“Barnes likely sees NC State as Clemson”

General NCS Basketball Quotes of Note53

Wow. Right when I think that Pack Pride couldn’t get any worse, they do. The agenda and the craziness over there is so bad that old JB34 committed internet suicide this weekend. (I didn’t want to be too tempted to burn the place down after Rick Barnes beat the hell out of our program).

Today, you can get a good view of the ‘subtle’ agenda by looking at the articles that have been chosen to be featured in their webrun. Honestly…the fact that those morons would use one of their two “featured stories” on a poorly-written article about the 1974 team TODAY, after our beating to Texas last night is sickening. Riiiiight. Just close your eyes and pretend it didn’t happen. Especially in light of Tommy Burleson’s comments last week and the fact that the losers in the current administration couldn’t dream of that type of success in their wildest, drug-induced hallucinations.

This piece from San Antonio will hurt any Wolfpacker in the world. But, folks…we get what we deserve. We’ve let losers and idiots run our Athletics Department for years and we continue to experience the results of inadequate leadership and poor decision making. Ten years of the “great Herb Sendek” era had created a national perspective where NC State is viewed like Clemson. Unbelievable. Congratulations to the others in college athletics smart enough and motivated enough to create situations where they succeed —–

Buck Harvey: Among friends, Barnes remains what he’s been
San Antonio Express-News

DALLAS — Rick Barnes hasn’t had his Mack moment yet. If he wins another game, he will get his chance in Atlanta. Duke is to basketball what USC was in football.

But Barnes did something else Sunday. He remained in the NCAA tournament. He remained a notch above Billy Gillispie, the rising star at A&M, and he remained at worst on the same plane as Bill Self. He remained the builder of a prominent program, with another top-level recruit scheduled to arrive next fall, and he remained the envy of others.

He remained what he has been — and what North Carolina State wants for its own.

Barnes wouldn’t have fallen too far had he been beaten Sunday. Roy Williams lost to an underdog, after all, and most think he still can coach. As for other comparisons to Mack Brown, who was in the arena Sunday: Barnes has yet to endure the lows that Brown endured before last season…

…Again impressed, this time with an up-close view, were North Carolina State fans. They like what they see in Barnes, a North Carolina native, while questioning their own coach, Herb Sendek. Sendek’s job status has become an annual issue, and it was in Dallas. His players wanted to win for him. And to his defense came an old friend, Barnes. He once hired Sendek as an assistant at Providence, and they’ve stayed close.

Little wonder Barnes defended Sendek this weekend.

“First of all,” Barnes said, “Herb has an incredible personality, if you get to know him. I don’t think there’s a finer coach anywhere. I look at the job he’s done at N.C. State, I think it’s remarkable, really. I think he’s one of the most underrated coaches.”

Barnes tried to make the same pitch Sunday evening. Even after the Wolfpack shot only 26 percent in the second half — launching a series of half-hearted 3-pointers — Barnes still saw the best in his friend. “We beat a well-coached team,” he said.

Sendek might be capable. He might be suffering as many in his profession do, stuck with an unfair tag. But perception matters to both alumni and recruits, and it’s something that Brown has fought through. For Sendek, the perception is strong. That’s why a Raleigh newspaper story said this past week that N.C. State fans “want, well, Barnes.”

There was a time when the N.C. State job came with considerably more prestige than any in the state of Texas. And maybe that’s why people there think Barnes would be a logical replacement. Surely he would rather coach the Wolfpack, right?

Barnes likely sees North Carolina State as he once did Clemson. It’s the ACC, all right, but does the prestige match the reality? Competing against North Carolina and Duke is daunting, and keeping up with Wake Forest isn’t easy, either.

Texas fans today will celebrate those words. They’ve never felt better about their program or better about their coach. Especially with another Sweet 16 appearance this week.

General NCS Basketball Quotes of Note

53 Responses to “Barnes likely sees NC State as Clemson”

  1. Jeff 03/20/2006 at 9:35 AM #

    “Keeping up with Wake isn’t easy, either.”

