A 1985 graduate of Carnegie-Mellon (Pa.), Herb Sendek is 413-295 (.583) in 22 seasons as a head coach and has a 159-137 (.537) record in nine seasons at Arizona State. He is a three-time conference Coach-of-the-Year recipient and has made eight NCAA Tournament appearances and 18 postseason appearances overall. After posting three 20-win seasons in the previous 25 seasons, the Sun Devils have posted five 20-win seasons under Coach Sendek in his nine years.
Coach Sendek led ASU to a 16-1 home record in 2013-14, which included eight straight wins in the Pac-12, the best home record in 40 seasons as the 1974-75 team went 14-0. ASU has tied the home record for wins three times under Coach Sendek, as it also went 16-4 in 2009-10 and 2012-13.
The Pittsburgh, Pa., native led ASU to three straight 20-win seasons in 2007-08 (21-13), 2008-09 (25-10) and 2009-10 (22-11), which had not happened since 1961-63. Prior to his fifth Sun Devil 20-win season in 2013-14, ASU had just three 20-win seasons in the previous 25 years. Between 2007-10, Sendek led ASU to 68 wins, seven wins over ranked teams, five straight wins against Arizona and six-of-seven overall (including three consecutive in Tucson), and a sweep of UCLA in 2008-09. He followed that up with a 22-13 mark in 2012-13 and a NCAA Tournament and 21-12 mark in 2013-14.
He was 191-132 (.591) at North Carolina State in 10 seasons. He earned Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 2003-04. He posted five straight NCAA appearances from 2002-06, while competing in one of the nation’s most intense conferences. In his final five seasons, NCSU won 53 ACC total ACC games, as only Duke was better (76) in that time frame.
After eight years as an assistant, including Final Four appearances in 1987 with Providence and 1993 with Kentucky, 30-year-old Sendek took over the Oxford-based program at Miami (Ohio). There, in his first venture as a head coach, he led the Redskins to three consecutive postseason appearances and the 1995 Mid-American Conference regular-season championship. His three-year record at Miami was 63-26, giving him the highest winning percentage (.708) in school history.
Sendek has collected 39 wins over teams ranked in the top 25, including 18 over top-10 teams. He has had 10 former assistant coaches (eight in 2012-13) earn DI head coaching positions.
He was one of only three coaches who had NBA first-round picks in both the 2005 and 2006 drafts, and then followed that up in 2009 with a top-three pick (James Harden at No. 3) and the first pick of the second round (Jeff Pendergraph). Jahii Carson earned Pac-12 Co-Freshman of the Year in 2012-13, while Jordan Bachynski was the 2013-14 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year
THE HERB SENDEK FILE
Born: February 22, 1963 (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Family: Wife: Melanie; Children: Kristin, Catherine, Kelly
Education: Carnegie-Mellon University ‘85; Three-year letterman (1981-84)
MAJOR COACHING AWARDS
2009-10: Pac-10 Coach of the Year; USBWA District IX Coach of the Year
2003-04: NABC District 5 Coach of the Year 2007-08: USBWA District IX Coach of Year
2003-04: Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year
2001-02: Naismith National Coach of the Year Finalist; NABC District 5 Coach of Year
1994-95: Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year; Ohio Coach of Year
HEAD COACHING CAREER/413-295 (.583)/22 SEASONS
ARIZONA STATE/159-137 (.537)/NINE SEASONS
2014-15: 18-16 (.529)/Beat No. 6 and eventual Pac-12 champ Arizona.
2013-14: 21-12 (.636)/NCAA/Best home win in school history over No. 2 Arizona on Feb. 14
2012-13: 22-13 (.629)/NIT/16-4 home record
2011-12: 10-21 (.323)/Beat Arizona in season finale
2010-11: 12-19 (.387)
2009-10: 22-11 (.667)/NIT/Pac-10 Coach of Year/Finished 12-6 in the Pac-10
2008-09: 25-10 (.714)/NCAA Second Round/Ranked in AP Top-25 All Season
2007-08: 21-13 (.618)/NIT Quarterfinals/
2006-07: 8-22 (.266)
NORTH CAROLINA STATE/191-132 (.591)/10 SEASONS
2005-06: 22-10 (.688)/NCAA Second Round
2004-05: 21-14 (.600)/NCAA Sweet 16
2003-04: 21-10 (.677)/NCAA Second Round (ACC Coach of the Year)
2002-03: 18-13 (.581)/NCAA First Round
2001-02: 23-11 (.676)/NCAA Second Round
2000-01: 13-16 (.448)
1999-00: 20-14 (.588)/NIT
1998-99: 19-14 (.576)/NIT
1997-98: 17-15 (.531)/NIT
1996-97: 17-15 (.531)/NIT
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (OHIO)/63-26 (.708)/THREE SEASONS
1995-96: 21-8 (.724)/NIT
1994-95: 23-7 (.767)/NCAA Second Round (MAC Coach of the Year)
1993-94: 19-11 (.633)/NIT
COACHING TREE: There are currently eight former Coach Sendek assistants who are head coaches on the Division I level. Former Miami of Ohio coach Charlie Coles, who passed away in the summer of 2013, was an assistant at Miami of Ohio from 1994-96 while Mark Phelps, who was an assistant at both North Carolina State and Arizona State, was head coach at Drake from 2008-13 and is now an assistant at Marquette.
COACH SENDEK'S COACHING TREE (8 IN 2014-15)
Jim Christian, Boston College (Miami of Ohio from 1994-96)
John Groce, Illinois (Miami of Ohio from 1994-96)
Larry Hunter, Western Carolina (NC State from 2001-05)
Ron Hunter, Georgia State (Miami of Ohio from 1993-94)
Thad Matta, Ohio State (Miami of Ohio from 1994-95)
Archie Miller, Dayton (NC State and Arizona State from 2005-07)
Sean Miller, Arizona (Miami of Ohio and NC State from 1993-2000)
Dedrique Taylor, Cal State Fullerton (Arizona State from 2006-13)