10 years). Skinner produced four ranked teams to one for Sendek. He had a .600 winning percentage to .591 for Sendek. He had a .500 ACC winning percentage to .450 for Sendek. An argument actually could be made that Skinner was the best basketball coach in BC history, and nobody ever will advance that idea when it comes to Sendek and NCSU.

Yet Skinner was fired, while Sendek decided to leave, mainly because he wasn’t appreciated enough by the school’s fan base.

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34 Responses to How Good (Bad) Is The N.C. State Hoops Job?

  1. wolfonthehill 03/16/2011 at 7:32 AM #

    Just as TOB may have been the best football coach in BC history… and he was run out of town… and as far as I can tell, BC has caught not one iota of grief for it.

    No double standards, though…

  2. fernandopacker 03/16/2011 at 7:45 AM #

    It is probably not that good of a job that we make it out to be,but it still is a preety darn good gig.

  3. Rochester 03/16/2011 at 7:58 AM #

    It’s as good a gig as they make it. How good was the Duke job before K built the dynasty? The right guy completely changes the national perception of NC State within three years.

  4. baxter 03/16/2011 at 8:03 AM #

    Pretty much a rehash of his earlier report after Parrish’s non sense.

  5. baxter 03/16/2011 at 8:04 AM #

    Oh my bad, I see he added some sections.

  6. Master 03/16/2011 at 8:07 AM #

    NC State has:
    1) Proven it can win National Championships next door to Duke and UNC
    2) Proven it can win ACC Championships next door to Duke and UNC
    3) More fans in Triangle and state of NC than Duke by far
    4) Best Basketball facilities in the Triangle
    5) Membership in historically best basketball conference
    6) Equality of local press coverage

    I’m not sure how that equates to being 3rd fiddle or a bad job. It looks like a perfect platform for success to me.

  7. Wulfpack 03/16/2011 at 8:12 AM #

    Potential to be a great job for someone willing to put the hard work in. Going to be tough starting out but the returns will be plentiful.

  8. Cosmo96 03/16/2011 at 8:16 AM #

    Featherston (again) really knocked that one out of the park.

    What I want to know is, when is someone going to address the fallacy that we can’t compete–no coaches or players want to come here–because we’re in Duke’s and UNC’s “shadow”? Do they, in fact, have ballistic missiles, and are we in their threat range? Because as far as I know, we really don’t go head-to-head with those guys for recruits that often. Heck, I don’t think they go head-to-head with each other for recruits all that often. Is it because of the number of times we have to play them each year? Because if so, I can think of nine other teams that have the same “hindrance”, and they never get any flak for it.

    So, can someone tell me, what does campus proximity have to do with anything?

  9. LRM 03/16/2011 at 8:17 AM #

    Featherston has long appreciated State’s rich history, but he’s just preaching to the choir. The folks (like Patrick) that need to see that never will, and wouldn’t care if they did.

  10. NCSU_CEM_2002 03/16/2011 at 8:31 AM #

    The spreadsheet found at the link below is better than crack or online porn for an engineer (not that I’ve tried either)

    https://spreadsheets0.google.com/ccc?hl=en&key=tY1zTH6wZSUqTweqLksH3RA&hl=en#gid=3

    Haven’t had a chance to go through it completely, but seems to be a pretty comprehensive view of the obvious candidates and a detailed view of some I haven’t heard mentioned yet or considered.

  11. Wufpacker 03/16/2011 at 8:33 AM #

    ” 6) Equality of local press coverage ”

    You talking quantity or quality here? Not sure I’d agree either way, actually.

  12. Wufpacker 03/16/2011 at 8:35 AM #

    ” So, can someone tell me, what does campus proximity have to do with anything? ”

    When the wind is blowing just right, we do get somewhat of a stench coming from the west.

  13. wolf_at_my_door 03/16/2011 at 8:48 AM #

    The biggest difference between the State job now and then? Debbie Yow is greater than Lee Fowler.

  14. Master 03/16/2011 at 9:48 AM #

    Wufpacker – I don’t live in the Triangle any longer, but I did for 42 years. I still read the N&O online daily and the amount of press, pictures and editorials looks to be the same amount as what they get at UNC and more than they get at Duke. I would never say quality because I believe there is a natural bias by the media to write negative articles about a program having meager success.

    In addition, I witnessed the lies about our school and program from the a-holes that wrote at the N&O back in the late 80’s and early 90’s – there names were Mickey McCarthy and Claude Sitton. The ghost behind the whole operation was a member of the Daniel Family, but I don’t think they have the same control – if any – as they did back then.

    The lack of coverage of the UNC football scandal says they have hunkered down for the time being. If there was no scandal, they might be out throwing stink bombs…

  15. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 03/16/2011 at 9:57 AM #

    Sendek had the worst record of any team that had been in the tournament over the same five year period. One first round loss, 3 second round losses and one Sweet Sixteen. .500 percent NCAA record. Also, Sendek only made it beyond the second round of the NIT once in four tries and never won an ACC title.

    The key with Sendek is the expectation was much higher than only one trip beyond the second round in 10 years and no ACC regular season or tournament wins. Also, an awful record against the big blues. He would finish close to the top half of the ACC during the second half of his career but never turned it into anything more.

    After giving Herb more time after 5 years, going to the NCAA’s was more or less a minimum expectation. Anyone can excuse a bad or rebuilding season if he had missed a year. But not ever really doing anything once in the postseason was his downfall.

