RALEIGH -- Nobody's calling college basketball coaches a bunch of vultures. Get that straight. But, if they were a bunch of vultures, the limbs of those oak trees that loom over the N.C. State basketball offices would be full right about now.
Sixth-year coach Herb Sendek's future at N.C. State is wobbly at best, mortally wounded at worst. He hasn't led the Wolfpack to the NCAA tournament, and last season's expected breakthrough became a 13-16 breakdown. First-year athletics director Lee Fowler didn't hire Sendek, and while he didn't fire him after this past season, that isn't out of the question should the Wolfpack stumble again in 2001-02.
|  | | Herb Sendek is doing what he feels is best for the Wolfpack's future, not to mention his own at N.C. State. |
Understand, this is no ordinary job that might be available come late March. This would undoubtedly be among the most attractive jobs to open in recent years, up there with the openings at Louisville and Michigan this past winter, and at North Carolina last summer (though the UNC vacancy came with an asterisk, since no one outside the Dean Smith family was considered).
The N.C. State job isn't attractive. It's downright gorgeous, much more so than when Sendek replaced Les Robinson five years ago. Back then, the Wolfpack's talent level was near the bottom of the ACC, and 12,400-capacity Reynolds Coliseum had become a leaky, paint-peeled barn.
Today, N.C. State has a roster bloated with high school All-Americans and other talent; 10 members of the 2001-02 roster were rated among the top 100 players nationally in their high school senior class. And the 20,000-capacity Entertainment and Sports Arena, only two years old, still sparkles. The Wolfpack's facilities, once a drawback in recruiting, has become a strength on par with the program's tradition (two national championships) and conference affiliation (ACC).
In sum: This is a great job.
But maybe it doesn't become available after this season. Maybe Sendek leads the Wolfpack beyond whatever threshold Fowler wants to see crossed. An NCAA tournament appearance. A winning record in the ACC. Whatever it is.
"I want to see improvement," Fowler said. "Last year was disappointing, and Herb would be the first to tell you that. Everyone knows we need to get better, and I believe we will. I believe in Herb."
Even before this pivotal season begins, Sendek has won over a number of fans who have called for his ouster by chucking Damien Wilkins from the premises. Wilkins, the sophomore forward who averaged 11.4 points per game, then entered the NBA draft, was told his scholarship was gone on the eve of the June 20 deadline for underclassmen to drop out of the draft. Wilkins had decided to do just that, but not in time. Sendek delivered the bad news via cell phone hours after Wilkins' final NBA workout, with the Charlotte Hornets, and literally minutes before Wilkins was planning to call Sendek and tell him he was coming back.
Many Wolfpack fans have long considered Wilkins -- or Wilkins' publicly anti-Sendek father, Gerald -- a distraction to the team. By booting the entire Wilkins clan from Raleigh, Sendek showed the decisiveness and passion his unhappy fan base has longed to see.
Getting rid of Wilkins was more gutsy than the average fan even knows. The NCAA's 5/8 scholarship rule is meant to penalize coaches who can't keep their recruits on campus by limiting them to five signed players in any one year, and eight over two years. N.C. State already had lost guard Trey Guidry to transfer (to Illinois State) when Sendek opted not to keep Wilkins. And since the Wolfpack has signed five players this fall, they can add just three more next year.
This season the Wolfpack still ought to be deep on the wings, though Wilkins' loss could hurt down low, where he no doubt would have seen some minutes -- not 40, but significant -- as a smallish power forward in a quick lineup. As it is, Sendek must replace his entire starting front line because of the graduations of Damon Thornton, Kenny Inge and Ron Kelley.
That means a freshman (like 6-foot-10 Jordan Collins or 6-9 Josh Powell) will start at center, with seldom-used 6-8 sophomore Marcus Melvin or 6-8 freshman Levi Watkins at power forward. The small forward could be freshman Julius Hodge, with seniors Anthony Grundy and Archie Miller in the backcourt, backed by junior Clifford Crawford and sophomore Scooter Sherrill.
All were top-100 players, so there's talent there. But it's mostly young talent. Wilkins would have been a veteran, a leader. But his leadership wasn't the kind Sendek wanted.
"I believe that his return would not be in our best interest," Sendek said. "As caretaker of our program, I will continue to make decisions that benefit our team and N.C. State."
If there were any, the vultures would be watching.
Around the ACC
Duke junior Dahntay Jones, a transfer from Rutgers, could be one of the best players in the league next season. Who makes All-ACC from Duke's possible starting five of Jason Williams, Chris Duhon, Mike Dunleavy, Dahntay Jones and Carlos Boozer? Or who doesn't?
North Carolina will live or die with freshmen next season, thanks to the likely loss of five of its top seven players from last season. But they're good freshmen. Jawad Williams was a McDonald's All-American, and Melvin Scott and Jackie Manuel were finalists for the team, too.
Along with North Carolina and N.C. State, Virginia and Georgia Tech brought in monster recruiting classes, and Clemson's wasn't bad. Look for a lot of young talent on the floor next season.
Gregg Doyel covers the ACC and college basketball for The Charlotte Observer and is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
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