North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: In the Headlines
4/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 12, 2006
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh -- Say this about NC State: Wolfpack athletics has spent a lot of time in the headlines lately. Whether it's USA Today, the Dallas Morning News, The Denver Post or ESPN, discussions about NC State athletes, coaches and would-be coaches have been front and center all over the country. Radio talk shows, both local and national, have been filled with chatter about the Pack's search for a new men's basketball coach in the aftermath of Herb Sendek's decision to vacate the post that he held for 10 years.
To a certain extent, the frequency with which NC State-related items have been mentioned in the media has been remarkable.
It all started, ironically enough, on April Fool's Day. On the morning of Saturday, April 1, word quickly spread that Sendek was seriously considering an offer to take over the basketball program at Arizona State. Later that evening, CBS reported on its Final Four coverage that Sendek had accepted the offer.
On Sunday, the 2004 ACC Coach of the Year confirmed the news to his players in an emotion-packed meeting. It was by then that NC State athletics director Lee Fowler was already formulating a blueprint that would lay out a course for a coaching search. One of Fowler's first orders of business was to meet with current NC State team members and call incoming recruits to let them know of his plans and expectations.
And by the time Sendek was being introduced as the new coach in Tempe, the rumor mill in Raleigh was already heating up. From Dallas to Memphis to Philadelphia and everywhere else in between, the speculation on who would be on Fowler's search list was running rampant.
By week's end, Rick Barnes of Texas was reportedly considering an offer from the Wolfpack before eventually making a rather uneventful and low-key decision to stay-put.
By Saturday morning, however, the Wolfpack's coaching search took a backseat to the shocking news that former Pack basketball star Julius Hodge had been the victim of a drive-by shooting on a Denver highway. A rookie with the NBA's Denver Nuggets, Hodge was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors revealed that his injuries were not life-threatening.
Later that afternoon, local TV crews scrambled out to Doak Field, hoping to get reaction from fans leaving the Pack's baseball game against Wake Forest. For the fans and the local media, the last seven days had been like a whirlwind since it had been exactly one week since Sendek had made his decision to leave that his most important recruit at NC State was recovering from gunshot wounds to his legs.
But the rush of national exposure didn't stop with basketball. It was at about 7:30 on Saturday evening that former NC State golfer Tim Clark stood on the tee at the par-3 sixth hole at Augusta National. Just one shot off the pace in the rain-interrupted third round of the Masters Golf tournament, Clark stuck his approach just five-feet from the flag. When play resumed the next morning, the native of South Africa made the putt to briefly take over sole possession of the lead. Several hours later, he would finish in second place behind winner Phil Mickelson after holing a bunker shot on the 72nd hole.
On Monday, the Wolfpack's coaching search was dominating the news again. After it was reported that Fowler and Chancellor James Oblinger had flown to Tennessee to meet with Memphis coach John Calipari, the talk shows and blogs were overflowing with quotes from unnamed sources and wild rumors.
Then came the `Calipari Caper.' Was he or wasn't he in Raleigh to tour NC State's facilities on Monday? Andy Katz of ESPN.com said yes, while the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper said no. By Monday night, most everyone was saying `yes' again.
It was at about dinner time on Tuesday that news sources reported that Calipari had agreed to remain at Memphis after a contract renegotiation that would bring him a significant raise. Also on Tuesday, Sendek made a guest appearance on Jim Rome's national radio show.
A wild 11 days? You bet.
What's next? Stay tuned to the headlines.
