Barnes Pre Game Comments on Sendek

PackPride.com has posted the Rick Barnes transcript.

“I don’t know if I grew up a State fan, I think I grew up an ACC fan.”

“Obviously my very first job in college coaching was with one of the great Wolfpack’s of all-time, Eddie Biedenbach. Through all that I’ve always been a fan of NC State, obviously.”

“I know this, if there was any job open today, if the NC State job was open today, and Herb Sendek was somewhere else, he’d be one of the first people they would call. He’s going to do it right, he’s going to do it in the way that the players are going to love it, and you have to admire him for the way he goes about his business.”

“I’ll be quite frank, I don’t think it has ever been fair for the way he has been treated. I think he is one of the most underated coaches. I think he has poured everything he’s had into the State job, and I don’t think they can find a better coach to coach their team than him.”

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27 Responses to Barnes Pre Game Comments on Sendek

  1. Red With Envy 03/18/2006 at 7:17 PM #

    Does this mean the Barnes Lovefest is over?

  2. WTNY 03/18/2006 at 8:04 PM #

    Two points:

    1) Barnes obviously likes and respects Coach Sendek and is surprised that Coach Sendek isn’t universally well-liked at NC State and not pleased with the way he has been treated.

    2) It was refreshing to hear a coach speak candidly and openly. Listen to it and see what I mean:

    http://media.libsyn.com/media/packpride/DW_B0564.wav

  3. ushum 03/18/2006 at 8:09 PM #

    just exactly what was he supposed to say?

    “Herb sucks and they should fire his ass pronto, then hire me soon so I can get on the recruiting trail soon as possible”

    Look, I have no way of knowing if he would be interested in coming or not if offered, I certainly have to defer to others that know more than me, but just exactly what is he supposed to say the day before we play in a game to go to the sweet sixteen in front of his fans…

  4. vtpackfan 03/18/2006 at 8:23 PM #

    Roy Williams sounded the same way his last days w/KU. It just took a few calls from Dean Smith to cause the him to part with that Big 12 powerhouse. Is Eddie Biedenbach still alive and if so can any one reach him?

  5. graywolf 03/18/2006 at 8:29 PM #

    Just remember the Roy Williams comment about Carolina….Carolina. Civility still exist even in the world of college basketball. I do believe that Coach Sendek is ready for a move and will be willing to take his talents elsewhere given the right circumstances.
    I think its best for both parties to part ways, because given the current climate next year will be awful, because we will be not be as talented next year as we are this year. WOW.

  6. dan 03/18/2006 at 9:15 PM #

    Very classy comments by Barnes. Easy to understand why Jeff, Cardiff, etc… are big on the guy.

  7. vtpackfan 03/18/2006 at 9:40 PM #

    Basketball coachs are fraternal and will always go out of their way to protect one another. Some do a better job of hiding it by just chalking it up to the pressures sorrounding every coach, and some like Barnes or a Bobby Knight will speak out on certain situations. The bottom line is that they all have been in the other man’s shoes at one time.

  8. MrTnNC 03/18/2006 at 9:40 PM #

    “I know this, if there was any job open today, if the NC State job was open today, and Herb Sendek was somewhere else, he’d be one of the first people they would call. ”

    Curious that AD’s at other schools haven’t shared this line of thinking in these ten years. It sounds just like an attempt to comment without creating waves (and firing up the opposition) rather than a sincere vote of confidence. But of course, only Rick Barnes knows the mind of Rick Barnes. It blows my mind that, if Herb is SO desirable why hasn’t anyone come calling?! Among all the wise men and students of basketball, are his supporters the only people who are astute enough to see the … uh … truth?

  9. vtpackfan 03/18/2006 at 9:55 PM #

    The thing I found most interesting in the press conference had nothing to do with what Barnes said, but what he left out. He was quick to point out that, like every kid in the Carolina’s during the 50’s and early 60’s, you loved ACC basketball. Nowhere in the “I’ve got the best job here in Texas” did he mention how much he loves Big 12 basketball. Although who wouldn’t get excited about playing once a year in places like Manhattan KA, Ames IA, or the real charmer of them all Waco TX.

  10. classof63 03/18/2006 at 10:29 PM #

    e. biedenbach coaches unc at asheville

  11. vtpackfan 03/18/2006 at 11:12 PM #

    Yeah I stretched it pretty liberally, but thats just because I have to believe that one day Barnes will have to realize that Texas is a football school that wins baseball championship’s. He just sounded bothered by having to be bothered with any of it, and got more comfortable when they started asking questions about his own team

  12. Cardiac95 03/18/2006 at 11:13 PM #

    “I don’t give a sh-t about Carolina!”

    Roy Williams….weeks before becoming the Head Coach at North Carolina…..following the worst possible treatment of his former protege, Matt Doherty……who happened to have a Final 4 under his belt as well as National Coach of the Year honors….and was ousted after only 3 seasons…which wasn’t even enough time to get all of Gutheridge’s recruiting duds off the roster.

    Yes….please cry me a freakin’ river over Herb’s mistreatment.

  13. Greg 03/18/2006 at 11:42 PM #

    Sounds like a pretty good statement on how some NCSU fans (ie…oldmancranky Tommy Burleson) are slowly but surely making it even harder for State to find a good replacement should we decide to dismiss Herb after next year. No sense talking about this year. He isnt going anywhere.

    Maybe we can sour the milk so much that NOONE will want to drink.

