North Carolina State University Athletics
Behind the Scenes with Tony Haynes: Starting Over
3/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 10, 2003
By Tony Haynes
When the ACC's nine basketball teams started practice in mid-October, they all had the same record. Since then, some have exceeded expectations while others have fallen short of their goals. Now, five months and thousands of dribbles later, they will all make their annual pilgrimage to the grandest conference tournament in the land. And just like those hopeful days in October, every team will be ready to wipe the slate clean and start anew. Three schools-Wake Forest, Maryland and Duke-have done enough to secure spots into the NCAA Tournament field. Five others-Georgia Tech, Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia and Florida State-know that it will take a miraculous three-day championship run in Greensboro to make the 'Dance.' That leaves one other team: NC State.
Following a pre-tournament practice at the Coliseum on Thursday, Wolfpack coach Herb Sendek and his players will face the usual media barrage that takes place after each team leaves the floor. Every one one of them will quickly be asked, "how many wins do you need to make the NCAA Tournament?" And while their answers will make for good sound bites, none of them can possibly know for sure. Entering tournament play at 16-11 overall and 9-7 in conference play, the Pack is bouncing on the proverbial bubble as much as any team in the country. When NC State tips off its quarterfinal game with Georgia Tech on Friday afternoon, there will be no escaping the pressure and sense of urgency that will be felt within those clad in Wolfpack Red & White.
During a frantic race to the finish line, NC State came within an eyelash of making all this tournament speculation rather a mute point. Sandwiched around a 3-point win at Clemson last Wednesday were last possession defeats to the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in this week's tournament. And although it dropped two of its last three regular season games to Maryland and Wake Forest, respectfully, one could make the argument that the Pack actually played its best basketball the last week of the season. But after digging deep into its emotional well so many times down the homestretch, NC State will once again have to demonstrate a capacity for resiliency, a trait that marked its play most of the season.
"We can't hang our hat on anything," Sendek said following Saturday's heartbreaking setback to Wake. "The thing we have to do is to regroup from a very bitter defeat and we've got to comeback with great constitution and determination to do the best we can this week. What we've done in the past doesn't necessarily carry over. We've got to get ourselves right back off the mat....we can't feel sorry for ourselves for even one second and we've got to go back to work. Anything less than that won't cut the mustard."
Of the four teams that were vying for a 5th place finish entering the final weekend, Georgia Tech is clearly the club that gave NC State the most trouble during the regular season. In game one in Atlanta back on January 11, the Yellow Jackets blew open a close game at the half and won by 24. One month later, the Wolfpack had to fight for all it was worth to scrape out a 63-57 triumph at the RBC Center.
Dubbed by some "a good tournament coach" because of his 5-1 record in opening round games at the ACC Tournament, Sendek certainly doesn't change the way he coaches or prepares his team (nor does anyone else for that matter) once the postseason begins. His success rate is based more on the fact that his teams have done well when given a little extra time to prepare. That 'extra time' will certainly be an ally this week, especially since players like Levi Watkins (groin), Cliff Crawford (illness and hip-flexor strain) and Julius Hodge (illness) have been ailing.
As the ACC celebrates its 50th anniversary, it's only appropriate that the conference will be returning to the Greensboro Coliseum, a venue that has hosted so many of the tournament's most precious and memorable moments. With its fan-friendly arena, central location and municipal hospitality, the city of Greensboro always takes a special sense of pride in its long association with the ACC.
The unfolding drama involving NC State's NCAA Tournament push will be just one of the subplots this weekend. In a year that has witnessed unparalleled balance in the league, the 2003 tournament could be as wide open as ever. The last weekend of the regular season, which saw three of the final four games decided on the last possession, could be just the tip of the iceberg.
By the time Thursday rolls around, everyone will be starting over.
