Login

Register | Forgot Your Password? | Close
Bonneville Phoenix Network
 KTAR News
 Arizona Sports
 Entertainment
Login or Register

There often comes a point in sports where a coach has taken a team as far as he can.

After five years at the helm of the Arizona State Sun Devils, Herb Sendek has gotten to that point.

Now, before you accuse me of only saying this because I'm a University of Arizona Wildcats fan, let me say that my not being a fan of the Devils allows me to see the simple truth: as long as Sendek remains the head coach, ASU will remain a mediocre-at-best program.

Granted, there is nothing I'd enjoy more than seeing the maroon and gold flounder at the bottom of the Pac-10, especially while my Cats will be taking up permanent residence near the top. However, for the sake of the rivalry, ASU needs to improve.

Speaking of the rivalry, the home crowd was pretty sad Sunday. I get that nobody really expected ASU to win but come on, at least show a little pride. Too many people were either dressed as empty seats or Wildcats fans, and a continuous stream of yellow started flowing towards the exits with about 8 minutes remaining. And, for the "fans" that did stick around, allowing yourselves to be out-chanted by the visitors was, well, sad. But not as sad as the product on the court, and that's why it's time to consider parting ways with Sendek.

This is not to say Sendek is a bad coach - far from it. I mean, anybody who can make ASU a respectable basketball program has to have a decent amount of ability. But by the time this season comes to a merciful end for his team the Devils will finish out of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons under the former NC State coach. That should be unacceptable.

Sure, you might argue they deserved a tournament berth in 2008 and 2010, but they didn't get in, and weak scheduling combined with a lack of signature wins can be blamed. Furthermore, the one time they did make it with NBA Lottery pick James Harden, Sendek's squad won all of one game. Not exactly impressive.

Even more problematic is how Sendek is continually going to lose the recruiting battles. Unless he can keep adding to his coaching staff, he will have to find a way to outdo the likes of Sean Miller, Lorenzo Romar, Ben Howland and Mike Montgomery. If you were a top-flight high school kid, who would you want to play for?

Keep in mind; it took Miller all of one season to surpass his in-state rival. With a top-10 class coming in next year things are poised to go back to the good old days, when Lute would just point to the scoreboard as his team was racking up another victory.

Nobody should have expected much of ASU hoops this year and yet the team is finding a way to disappoint. If NCAA basketball was anything like the English Premier League, Arizona State would find itself playing in the Big Sky Conference next season. At 9-15 overall with a 1-10 conference record, the Sun Devils are in the midst of their second embarrassingly awful season in Sendek's five tries. Is that called progression? Hardly. It appears Herb Sendek has taken the Sun Devils as far up the mountain as he can. Unfortunately for them they are closer to the base than the top.

