Herbert J. Sendek (born February 22, 1963 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States) is the head basketball coach at Arizona State University.
 |
Background
Sendek was formally introduced as the ASU head coach on April 3, 2006.[1] A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, he served as an assistant coach at Providence College and the University of Kentucky under Rick Pitino. He was then the head coach at Miami University (Ohio) and at North Carolina State University. He is the grandson of a coal miner. Herb Sr., his father, is a teacher and basketball coach at both the high school and junior college levels. During his youth, Sendek was influenced by several coaches who had a great impact on him, including legendary junior college coach Bill Shay. Sendek became a standout guard as a senior at Penn Hills High School, earning All-East Suburban notice as the team captain. He was also a leader in the classroom, graduating with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. He was recently named to the Penn Hills Hall of Fame and to the East Boros Chapter of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame. From there, Sendek opted to attend Carnegie Mellon University, earning a Carnegie Merit Scholarship and the opportunity to play for coach Dave Maloney.
Timeline
- Born on February 22, 1963 in Pittsburgh, Pa.
- Went to high school at Penn Hills High School, Pittsburgh, Pa., Valedictorian of Class of 1981, 4.0 Grade Point Average
- Played basketball at Penn Hills High School, Two-year letter winner and team captain.
- Went to college for a B.S. in industrial management from Carnegie Mellon University, in 1985; 3.95 grade point average, graduated summa cum laude and earned the Carnegie Merit Scholarship.
- Played basketball at Carnegie Mellon, Three-year letterman, 1981-84.
- 1984-85 - Assistant Coach, Central Catholic High School (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- 1985-86 - Graduate Asst. Coach, Providence College
- 1987-89 - Assistant Coach, Providence College
- 1989-93 - Assistant Coach, University of Kentucky
- 1994-96 - Head Coach, Miami University (Ohio)
- 1995 - Won MAC and Ohio Coach of the Year, also won Mid-American Conference Championship.
- 1996-2006 - Head Coach, North Carolina State University
- 2004 - Won ACC Coach of the Year.
- 2006-Present - Head Coach, Arizona State University
Coaching career
Arizona State
On April 3, 2006, Sendek accepted the head coaching job at Arizona State. His early successes at the school include signing Jerren Shipp, a highly regarded high school guard, and Eric Boateng, a former McDonald's All-American who transferred from Duke. On August 14th 2006 he received a commitment from point guard Jamelle McMillan, a four star recruit and the son of former NC State Basketball star Nate McMillan, who Sendek had been recruiting while he was at NC State.
NC State
Sendek was hired at NC State in 1996 after three years of success at Miami (Ohio), his first head coaching experience. He immediately improved upon the Les Robinson era since internal restriction applied to Robinson were relaxed, winning 17 games for the program's first winning record in six years. In his first year at NC State, the Wolfpack also finished the year winning eight of eleven games, advanced to the finals of the ACC Tournament, and earned a trip to the postseason in the NIT. Despite this improvement, Sendek was never able to achieve success on the level of prior NCSU coaches Everett Case, Press Marivich, Norm Sloan and Jim Valvano.
Sendek coached NC State to the NCAA tournament five consecutive years from 2002 until 2006 (tying the school record). He had his most success during these last five years, winning his 100th game at NC State in 2002 and having a winning conference record in each year but one. In 2004, Sendek won ACC Coach of the Year and Julius Hodge, one of Sendek's most prized recruits during his NC State tenure, won the ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year. In 2005, NC State upset defending champion Connecticut in the second round of the NCAA tournament to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, NC State's deepest run into the tournament during Sendek's years. Sendek finished his NC State coaching career with a 71-88 record in the ACC and a 32-87 record against RPI top 50 teams.
In 10 years, Sendek's teams won no championships of any kind, and lost 3 ACC title games, this combined with weak out of conference scheduling at NCSU resulted in a split fan base and ultimately in Sendek leaving for ASU. Sendek was 8-38 against UNC and Duke with 4 of those wins coming against Matt Doherty. Sendek encouraged his teams to not "get up" for big games against rival schools. He stated, "No game is more important than the next game." [citation needed]
Year-by-Year Head Coaching Record
| Season | School | Record (conference) / Finish | Record (overall) | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | Miami (Ohio) | 19-11 | NIT | |
| 1994-95 | Miami (Ohio) | 23-7 | NCAA, Second Round | |
| 1995-96 | Miami (Ohio) | 21-8 | NIT | |
| 1996-97 | NC State | 4-12 / 8th | 17-15 | NIT |
| 1997-98 | NC State | 5-11 / 8th | 17-15 | NIT |
| 1998-99 | NC State | 6-10 / 5th | 19-14 | NIT |
| 1999-00 | NC State | 6-10 / 6th | 20-14 | NIT, Semifinals |
| 2000-01 | NC State | 5-11 / 7th | 13-16 | None |
| 2001-02 | NC State | 9-7 / T-3rd | 23-11 | NCAA, Second Round |
| 2002-03 | NC State | 9-7 / 4th | 18-13 | NCAA, First Round |
| 2003-04 | NC State | 11-5 / 2nd | 21-10 | NCAA, Second Round |
| 2004-05 | NC State | 7-9 / T-6th | 21-14 | NCAA, Regional Semifinal |
| 2005-06 | NC State | 10-6 / 4th | 22-10 | NCAA, Second Round |
| 2006-07 | Arizona State | 2-16 / 10th | 8-22 | None |
See also
References
- ^ "Arizona State Names Herb Sendek Men's Head Basketball Coach" (Press release). Arizona State University. April 3, 2006. Retrieved April 3, 2006.