Herb Sendek

Herb Sendek

Sendek coaching Arizona State in 2009
Sport(s) Basketball
Current position
Title Head coach
Team Santa Clara
Conference WCC
Record 0-0
Biographical details
Born (1963-02-22) February 22, 1963
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Playing career
1981–1984 Carnegie Mellon
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1985–1989 Providence (assistant)
1989–1993 Kentucky (assistant)
1994–1996 Miami (OH)
1996–2006 NC State
2006–2015 Arizona State
2016–present Santa Clara
Head coaching record
Overall 413–295 (.583)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
MAC regular season championship (1995)
Awards
Pac-10 Coach of the Year (2010)
ACC Coach of the Year (2004)
MAC Coach of the Year (1995)

Herbert Joseph "Herb" Sendek[1] (born February 22, 1963) is an American college basketball coach and the current men's basketball coach at Santa Clara.

Early life

Herbert Joseph Sendek, of Slovak descent,[2] grew up in Pittsburgh and attended Penn Hills High School. He starred as a point guard in basketball, lettering two years, serving as team captain, and earning All-East Suburban honors. He graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and was valedictorian of the Class of 1981. Sendek's father, Herb Sr., was a teacher and basketball coach at both the high school and junior college levels.[3]

College career

He played college basketball at Carnegie Mellon University, where he was a three-year letterman. He graduated summa cum laude in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in industrial management and earned the Carnegie Merit Scholarship.[3]

Assistant coach

In 1984–85, Sendek served as an assistant coach at Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh.

Sendek served as a graduate assistant coach at Providence in 1985, then as an assistant coach at Providence from 1987 to 1989. He then served as an assistant coach at Kentucky under Rick Pitino from 1989 to 1993.

Head coach

Miami (Ohio)

In 1993, Sendek accepted his first college head coaching job, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, succeeding Joby Wright, who left to become head coach at Wyoming. In his first season, 1993–94, the Redskins (now RedHawks) posted a 19–11 record and finished second in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).[4]

In 1994–95, Miami improved to 23–7 overall, winning the MAC championship with a 16–2 record and earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament. In the Midwest Regional, #12 seeded Miami shocked #5 seeded Arizona 71–62, before losing to Virginia in overtime in the Second Round.[4]

In Sendek's third season at Miami, 1995–96, the team went 21–8 and finished third in the MAC. Miami earned a berth in the NIT, losing a first-round game to Fresno State, 58-57.[4] Sendek was named the 1995 MAC Coach of the Year.[4]

North Carolina State

After three seasons at Miami, Sendek was hired at North Carolina State in 1996, becoming the youngest head coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[5] He immediately improved upon the Les Robinson era, winning 17 games for the program's first winning record in six years. The Wolfpack ended the season winning eight of 11 games, advanced to the finals of the ACC Tournament, and earned a trip to the postseason in the NIT.

Sendek coached NC State to the NCAA tournament five consecutive years from 2002 until 2006 (tying the school record). He won his 100th game at NC State in 2002. In 2004, Sendek won ACC Coach of the Year and Julius Hodge, one of Sendek's most prized recruits during his NC State tenure, was named 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 16, NC State's deepest run into the tournament during Sendek's years.

Due in part to an 8–38 record against Duke and North Carolina combined with failing to win an ACC championship, fan and booster support was in steep decline. This ultimately played a factor in Sendek deciding to leave NC State for the head coaching vacancy at Arizona State.[6]

Arizona State

On April 3, 2006, Sendek accepted the head coaching job at Arizona State.[7] While his first year record in the Pac-10 was a paltry 2–16, recruiting went well: ASU signed Jerren Shipp, a highly regarded high school guard, point guard Derek Glasser from the LA Area, and Eric Boateng, a McDonald's All-American who transferred from Duke. His second recruiting class included highly touted McDonald's All-American James Harden and point guard Jamelle McMillan (a four-star recruit and the son of former NC State Basketball star Nate McMillan).

