We're the first to admit to criticizing Herb Sendek from time
to time, primarily because he schedules wussy teams and his teams have
subsequently crumbled when the going got tough. Last year, it was so bad that
State fans basically boycotted a few games, with less than 5,000 people showing
up (and that's being charitable).
But we also think he's often gotten a raw deal.
Competing with Duke and UNC (even when UNC is down, it's a monstrous competitor
in-state for talent and for media attention) and lately Wake Forest is not easy,
and given State's disastrous path since the end of the Valvano era, it's been
even more difficult. So we'll give Herb full credit for honesty, for ethics, and
for not backing down or snapping at his critics. He also gets a lot of
credit for consistently solid defense, and, lately, his funky offense.
Coach
K really defended Sendek against his critics, saying some very pointed
things. Herb says he appreciated it, and responded in kind.
Don't get us wrong, it was a great thing for Krzyewski to do,
and even though we've been hot and cold on Sendek, we respect him and think he's
a very decent man. But what happened to the old days in the ACC? Remember
when Dean left the room at a coach's meeting and Lefty Driesell said to the
other ACC coaches, "we gotta get that son of a bitch?"
It's obvious that Gary Williams doesn't like Coach K or Duke,
but that aside, the ACC is just a little too collegial these days. We miss
the heat of the Smith-Driesell-Sloan era. That was a lot of fun.