Herb Sendek, the head coach at North Carolina State, left over the weekend for Arizona State. There is already speculation that UT Head Coach Rick Barnes could replace Sendek at NC State. Barnes is originally from Hickory, NC and some think we would love to return home. I -really- don't think that is going to happen. Barnes denied any interest in the NC State job to the Austin American Statesman on Sunday.
A couple of quick reasons why Barnes stays in Austin:
- Texas, along with Kansas, is the class of the Big 12. NC State is not even close to the class of the ACC.
- Texas gets top recruits with every class including at least two McDonald's All Americans in this class and three in the 2004 class (Lamarcus Aldridge, Daniel Gibson, Mike Williams). NC State is like the Tech of North Carolina. The Wolfpack get the recruits that Duke and North Carolina chose not to pursue.
- Kevin Durant.
- The Horns have been to the NCAA tournament every year since Barnes arrived. We have built a multi million dollar practice facility and upgraded the Erwin Center to include luxury boxes and seats closer to the court. Barnes is building a basketball power house at a traditionally football school. He has started the process, but his work is not complete.
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Rick Barnes on Herb Sendek and NC State before the NC State game in Dallas:
"I'll be quite frank, I don't think it has ever been fair for the way he has been treated. I think he is one of the most underated coaches. I think he has poured everything he's had into the State job, and I don't think they can find a better coach to coach their team than him."
"Yea it really does bother me because if you want me to be quite blunt I've got one of the best jobs in the country. Yea, I grew up in North Carolina but I have no desire to coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference or coach anywhere else other than Texas. It bothers me more, not so much about that, it bothers me more that Herb hasn't been appreciated the way he should be appreciated."
"I was there when he first started. I know what he walked into, I know the problems they were having when he got there, what he did with the program. There's a lot of coaches, a lot of programs that would like to have his resume right now. He's had great success, he's going to continue to have great success, but what bothers me most of all is he deserves more than the way he's being treated."
"I just know there is no finer person and I don't want to see anybody that's been treated the way he's been treated, especially with the kind of job he's done for them."
In conclusion, Rick Barnes currently has a better job than the one open at NC State. The money might be enticing as would going home. But the upside at Texas is too great, and he has already invested too much to walk away now. Who in their right mind would leave with Kevin Durant and DJ Augustin joining our current crop of studs this fall?
The speculation will continue until NC State hires a new coach. BON fully expects Rick Barnes on the sidelines in Austin this fall.
--AW--