ASU’s Sendek listed among coaches on the ‘hot seat’ in 2014-15
Jun 20, 2014, 6:30 PM | Updated: 6:30 pm
Herb Sendek’s eight seasons at Arizona State have had their ups and downs, but the coach has done well to win the approval of his superiors throughout his tenure.
Outside of the ASU administrative offices, however, the swirl of rumors about Sendek’s job security going forward have ebbed and flowed.
Sendek’s most recent season as coach of the Sun Devils resulted in his second trip to the NCAA Tournament with the program — their third appearance since 2000.
Since taking the reins in Tempe in 2006, the former NC State coach has coached his eight Sun Devils teams to a 140-119 cumulative record, though going just 64-80 in Pac-12 play.
Considering the not-so-glistening run with ASU — and the unknowns of the upcoming season, with the departure of star players Jahii Carson and Jordan Bachynski — one site has listed Sendek as one of 13 coaches “on the hot seat” in 2014-15.
Along with St. John’s coach Steve Lavin, Georgia Tech’s Brian Gregory, Washington’s Lorenzo Romar, Maryland’s Mark Turgeon and Oklahoma State’s Travis Ford, among others, Athlon Sports lists Sendek among one of the bigger program coaches who could be in trouble with a poor season.
The site explains its qualification.
The Sun Devils reached the NCAA Tournament last season, losing in the round of 64 to Texas. That should be a good omen for Sendek, but it’s also only his second NCAA appearance in eight seasons at Arizona State. With Jahii Carson gone, Arizona State could tumble down the Pac-12 standings. Arizona State allowed Sendek to rebuild for five seasons to get back after his first trip to the Tourney. Don’t bank on that kind of patience again.
Sendek and the Sun Devils begin their 2014-15 season on Nov. 10 against Chicago State and will later feature non-conference matchups with UNLV, Texas A&M, Marquette and Harvard, along with several others.
