North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Coming off 'Testy' Week
12/10/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
What's the biggest test NC State's basketball team has faced through five games this season? Overcoming that 12-point deficit at Purdue certainly was a challenge. Recovering to defeat Providence after nearly blowing a 16-point lead took some intestinal fortitude as well.
But probably nothing these players have encountered on the basketball court could match what they were forced to endure last week. Do the words 'final exams' ring a bell to you college graduates?
The pressure-packed world of college basketball is tough enough, but throw in the need to succeed in the classroom, and you have yourself a sure-fire recipe for stress. Compared to exam week, a basketball game is like a walk in the park. That's why many Pack players can't wait for Sunday's game against UNC-Asheville.
"For me, it'll be a relief," said senior guard Justin Gainey. "During the week you go through some long nights studying. I look at practice as a way to get away and take your mind off the books."
That should tell you something. It's not often that players compare a Herb Sendek practice to an Hawaiian vacation.
This is also the time of year when coaches hold their collective breath. More than anyone else, coaches understand that they are sometimes just one failing exam away from losing a key player in second semester.
"I'm fully expecting everybody to finish this semester in good standing," Sendek said. "Anytime you have 11 or 12 guys taking final exams, you're going to have your fingers crossed, but I have every expectation that everybody is in very good shape."
Sendek, who was an outstanding student at Carnegie-Mellon in Pittsburgh, has a deep appreciation for the pressures and challenges student-athletes must cope with on an everyday basis.
"In some ways, they're just like any other students, but you can't ever discount the fact that there are some real stark and fundamental differences. What we ask our student athletes to do at this level is amazing to me. When these guys play an eight o'clock game on the road on a Wednesday night, they're still expected to have to their work done for an eight o'clock class the next morning. Just imagine a day when your last class has ended at 2:30, and in five hours from now, you're going to play on national television. I just have great respect for what we ask those young people to do."
Despite the hectic exam schedule, Sendek was able to bring his entire team together for a series of practices this week. The workouts weren't conducted in Hawaii, but for some of the players, it sure seemed that way.