The 2007–08 season was a great improvement over the previous season. Sendek and freshman guard James Harden led the Sun Devils to fifth place in the Pac-10 Conference, including a sweep of rival Arizona. Arizona State was rewarded with a number 1 seed in the 2008 NIT. The 2008–09 team led by Pac-10 Player of the year Harden improved to a 25–10 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

After the departure of Harden for the NBA, the Sun Devils program finished 2nd in the Pac-10 during the 2009–10 season in what was a weak Pac-10 Conference. That year, the conference RPI was so weak, it was the first time the 2nd place Pac-10 team didn't get an at-large invitation to the NCAA tournament. The Sun Devils instead were given a #1 Seed in the NIT and lost to the Jacksonville in Tempe. With three returning seniors, there were high expectations for the 2010–11 season with an expected trun at the Pac-10 title again. However, the Sun Devils finished in last place with a record of 12–19 (4–14).

The 2011–12 season was anticipated to be better with the addition of newcomer and 2010–11 Arizona High School Player of the Year Jahii Carson. However, Carson failed to gain NCAA clearance to play.[8] The season became even more troublesome as Sendek dismissed his leading scorer, Keala King, from the team on January 7, 2012 for undisclosed reasons.[9] The season resulted in a tenth place finish in the new Pac-12. A sixth place finish followed in 2012–13 with a trip to the NIT. In 2013–14, ASU finished with a 21–12 record and a loss in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.

On March 24, 2015, Sendek was fired by Arizona State after an 18–16 record, losing to USC in the Pac-12 Tournament, and a trip to the NIT.[10]

Santa Clara

On March 28, 2016, Sendek accepted the head coaching job at Santa Clara, replacing recently fired coach, Kerry Keating who was fired after nine years.[11]

Personal life

Sendek is married to Melanie (Scheuer); they have three daughters.[3]

Sendek was inducted into the Penn Hills Hall of Fame and into the East Boros Chapter of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame.

Head coaching record

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Miami Redskins (Mid-American Conference) (1993–1996)
1993–94 Miami 19–11 12–6 2nd NIT First Round
1994–95 Miami 23–7 16–2 1st NCAA Second Round
1995–96 Miami 21–8 12–6 3rd NIT First Round
Miami: 63–26 (.708) 40–14 (.741)
NC State Wolfpack (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1996–2006)
1996–97 NC State 17–15 4–12 8th NIT Second Round
1997–98 NC State 17–15 5–11 8th NIT Second Round
1998–99 NC State 19–14 6–10 5th NIT Second Round
1999–2000 NC State 20–14 6–10 6th NIT Semifinal
2000–01 NC State 13–16 5–11 7th
2001–02 NC State 23–11 9–7 T–3rd NCAA Second Round
2002–03 NC State 18–13 9–7 4th NCAA First Round
2003–04 NC State 21–10 11–5 2nd NCAA Second Round
2004–05 NC State 21–14 7–9 T–6th NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2005–06 NC State 22–10 10–6 4th NCAA Second Round
NC State: 191–132 (.591) 72–88 (.450)
Arizona State Sun Devils (Pacific-10/12 Conference) (2006–2015)
2006–07 Arizona State 8–22 2–16 10th
2007–08 Arizona State 21–12 9–9 5th NIT Quarterfinal
2008–09 Arizona State 25–10 11–7 3rd NCAA Second Round
2009–10 Arizona State 22–11 12–6 2nd NIT First Round
2010–11 Arizona State 12–19 4–14 10th
2011–12 Arizona State 10–21 6–12 10th
2012–13 Arizona State 21–12 9–9 6th NIT Second Round
2013–14 Arizona State 21–12 10–8 T–3rd NCAA Second Round
2014–15 Arizona State 18–16 9–9 T–5th NIT Second Round
Arizona State: 159–137 (.537) 72–90 (.444)
Santa Clara Broncos (West Coast Conference) (2016–present)
2016–17 Santa Clara 3–4 0–0
Total: 416–299 (.582)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Coaching tree

Several of Sendek's former assistant coaches have gone on to have their own careers as head basketball coaches.

References

External links

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