http://www.fayettevillenc.com/article?id=227083

Quote :

"RALEIGH — At some point, I’d like to see Herb Sendek pop his head out of that daytight compartment he’s always talking about and say the words N.C. State fans have been longing to hear since the day Lorenzo Charles dunked home Dereck Whittenburg’s airball in Albuquerque 23 years ago. “We are among the elite teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the nation.” Better yet, I’d like to see the Wolfpack actually go out and prove it by rising to the occasion and winning a big game in a big spot against a big rival. It hasn’t happened yet, though not for lack of opportunities. On Jan. 7 in Chapel Hill, State was tied with North Carolina with 3 minutes to go before going the rest of the game without scoring. Ditto 11 days later at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Only this time, the Wolfpack scored just three points in the final 5 minutes to let another one slip away. There wasn’t anywhere near the drama Wednesday at the RBC Center, where even with luxury of the homecourt advantage, Sendek and his Still Not Yet Ready for Primetime Players couldn’t get the job done. This time they were dominated by the ever-improving young Tar Heels, 95-71. Undoubtedly the NCAA tournament selection committee will be duly impressed. Seeing is believing It will be by UNC, at least, if for no other reason than – unlike State, coach Roy Williams’ team played as though it believes it can be a factor in March. That might turn out to be wishful thinking, considering that the Tar Heels have even less experience in the postseason than Mary-Kate Olsen does at an all-you-can-eat buffet. But at least they think they can go a long way in defense of the national championship their now former teammates won a year ago in St. Louis. You’d have a hard time convincing me that a single member of the Wolfpack is thinking beyond the Sweet 16 — the round in which its 2004-05 season ended. Part of that is Sendek’s fault. He has made it a point to treat every game in the same low-key manner, to not let either himself or his players get caught up in looking too far into the future. It’s a sound approach, in most cases. But there are certain times when you have to consider the big picture and set the bar high, especially at a place where it’s been so low for so long. And as the disappointment among the 19,722 red-clad fans as they headed toward the exits before the final TV timeout will attest, some games are more important than others. Good or great? Even in their disappointment, an emotion with which they have become all too familiar, the Wolfpack faithful can still take solace in at least a few significant milestones their team has already accomplished. With 21 victories, it has already won more times than any State team since 1981-82, the season during which current point guard Tony Bethel was born. And with another invitation to the NCAA tournament all but a formality, the Wolfpack will tie a school record with its fifth straight invitation into the field of 65. But as undeniably good as this season has been, can it be considered great? I’ll answer that question with a question. What would they say at UNC, or better yet, a few miles farther up the Interstate at Duke? They’d say come back and ask again in about a month, because without a championship banner of some sort to hang from the rafters — for the regular season, the ACC tournament, the national championship or all of the above — it’s just another season. No matter how many games they won. It’s a mindset at State that seems to have died along with Jim Valvano and the crippling NCAA sanctions he left behind. No matter how far the Wolfpack has come since then and how well it has done in the past 10 seasons under Sendek, it will never be thought of as one of the ACC’s elite — let alone the nation’s — unless it starts thinking that way first. "

2/23/2006 3:14:48 PM

the article mentions the quagmire the program was in when herb took over

but gives him no props for pulling us out as far as he has

2/23/2006 3:24:06 PM

maybe we are just progressing slowly to an undefeated season

[Edited on February 23, 2006 at 3:26 PM. Reason : .]

2/23/2006 3:25:59 PM

Quote :

"He has made it a point to treat every game in the same low-key manner, to not let either himself or his players get caught up in looking too far into the future. It’s a sound approach, in most cases. But there are certain times when you have to consider the big picture and set the bar high, especially at a place where it’s been so low for so long. And as the disappointment among the 19,722 red-clad fans as they headed toward the exits before the final TV timeout will attest, some games are more important than others. "

this is the quote I liked, but yeah you're right.

I'm not supporting the fire herb trend, but I posted in that thread last night that something has to change, and this hits the nail on the head.

2/23/2006 3:26:08 PM

looks to me like he wants herb to start promising more

what good does that do?

2/23/2006 4:02:58 PM

Quote :

"young Tar Heels"

those fuckers are as old as us

2/23/2006 4:06:35 PM

I'm no Sendek hater... but there comes a point where we have to start winning something. Consistently winning against rivals... an acc regular season championship, a tourney chapionship, something. I don't think that's unreasonable. Herb's a great coach, but there's something that's lacking and I thinking it's the "it" factor. I don't think that Herb has quite what it takes to take us all the way. But what Herb has done is left a legacy of winning for the past 6 seasons. Winning, but not winning it all. Maybe with more talent and more esteem, when he retires, that will pass to the next coach who may be able to do what badly needs to be done on this side of I-40.

2/23/2006 4:08:01 PM

retires?? Herb isn't going to retire anytime soon (he is 43), nor should he. The only way I see your scenario of passing the legacy on to another "it" factor coach is if he is fired or steps aside.

2/23/2006 4:29:29 PM

Quote :

"those fuckers are as old as us"

Maybe in terms of # of seniors, juinors, etc., but their freshmen are a hell of all more important to the success of their team than ours. They are young because Hansdouche, Frasor, etc play so many minutes.

2/23/2006 7:05:12 PM

ultimately... unless he starts winning NATIONAL titles then the losses to UNC are going to catch up to him more than anything else will...

we can accept a lot of things, but losing to unc isn't one of them

2/23/2006 7:12:56 PM

If we win the ACC tourney or make it to the elite 8 or better, nobody will give a fuck about this game after that

2/23/2006 7:14:45 PM

it def sux to lose to UNC.....but can we please see where we finish the season before we keep bitching about the same shit repeatedly

^agreed

and most likely...we will play UNC in order to get to the ACC tourny final...so just give it a couple weeks people

[Edited on February 23, 2006 at 7:18 PM. Reason : asfdas]

2/23/2006 7:17:34 PM

yeah I wanted to make that point earlier


If you're not gonna win ACC championships or national titles, at least keep the fans satisfied by beating UNC once every few years.

2/23/2006 7:18:20 PM

I was just upset because now i have 2 or 3 tests before tourneys start (probably more tests than that)

2/23/2006 7:23:55 PM

agreed, we argueably got beat in the same manner by seaton hall, course I didn't care nearly a 1/3 as much about that game as I do last nights.

2/23/2006 8:32:36 PM