Herb Sendek Releases Letter Thanking ASU Community
A little more than a week after he was fired, former ASU Basketball coach Herb Sendek has finally said something on the matter.
Having turned down multiple requests from the media since last Tuesday, Sendek took a different approach, releasing a letter to the public.
Here’s what he said.
"My family and I would like to thank Dr. (Michael) Crow, Ray Anderson, and the ASU community for allowing us to be Sun Devils. We enjoyed our time here and we are blessed to have made some special friends.We stand together proud that our players have met the most critical standard we asked of them — to be respectful young men, qualified to earn their way in the world. Along the way, our young men also managed to have some terrific accomplishments on the court, as well. These young men, and our assistant coaches, who helped me find and teach them, are like family to me.Given all the conversation about recruiting, I would ask that you don’t let your disappointment in me take away from or be a reflection on the talent of the young men that are currently on my team.Given the progress we made with this relatively new group of players, they proved they are talented enough to win in the Pac-12. They also personify the personal character of the individual student-athlete that reflects so positively on the amazing trajectory Dr. Crow has this great institution traveling.I wish ASU Basketball and your next head coach nothing but success going forward. It takes a community to win in sports today. Thank you to those who helped me build a community during my time here. It is my hope that you will continue your efforts to build the depth and breadth of that community support and help your next coach reach the expectations we all have for this program.Thank you and Go Devils!Herb Sendek"
Over his nine years in Tempe, Sendek always showed that he was a class act. This letter just cements that.
Sendek did a lot of nice things as the Sun Devils head coach. He brought in James Harden, the best player in the history of the program, and won some big games, including doing a good job against arch rival Arizona. He just didn’t win often enough with only two appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
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There’s one thing I found interesting about Sendek’s letter and that’s when he said it “takes a community to win in sports today.” That’s true, especially at the collegiate level.
Sure you need quality players and good coaches, but it takes more than that to have a winning program on a consistent basis. You need fan support and most importantly, you need the university to invest in your program. All the Final Four teams have that in common.
Hopefully that will hold true for ASU’s program in the not too distant future.