Ten years ago today, the news broke that after an exhaustive search, Todd Turner and NC State was hiring Herb Sendek of Miami of Ohio to lead the Wolfpack’s basketball program. Turner didn’t last much longer.
Too many people act like “nobody ever warmed up to Sendek”. Ken Tysiac of the Charlotte Observer made almost that exact comment about a week ago and used the word “never” accepted Sendek. This shows the young man’s age, inexperience, and ignorance about the topic. EVERYONE “accepted” Sendek at the beginning; just as everyone will accept and stand behind the new coach.
Of course four years of NIT performances capped by a horrible fifth season changed the equation for 95% of the free thinkers…but, somehow the media and some Wolfpackers managed to extract these five years from their memory and act as if they never happened. Yesterday we closed the statistical door on those ‘great’ last five years. Timing was ironic.
The following is from the News & Observer’s archive from April 17, 1996.
NCSU selects Miami of Ohio coach to replace Robinson
A. J. Carr
The News & Observer
RALEIGH – Herb Sendek, a Rick Pitino protege considered one of the nation’s best young recruiters, has been named N.C. State University’s new basketball coach.
Sendek, 33, head coach at Miami (Ohio) University the past three seasons, was in Raleigh on Tuesday to complete the deal with Wolfpack officials. A news conference to announce his hiring is planned for 11 a.m. today at Reynolds Coliseum, the proud home of a State program that has experienced both the heights and depths of big-time college basketball in the past half-century.
The decision ends a 25-day job search that began when Les Robinson resigned March 22 amid an emotional and public debate about his future with the Wolfpack. Robinson, who replaced the late Jim Valvano as coach in 1990, posted five consecutive losing seasons in six years. After stepping down in March, he chose to stay with his alma mater as an assistant athletics director.
The official terms of Sendek’s contract were not available Tuesday. But sources close to the Wolfpack program said he had agreed to a five-year contract with an annual base salary of about $100,000. It was unclear what kind of supplemental package he was offered. Most ACC head coaches have total annual incomes of at least $500,000, the majority of which comes from shoe company endorsements and incentives from school booster clubs.
Sendek, who becomes the youngest coach in the ACC, was registered at a Raleigh hotel Tuesday but could not be reached for comment. A former assistant to Pitino at Providence College and the University of Kentucky, he produced a 63-26 record at Miami, which plays in the Mid-American Conference. He is scheduled to meet with Wolfpack players at 7:30 a.m.
Sendek, a native of Pittsburgh and the son of a coach, comes to State with a strong endorsement from Miami athletics director Eric Hyman, who described him as having a style and demeanor similar to a “young Dick Sheridan,” the former Wolfpack football coach.
“Herb’s a very bright, cerebral person,” said Hyman, himself a former NCSU assistant athletics director. “N.C. State is very lucky to get a man of his caliber. He’s not a comic. He’s not an entertainer. But if you want a basketball coach, you’ve got one. He’s a terrific basketball coach.”
Hyman said State fans can expect an intense coach who demands a lot from his players.
“He’s a fierce competitor,” he said. “He’s a motivator, extremely intense, really demanding. The players will play hard for him. Kids really respond to him and go all out.”
State officials were reluctant to discuss the hiring before today’s announcement, continuing the pattern of secrecy they’ve maintained throughout the search. In the past, NCSU officials have said they hoped to land a coach who not only could win and sustain the program’s recent academic successes, but also could bring together feuding factions of State fans disappointed over recent losses.
State, which won national championships in 1974 and 1983, finished this season 15-16 overall and 3-13 in the ACC, worst in the conference. The ensuing argument over Robinson’s status underscored a feeling of frustration that marked one of the most turbulent periods in Wolfpack basketball history.
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Many challenges ahead:
Sendek, whose Redskins finished 21-8 this year after a loss to Fresno State in the first round of the NIT, faces plenty of challenges in attempting to restore State’s winning tradition. And even though most players return from last year’s team, State will probably be picked to finish in the ACC’s second division.
But those who are familiar with Sendek expect him to respond aggressively.
“I know Herb was outstanding as the chief recruiter at Kentucky,” said Bob Gibbons, basketball recruiting analyst for All-Star Sports. “In that capacity he literally went coast to coast attracting the top prospects in the country, both in high school and junior college.”
Hyman called Sendek a “magnificent recruiter” who helped upgrade the quality of athletes at Miami. One of his recent coups was signing Damon Frierson, a “Mr. Basketball” in Indiana who just finished his freshman season with the Redskins.
Charlie Coles, an assistant at Miami the past two years, said Sendek is organized and meticulous. He said his former boss wears a coat and tie at games and tends to stay calm on the sidelines.
“He’s a quiet guy,” Coles said. “But he’s just very, very sincere. He’ll laugh and joke. He’s got a sense of humor. On the same side, he’s a very, very serious guy. He knows how to balance it.
“He’s very, very energetic around players at practice and in timeouts. He’s got energy and he’s got control.”
Sendek is also known as a good game coach who makes effective adjustments and tailors style of play to his personnel.
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‘Herb’s like Pitino’:
“Herb’s like Pitino in that he does a good job of taking advantage of opponents’ weaknesses,” Coles said.
Miami led the Mid-American Conference in scoring defense the last two seasons and paced the league in three-point shooting last year.
Married and the father of a 2-year old daughter, Kristin, Sendek is said to be a family man who reads widely. He started his basketball career as a player at Pittsburgh’s Penn Hills High and later at Carnegie Mellon University, where he posted a 3.95 grade-point average.
“If you’ve ever seen one of Herb’s teams play, you’ve seen the way he played,” said Bill Blick, who coached Sendek at Penn Hills. “He was a very intense player. Whenever there was a loose ball, he was the first to get it.”
Blick also coached former North Carolina standout George Karl, now the coach of the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics.
“There were a lot of similarities between George and Herb, primarily their toughness,” Blick said. “They both would keep their heads up in the roughest situations and try to find a way to win. George was much more of a scorer than Herb, who was more like a playmaker. But both of them were tough mentally.”
Blick said he wasn’t surprised to see Sendek climb the ranks of coaching. He also expects him to make his mark in recruiting, despite competition from nearby UNC and Duke.
“He is so intelligent that I am sure he would formulate a plan and keep to it,” Blick said.
