Bickley: Wishing Sendek well on recruiting trail
22 comments by Dan Bickley - Jun. 29, 2009 04:26 PM
The Arizona Republic
College basketball has a slimy side. In the dark corners of this wonderful sport, talent is peddled, coddled and recruited by men who negotiate better than they coach. Thankfully, Herb Sendek seems above this cesspool.
But now he must go out and sell his program. Hard.
Beginning next week, Sendek will embark on his own American road trip, surveying talent and making sure he's noticed in all the right gymnasiums. He will tour the country in two 10-day segments, bouncing around like an over-inflated basketball. And for the first time in ages, the head coach at Arizona State has many pitches in his arsenal.
"In the first segment (of his career at ASU), we were really scratching and clawing," Sendek said. "This feels like a new beginning."
Slideshow profile: Herb Sendek
Sendek can sell James Harden and his bow-tied appearance in New York, where he was the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft. That will appeal to blue-chip candidates who worry about getting lost in Tempe.
He can sell Jeff Pendergraph and Derek Glasser, two players who have grown significantly under Sendek's leadership. This will appeal to all the self-motivated, second-tier players who know they need a fertile environment. Mothers will like that, too.
He can sell the two wins over UCLA last season, including the one on ESPN. He can sell his unofficial basketball consultant, Doug Collins, a great mind with great NBA connections. And if all else fails, he can flaunt his new training facility, which sprouted from his vision and doesn't require brochures or newspaper clippings.
On the streets of college basketball, the word is already out. The new headquarters for ASU hoops, now treated like a tourist attraction or a new ride at Disney World, is among the best in Division I.
Recently, potential recruits have come to Tempe in a steady wave of unofficial visits just to view the new digs. The facility clearly hits the mark with impressionable young men, making recruits feel like royalty.
"We needed this so badly," Sendek said. "Our analogy is, now we have some chips. Now, they let us sit at the poker table. We're in the game."
Still, it's imperative that Sendek can seal the deal, making this summer harvest pay off in the very near future. Unlike Rob Evans, who never capitalized on the signing of Ike Diogu, Sendek must profit from the current momentum. To appease the diehards, he must keep pace with the great start authored by Sean Miller in Tucson, thereby retaining his recent mastery of the Wildcats.
It's an important time for the program. But for the first time since he arrived in the Valley, Sendek seems fully comfortable with his surroundings. He knows exactly what he's selling, and he's armed with many new friends. He recently filled up a few notepads during a brainstorming session with Valley resident Harvey Mackay, noted author, businessman, basketball junkie and inspirational tour de force. The power elite in Phoenix are beginning to embrace Sendek's program, now a possible alternative to the sinking Suns.
"This program started at the very beginning, and the progress we've made has been awesome," Sendek said. "But that doesn't mean the arrow will always fly straight. There will be more detours, peaks and valleys. By no sense have we arrived. If anything, we're more aware than ever of how much work we have left."
When Arizona's clumsy coaching search ended with the hiring of the magnetic Miller, it seemed to pose a new obstacle for Sendek. Miller is a big name with a built-in audience and better recruiting chops. Or maybe we were all wrong about that last part.
To the surprise of many, Sendek recently co-authored a book, "Gen Y Now." While explaining the project, the other author credited Sendek for challenging existing stereotypes regarding a new generation of young people and what kind of leadership they require.
That would seem to be a good thing on the recruiting trail, and maybe Coach Herb is just hitting his stride as a sweatsuit salesman.
So wish him well. The battle for college basketball supremacy in Arizona is one of the best new shows in town. And even though the uniforms are in storage, the coming month will largely determine where this resuscitated program goes next.
