NC State's Sendek Comments On Cremins' Resignation

Longtime Georgia Tech head basketball coach Bobby Cremins announced his retirement from college basketball on Feb. 18. The retirement goes into effect at the end of the current season.

Upon hearing the news, NC State coach Herb Sendek made the following comments:

"Bobby Cremins is synonymous with Georgia Tech basketball. The transformation that he constructed with that program was remarkable. Not only is he one of the excellent coaches of the game, but you can't find a finer person. I think all of us have a very special feeling for Bobby Cremins. In particular, he really helped my acceptance into this league.

I have great respect for what he was able to accomplish over a long period of time. I think his legacy will be remembered, not only at Georgia Tech, but throughout college basketball. Win or lose, Bobby Cremins is always gracious. If he loses he's not a different person. He handles that situation with a grace and a class that isn't always exhibited because it isn't always easy to lose. By the same token, when he wins, he handles that with equal grace and class.

That's not always easy to do as well. Each year we have a dinner that brings together the coaches and their spouses. He's always the life of the party. He can get away with saying things that nobody else could. If somebody else said it, it might cause a fight. But if he says it, everybody laughs. He disarms you. You can know him for five minutes and you've known him all your life. There are no barriers and no pretensions. He's just real. That's why he's so well liked by, not only people in basketball, but anyone who has met him."

Cremins, a 52-year native of the Bronx, New York, owns an overall coaching record of 452-303 in 24-plus seasons as a head coach. This is is 19th season at Tech. This year, the Yellow Jackets are 11-13 overall and 3-8 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.