  16. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 03/16/2011 at 10:01 AM #

    ^^ Don’t forget Sendek has been the the tournament once in the last 5 years. Putting up an impressive 1-1 record in 2009. Seems just about par for the career. Sendek is coaching equivalent to a par. You survive, but it isn’t going to win you a championship

  17. Boyd 03/16/2011 at 10:01 AM #

    ^^ It’s the Daniels family, not Daniel. They sold the N&O 10 or so years ago. I would assume they have no more ties to the paper from an editorial standpoint.

  18. ringo 03/16/2011 at 10:07 AM #

    Can’t forgive the NandO for what they did in the late 80’s. I don’t care how many times it’s changed hands. They are trash imo.

  19. packof81 03/16/2011 at 10:31 AM #

    “It’s the Daniels family, not Daniel.”

    Daniels Hall was named for them.

  20. ncsu1987 03/16/2011 at 10:36 AM #

    Look guys, the NC State job is an incredible opportunity for all but a very small handful of coaches out there (and I’m talking about guys like K, Roy…) You can bet your bottom dollar that almost everyone else will pay attention and listen carefully. The combination of facilities, pro-sports administration, outstanding leadership in the AD office, the city of Raleigh, the ACC, the program’s storied (if dusty) history, and the opportunity to compete against the best. And yes, the presence of our much-maligned fans. Rabid fans are an absolute asset to any significant program, and the answer to the Sendek lovers is simple – if you want the passionate support of our fans, all you have to do is compete and win. He showed zero progress over the last 5 years and bolted when he saw the bare cupboard staring him in the face. Nothing more, nothing less.

    I know the national media is trying so hard to say this job is not what we’re making it out to be, but they’re wrong. Dr. Yow has expressed precisely the right tone: if you’re worried about competing against UNC and Duke, then you’re not part of the solution. Bring a plan and let’s make it happen.

    There are a multitude of outstanding candidates out there who will leap at this opportunity. They are literally waiting by the phone, praying that they’ll be called.

    I can’t overstate how effectively Dr. Yow handled the press conference yesterday. I’m 47 years old, and I was at NC State during the previous disaster. I haven’t been this optimistic in a long, long time…

    Have faith and patience – you won’t have to wait long.

  21. NCSU84 03/16/2011 at 10:36 AM #

    “So, can someone tell me, what does campus proximity have to do with anything?”

    Our area is unique which is both a blessing and a curse. We are the Triangle area. Now, how many points does it take to make a triangle – three. Like it or not, we will always be compared to UNC and Duke because of the proximity. This is magnified by the fact that all three have won national championships and we all are, therefore, capable of doing so. Currently, UNC and Duke are holding up their end of the triangle and now we must do the same.

  22. GAWolf 03/16/2011 at 11:26 AM #

    I sent Yow an email last night thanking her for her contributions toward restoring the once tarnished image of NC State sports and the University as a whole. She replied, LAST NIGHT, with a personal response. It was NOT a canned response a la Fowler.

    She’s an amazing, amazing person.

    Our University is in fantastic hands moving forward. Regardless of who we hire, I trust it will be the right and best person possible.

  23. StandUpAndHowl 03/16/2011 at 11:28 AM #

    The national media has hated us for a long, long time. And I’m over it.

    The national media has loved Sendek for a long, long time. Fine, they can get a room for all I care.

    Go Wolfpack!

  24. ADVENTUROO 03/16/2011 at 11:45 AM #

    I, too, like Master, lived (and still do) in the Triangle area during the Jimmy V Crucifictioin. Cauldon Tudor appears to be writing some positive things…..

    I can ONLY hope that his motivation is perhaps knowing that God is punishing Cluade Sitton. He was the managing editor or executionor of the Daniels clan. It has been widely reported, and verified from many credible sources, that he stated at a semi-public function that “He was going to GET Valvano….”

    I can only HOPE that his declining years are LONG and PAINFUL. I hope that he has the mental capacity to understand the pain and suffering that he and his henchmen caused the Valvano family personally and also the Wolfpack Nation.

    If I sound bitter and also carry a grudge, then you nailed me. I do NOT have a CS VooDoo doll nor do I pay the local teenagers in Oxford, GA to vandalize his house and make prank phone calls….but I HAVE thought about writing him a personal letter telling him how much distate, after 28 years, that I still have for him and wishing him the worst in life. He is not a recluse and his vital info is online.

    Having said that….and feeling cleansed….

    The Wolfpack Job has been upgraded. If you watch the Debbie Yow press conference and pause it and replay it a few times, you see a new energy.

    This is one tough lady and she has officially become one of us. That is strange talk from a Sid supporter…but the dignity that she showed and his comments brought me some peace.

    I think that she will make us competitive…

    There is a STRANGE irony here. When Coach Sloan left, he had brought us a GREAT CLASS (Lowe was in it). He did not mean to leave….his mouth and pocketbook just took over.

    BUT, the job was a plum back then. Willis Casey hired him and Charlie Bryant “tutored” Jimmy V. If you have ever listened to Valvano Audio Book,”They gave Me a Lifetime Contract”, Jimmy V. talks about his success at Iona and that he knew that AD’s would be calling and Willis Casey called him. It is hiliarious….and the point is that THIS WAS NC STATE. He supposedly came without a signed contract…and the rest is history.

    Last night Debbie Yow rekindled a bit of the flame that brought Valvano here…..I hope it continues to burn and shine again.

  25. MattN 03/16/2011 at 12:14 PM #

    I can’t remember who said this, it may be Gregg Jerkwad, but it went something like this:

    Roy, K, Gary. In 5 years, one of them won’t be coaching anymore. In 10, they will all be retired. The next coach at NCSU is going to have an INCREDIBLE opportunity to take this conference over in the next 5-10 years.

    This is a good job. A DAMN good job. Maybe not on March 16, 2011, but by March 16, 2020, the right hire will own this place…

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