    Except…of course…for 50 years before we rolled over in 1990.

  2. newswolf 03/20/2006 at 9:38 AM #

    Painful. Imagine going from working for deloss dodds to Lee fowler.

  3. class of '74 03/20/2006 at 9:41 AM #

    Thank you Larry Monteith, Todd Turner and Lee Fowler none of this would have been possible without you!

  4. Cardiff Giant 03/20/2006 at 9:42 AM #

    That column was written by a worried man, folks.

  5. BJD95 03/20/2006 at 9:47 AM #

    Unless I’m mistaken, NC State has more ACCT titles than Clemson has ACCT overall wins. No comparison.

  6. WTNY 03/20/2006 at 9:48 AM #

    *That column was written by a worried man, folks.*

    You’re dreaming.

  7. Sam '92 03/20/2006 at 9:51 AM #

    Rick Barnes would be a great coach for N.C. State, but he won’t take the job even if offered because (1) Sendek was an assistant for him and he would feel disloyal if took over for Sendek and (2) Texas has got to be a great job (lots of money, fantastic program, prominence, prestige etc.).

  8. Jeff 03/20/2006 at 9:58 AM #

    Sam…he may not take the job. But, you are crazy if you think that he wouldn’t take the job because of disloyalty to Herb Sendek.

  9. choppack 03/20/2006 at 10:00 AM #

    See here’s the problem. We want change and we want it know, however, if a change is made, the current regime that others have been so critical of (understandibly) would be making this selection. Do you trust Lee Fowler and Oblinger or some committee to make the right choice – under the watchful eye of Erskine Bowles???

  10. Cardiff Giant 03/20/2006 at 10:01 AM #

    “You’re dreaming.”

    Am I? We’ll see. If the possibility was not floating around out there, it would not have been considered columnworthy.

    I would agree that there are too many obstacles present – most of all our fool of an AD and his big donor hostage takers – to expect Barnes to come here. But if you don’t think this writer’s worried about it, you are kidding yourself.

  11. class of '74 03/20/2006 at 10:08 AM #

    I like Rick Barnes but he is not the only solution to our dilemma. Just as Case, Sloan, Valvano, Smith, Bubas and K were not household names from big time schools prior to their arrival in the ACC we should not limit our scope to only the hot coaches at the high profile schools!

    I would prefer a thorough search and let’s make this move without blinders if a move is to be made. History can actually be a good teacher if we are willing to use our heads and not our hearts.

  12. Sam '92 03/20/2006 at 10:11 AM #

    choppack you put your finger on it. I hope Herb leaves one way or another, but I think Lee Fowler et. al. will do about as good a job of finding a replacement as they have of running the athletic department.

    maybe we’ll get Matt Doherty

  13. smile 03/20/2006 at 10:14 AM #

    Why would a successful coach in a BCS conference want the NCSU job? Duke and UNC are a tough combo to overcome. So why do it? The place to look is the mid-major winners or second tier of BCS’ers; it will be a nice promotion for the next coach.

  14. BJD95 03/20/2006 at 10:16 AM #

    If Fowler wants his SEC job (as we all know he does), then he MUST make a revenue sports hire that really, really works out. He will be sufficiently motivated, for sure. Landing Barnes or Calipari would be a high-level coup.

  15. WTNY 03/20/2006 at 10:37 AM #

    Cardiff — I don’t see him as worried at all. I see the writer looking at the situation and saying:

    “I can work in the ‘still in the tourney’ angle, the ‘Mack’ analogy, Barnes’ Sendek defense , and score some points with my readers by saying Texas is better than NC State! This will make a good column!”

    IMO, Barnes used the Sendek situation to better himself. He sounded magnanimous in defending Coach Sendek, AND he believes he ingratiated himself with the Texas faithful by saying he has a great job at Texas while dissing NC State and, more importantly, the ACC.

