North Carolina State University Athletics
Part Two of Q&A with Herb Sendek
10/4/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TH: Forward Damon Thornton has actually had the opportunity to play basketball without any interruptions for several months now. Is it starting to show?
Sendek: "No question, Damon is in the best condition of his life. He feels healthy, he feels strong and he's been able put together a long period of time where he's had consecutive workouts. It's put him in a position that he probably hasn't enjoyed since he's been here at NC State. Even last year, I thing it's important to remind all of our fans, Damon didn't really start practicing regularly until we returned from Puerto Rico almost at the first of the year. Up until that point, he practiced sporadically. In fact, until we went to Puerto Rico, there was a good part of October and November when he simply played in games and maybe went through some five-on-0 work just so he would know the plays. That's an awesome task. Then he started practicing a little bit more, but it wasn't until we turned the calendar for the new year that you knew Damon would be at practice everyday. You put that on the tail of the fact that the year before he missed the season, that was a tremendously long period of time to go without normal competition and practice. I think because sometimes we all saw him in the games, and he was out there playing, it was easy to forget that. Anytime you take a test without studying and you don't prepare, or you do anything in life without addressing the appropriate and necessary steps before hand, it makes any difficult challenge even more so."
TH: Kenny Inge's off-season work in the weight room has been a much-talked about topic this summer. What strides has he made and how impressed have you been with his overall attitude?
Sendek: "In a lot of ways, Kenny Inge has had the most fruitful off-season. His improvement has been perhaps the most significant on our team. Most notably, he has transformed his body. When we finished the season last year he was playing at 205 pounds. He now is hovering around 225 and it's a noticeable difference. The other thing is that a lot has been made of his attitude. It obviously centers around the game he missed last year against North Carolina. I think it would be a misrepresentation to assume that because he missed that game, his attitude was much more out-of-bounds than perhaps even some others. We just reached a point last year with Kenny where we felt that that action was not only in our team's best interest, but Kenny's as well. But to pre-suppose that it goes beyond that would be unfair to him. Kenny has had a great attitude all through the off-season. I think he's really renewed himself and has a very refreshing approach to all of his work right now."
TH: How do you see Archie Miller fitting in this year?
Sendek: "Archie has also had a fruitful off-season. Most notably, he's recovered from his back injury. The trip to Italy was especially good for him because you can work out on your own as much as you really want, but there's nothing like competition to tell you where you really are. It showed that he was rusty. He looked like a guy who hadn't played basketball against others for a very long time. So that trip was especially good for him. He is the best shooter I've ever been around, bar-none, and I've had the privilege to be around some good ones. He is an amazing shooter, but more than that, he's a great team guy. His mere presence helps draw us together, elevates our team attitude, demeanor and disposition several levels."
TH: You'll actually have a couple of seniors this season. Justin Gainey and Tim Wells have made remarkable strides in their careers. Has that trend of improvement continued through the off-season?
Sendek: "Justin and Tim are great poster guys for improvement. They've steadily improved and they've done it the old fashion way by working one day at a time. In each of their cases they've gotten the most out of their abilities, which is all any of us can do. And I think they're ready to take another step in that same direction this year."
TH: How have the freshmen adapted to their new surroundings?
Sendek: Our three freshmen have adapted as well as any three freshmen we have had since we've been together here at NC State. Their transition has been as smooth as any. I think all three are physically mature beyond their years and have also shown tremendous signs of being mentally mature beyond their years. All three guys are very team-centered. I'm excited about Cliff (Crawford), Marshall (Williams) and Damien (Wilkins) being a part of our team this year."
TH: From all indications, Damien Wilkins is a very mature young man. Is that the case, and how do you think he will handle some of the expectations that will inevitably be placed upon his shoulders?
Sendek: "Damien has done an extraordinary job of handling expectations all of his life. From the womb his name has been Wilkins-an Uncle Dominique, a father Gerald and a halo of expectations has followed him wherever he has gone. Everytime he has taken the court, people have turned to each other in the stands and said, 'there's Wilkins.' Because he has performed so well coupled with his name, as he enters college there's an even greater halo of expectations hanging over him. Damien and I have talked extensively about the importance of just being Damien. He has a tremendous grip on that. I think it's important that we encourage all of the Wolfpackers to understand that he is an 18-year old freshman. He's going to be an important player for us, and a terrific player for us. But to start making unfair comparisons is a path we want to avoid. A lot of times, when those are made, people are remembering how somebody else was at the end of their career and they're comparing them to someone who's at the beginning of their career. That's just not how it works. We have to let Damien be Damien, and if he's Damien, that's just fine with us. That's who he is."
In the final part of this interview, Sendek talks about the Entertainment and Sports Arena, scheduling, and the difficulties of making the NCAA Tournament. Check GOPACK.com next week for part three.