  14. JamesP 03/19/2006 at 12:14 AM #

    OK, so as a Duke alum, a few quick points:
    1) Sendek is a super classy guy who’d I be proud to have as my coach. He came into a crappy situation and turned things around.
    2) If I was a State Alum, there’d be no question that he needs to go. Any program with the history of Coach Case, DT, Jimmy V, etc., needs to be making Final Fours on a twice a decade basis. 10 years of coaching with no Final Fours doesn’t cut it. It wasn’t that long ago that UNC and Duke had to look up to NC State on the ACC Championship list. While I for one don’t want to go back there, the NC State administration should. I see no evidence that Coach Sendek can make that happen.
    3) Rick Barnes is not the answer. If he could have upended the balance of power in the ACC, it would have happened when he was at Clemson. A rising star who has the bagged spheres and EGO to take on K and Roy is what’s in order, IMHO. Jay Wright anyone?

    Anyway, good luck to you guys, and GO PACK against TX. Hopefully we’ll get to beat, er, see you guys in the regional finals.

  15. Wolfpack Willie 03/19/2006 at 12:45 AM #

    Greg:
    Did you actually go to NC State?

  16. PACDADDY 03/19/2006 at 1:02 AM #

    Cardiac95…You guys might be surprised but I don’t totally disagree with you at all. During the season he was wrongly piled on by the fans, because we were having a solid season..but now it should be about results. Fans should have at least waited until the END of season…at least out of respect for players.

    I need an elite 8 or my support goes from 80/20 to 20/80.

    I just hope Fowler can find a BETTER replacement. Unless it’s a coach that is currently running a top 20 type program or in the NBA, we will be extremely disappointed in the long term results…just my opinion.

  17. BJD95 03/19/2006 at 7:32 AM #

    It was a classy comment by Barnes. Should land him in the good graces of the Sendek loyalists after Sendek takes the Iowa State job (yes, I know that’s just wishful thinking).

  18. Astral Rain 03/19/2006 at 8:14 AM #

    Honestly- my goal for the program: regionals half the time, finish the season ranked every year.

    Sendek hasn’t met those goals- and it’s not looking like he will. To me, that is the goals of an elite program, maybe not UNC/Duke/UCLA in the 70s level, but a top 10 in the country level. Anything about that is gravy. He can meet them occasionally, which is the irritating part- it makes him good enough to keep (theoretically), but not bad enough to fire without looking like chumps.

    I’ll still be rooting for ’em today though, and hopefully by next Sunday we get news that will make no one on this site think about firing Sendek. It’s illogical hope, but that’s part of being a fan.

  19. class of '74 03/19/2006 at 8:20 AM #

    Barnes is a classy guy inspite of what Dean Smith might say. If Herb does go look for Barnes as the first interview despite his comments. Texas is and always will be a football first school. As nice as Austin might be it’s not the main stage for basketball and Barnes is a main stage kind of coach.

  20. Jeff 03/19/2006 at 9:07 AM #

    Sounds like a pretty good statement on how some NCSU fans (ie…oldmancranky Tommy Burleson) are slowly but surely making it even harder for State to find a good replacement should we decide to dismiss Herb after next year. No sense talking about this year. He isnt going anywhere.

    Maybe we can sour the milk so much that NOONE will want to drink.

    Actually…this is a FANTASTIC POINT.

    So..the remedy to this problem produced by our rocket scientist adminsitration and fanbase is to continue to keep the guy that causes the division and continues to sour the milk.

    Think about it.

    If these people who claim they cared REALLY CARED, then they’d do something to change the environment. What they really want is to ‘be right’ and not have to make any decisions at all while they collect their paycheck.

  21. newswolf 03/19/2006 at 9:37 AM #

    Even though I don’t agree with a lot of the Sendek Sunshine Squad, the one that that really gets me is the “no one will want to come here if Herb leaves”. Are you kidding me? This isn’t like working in the mailroom somewhere. This is the ACC. Probably one of the top 5 jobs in the ACC.

    Do you really think anyone will want to go to Indiana since they fired a black man, during the season, who went to the tournament this year, and a final four 3 years ago?

    See how stupid that sounds?

  22. Gugs 03/19/2006 at 1:12 PM #

    Actually I think the Pack has plenty of raw talent for next year.
    Fells is going to be as good as a Bennerman…eventually.
    Coster is a McDs all-american who gets another year of maturity;
    I bet he improves alot over next season. Simmons…well if
    his footwork improves we WILL have a solid post presence. Atsur
    leads the team in steals. McCauley actually has better footwork
    than Simmons in my opinion…he is also a good shooter. If Grant
    doesn’t get deported, he should improve; maybe improve his jumper.
    Brackman probably will be back. I think the team will probably
    start off rough and get better as it goes along. Fells and Grant
    will be best defenders on perimeter and Simmons will break all sorts
    of block records. I haven’t seen any of the freshmen coming in
    or the transfer from Pitt who eligible next late Dec.

  23. Texpack 03/19/2006 at 2:14 PM #

    You can read most of Rick Barnes’ comments about his job status in today’s Houston Chronicle. It was classic “Thou shalt not speak ill of another coach.” One thing that has not been present at UT is the statement from the AD like the one out of A&M saying that they won’t allow Billy Gillespie to “be stolen.”

  24. Jeff 03/19/2006 at 3:30 PM #

    ^ Texpack, do you have a link to the Chron piece about A&M & Gillispie?

    I just went to the site and didn’t see any headlines that looked like it.

  25. scott 03/19/2006 at 4:02 PM #

    You know, if Herb had been let go 5 years ago after the 13-16 season, he wouldn’t have been subject to all this “poor treatment.” And, he could relieve himself & his family of it right now by going somewhere else. But, he won’t b/c of the $$$. I can’t possibly feel the least bit of sympathy for a guy who is making a million dollars a year to run State’s b-ball program into the ground of mediocrity & increase the fan apathy Lee says he doesn’t want. If RB doesn’t want the job, I’m sure there would plenty of other takers.

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