  16. Mike 03/20/2006 at 10:41 AM #

    We need a big time coach to bring the names and tradition back to the Pack. A “no-name” has to start somewhere, but a no name is not an improvement. Montgomery is in more hot water, Calipari would be a step up, and even for Barnes the ACC rules.

  17. choppack 03/20/2006 at 10:46 AM #

    Mike – at one time Coach K was a no-name. However, I’d prefer a coach has suceeded on a big stage, too.

  18. Mike 03/20/2006 at 11:00 AM #

    Agreed completely chop on K. And K struggled early too, just listen to Dickie V. But K turned it around in 4 years, not 10, 12, 15 who knows how many it will take under the current regime.

    Also, if we wait 4 years, then we will be vilified eve more for running Herb, the most successful coach we have had because he took 5 medicore teams to the NCAA’s. Just means we are top 65. That is a remarkable feat if you ask me, to finish top 65 5 years running. WOW!

  19. choppack 03/20/2006 at 11:10 AM #

    BJ – That’s a good point. The one thing that Fowler now has is more ammunition. This year, the team appeared to quit in certain siutations. It’s also worth noting that this is the worst the game an NC STate team has had in the NCAAs. The pressure may be too much for all parties to bear.

    If you look at the NCAAs now – at least 2 teams left utilize components of the Princeton offense – so it ain’t the system. If I was AD – my top 5 would be Barnes, Donovan, Montgomery, Few, and Belien. These guys understand (with the possible exception of Few) what it is to compete on a big-time stage and against big-time programs. They have been more successful at schools w/ lesser tradition than NC State than Herb has been at NC State. Their “downside” is less risky than an unknown.

  20. Mike 03/20/2006 at 11:18 AM #

    Hey, come on now, the guy is still here and we are already replacing him. I know I have been guilty of that. Let’s finish running him out first, then we can replace him.

  21. Mr O 03/20/2006 at 11:19 AM #

    Texas is a great job for a basketball coach. I don’t see us being able to hire a big name coach. But that doesn’t mean we can’t hire a future big name coach.

  22. Rick 03/20/2006 at 11:23 AM #

    “If you look at the NCAAs now – at least 2 teams left utilize components of the Princeton offense – so it ain’t the system.”

    I have been thinking about this alot.
    I think the principles of the system can win. I do not think how we run it can.
    Anyone that has watched GU or WVU knows they penetrate alot more than we do. They do not jus tchuck threes.

  23. Sal 03/20/2006 at 12:35 PM #

    I’d gladly keep Sendek for another three years, if it meant dumping Lee “50” Fowler.

    You solve a problem at the head, not from the bottom

  24. GAWolf 03/20/2006 at 12:35 PM #

    The “Why do it?” attitude is what got us in this position in the first place. Sports is all about competing. If a potential coach has to even ask himself “Why do it?” and is not more than excited about the chance to compete against the best year-in-and-year-out, then I don’t think we want that coach. If Barnes or anyone else does not see the NC State job as an opportunity to quickly rise to the apex of the national scene with all the attention already focused on Tobacco Road and the Triangle in particular, then that’s not the coach for us. Sure it’s going to be tough competing against Duke and UNC for recruits, for media attention, for non-alumni fans… but damnit that’s the essence of why someone is involved in sports. It’s a hell of a challenge… but with unmeasurable reward for those who accept it and succeed at it.

    To all potential NCSU basketball coaches regardless of your resume: If you don’t want to compete with the big boys, this isn’t the place for you.

  25. Mr O 03/20/2006 at 12:46 PM #

    Gawolf: Unmeasureable reward for our job?

    Herb Sendek is one of the lowest paid head coaches in the “old” ACC. He makes less than coaches at UNC, Duke, Maryland, GT, Wake Forest and UVa.

    For a big time coach, the ante will have to be upped significantly. But more than likely Herb’s replacement would be another up and coming coach similar to Herb when he was hired. And there is nothing wrong with that IMO. There are a lot of guys out there that will become great coaches. It is Fowler’s job to find them.

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