27 Comments   |   Join the conversation »
  • Add A Comment 
  • Abuse
    Morty1 wrote...
    Adam is a joke
    February 15, 2011 8:51 am
    We wouldn't expect you to understand the difficulty of learning how to play within Herb's offensive and defensive game plan. There are 7 new faces (that play) this year. That coupled with the faces that transferred out last year did not help at all. Even James Harden struggled in this system his freshman year. College athletics is all about recruiting. I believe this is something Herb and his staff does very well. With Trent, Jordan, Cain, King, and Felix coming back, and Carson coming in this team will be special within the next year or two.
  • Abuse
    Morty1 wrote...
    Adam is a joke (cont'd)
    February 15, 2011 8:52 am
    The new facility they built will continue to bring in good talent. Herb has not even reached his potential as a coach with ASU. Where were you the past 3 years as A of U was getting swept 5 straight, and Wells was full of ASU fans, and you couldn't even find an A of U fan. You went to school in Northern Nogales and then want to come live in the Phoenix area and tell me how great Nogales is??? Go sell that story somewhere else. You all live here not there so where were you the past 3 seasons??? EXACTLY you tool. Saying that Sendek needs to go is a slap in your own face.
  • Abuse
    Morty1 wrote...
    Adam is a joke (cont'd)
    February 15, 2011 8:54 am
    You are talking about Sean's mentor and as they say the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. His little brother Archie was also recruited, coached, and mentored by Herb so what are you saying about him??? HMMM... Mr. Green didn't think this one out very well nor did he think of the adversity that ASU has gone through over this past year. Instead he decided he would try and jump on the band wagon. Where were you over the past three 20+ win seasons? CRICKETS!!! So don't try and tell me how great you think you are now and how horrible we are because of one season.
  • Abuse
    Morty1 wrote...
    Adam is a joke (cont'd)
    February 15, 2011 8:56 am
    You didn't even do a good job at picking the all-time great A of U players in your recent fantasy draft and you want to try and talk ASU basketball? You need to keep in mind that it took Herb all of one year to surpass the "all time" great Fluke Olson 3 years ago. C'mon Adam. Are you starting to see how skewed your view is yet? You were owned for the better part of 3 years under Fluke,O'Neil, Pennell, and even Miller last year. Miller was the first A of U coach in more than 20 years not to take you to the tourney and you want to crown him new king of Northern Mexico and Arizona in general?
  • Abuse
    Morty1 wrote...
    Adam is a joke (cont'd)
    February 15, 2011 8:56 am
    Fluke Olson goes into the tourney as the 2 seed and loses to the 15 seed time after time and you want to talk about us winning a game and then losing the 2nd? At least we made it to the 2nd game. Fluke had so much talent and only one ring to show for it. Albeit one more than ASU, but with that talent I could have won at least three rings. Not a great coach but a heck of a recruiter. He was almost always out coached in the tourney except that one year. Now what Adam should be focused on is what is going on in his own back yard.
  • Abuse
    Morty1 wrote...
    Adam is a joke (cont'd)
    February 15, 2011 8:57 am
    Adam you need to do this story all over again but replace the coach in the story. Instead of Herb Sendek you should be talking about coach stoopid. Yes, after 2 embarrassing losses in bowl games and a 5 game losing streak that included your lousy in state rival your boy slobbering sideline stoops has taken your beloved mild rats as far up the mountain as he can go and unlike coach Sendek it wasn't even half way up, and it won't ever get any better than a shutout from Nebraska. It is time to start thinking about a coaching change but that change will need to be made down south.
  • Abuse
    Alec S. wrote...
    LOL part 1
    February 15, 2011 10:54 am
    Morty1 you just said that ASU has gone through adversity? What is this adversity that you speak of? Is it 3 coaches four coaches in four year (Lute, KO, Russ Pennel, Sean Miller)? Because unless every news source I hear from is wrong, it is the Arizona program that has suffered adversity. Now I get that you have to do your due service and defend ASU, but when you do it in a way that is illogical, its not helping your cause. You also brought up Mike Stoops in a basketball article.
  • Abuse
    Alec S. wrote...
    LOL part 2
    February 15, 2011 10:55 am
    Cont: You and the ASU student section seem to have forgotten that basketball is played in-door, while football is played out-doors Morty-you bring up bringing in 7 new players, well how about UA bringing in 5 new players last year. I'm currently in a fallacy of arguments class, and your arguments would be prime examples of people make bogus arguments only to help their cause. Now good luck to asu in the next 6 games, maybe they can win 2 of them.
  • Abuse
    UNC85 wrote...
    You speak the truth Adam!
    February 15, 2011 2:17 pm
    I have to laugh at the ASU fan's comments, since it strikes so close to home for me. This is the same arguments we heard from some NC State fans. Herb was always going to do better, the players would mature, his recruiting would get better, etc. And every year it was the same old thing. He's an average coach at best, and some years not even that. ASU would do better if they cut him lose and invested in an up and coming coach, Herb's not it. As for Sendek seems he might be taking a step down now, he's already gone from NCSU to ASU, what's next? A mid major?
  • Abuse
    Morty1 wrote...
    Patty
    February 15, 2011 3:35 pm
    The adversity I speak of is player injuries and four players transferring out last year. I'm not speaking of a mild rat team that has been together for a year and 1/2 or longer. Of those four new players you speak of only 1 even sniffed the court on Sunday. I'm bringing up a coach in a "coach who has reached his peak" article not a basketball article. He speaks of a basketball coach. The article is true but the wrong coach is named.
close

Share: