Nov. 28
It always amazes me how coaches can be on the hot seat. There's so much pressure in that situation; every year, every game is scrutinized so closely. There is little opportunity to breathe since it's evaluation time at every moment. Every performance gets put up on the bulletin board.

	N.C. State coach Herb Sendek senses the urgency of making the NCAA Tournament this season.

It's tough to build a winner and create positives under that type of pressure. Every day, your effort is analyzed by fans, alumni, the media. Your every move is written about in columns, spoken about on sports radio, etc.

Look at what's happening in South Bend. Notre Dame football coach Bob Davie has been scrutinized every time out. It isn't just win every game or else, but how you perform. Lose and you're out for 2002. That type of pressure is usually unfair.

In college basketball, you can see that type of pressure down in Raleigh, N.C.

N.C. State coach Herb Sendek is feeling the heat. The Wolfpack haven't made the NCAA Tournament in over a decade -- 1991 under Les Robinson was the last appearance -- and this season, Sendek knows he has to get there or his job is on the line.

The radio, television and newspaper media all critique N.C. State with a tough view given the lack of recent success. All eyes watch, fingers are pointing and the only way to survive is to make it to the NCAAs. It's a tough business, often unfair, but coaches realize what they're getting in to.

Sendek is a brilliant basketball strategist with great ideas. He was a young coach thrown into the fire at Miami-Ohio, and he made big noise when his team upset Arizona at the Big Dance. Then he landed at N.C. State, and the overall results have been disappointing.

In his situation, every game is important because it's an evaluation year, pivotal for his future. Sendek's squad has come out of the gate well (5-1 after Tuesday night's loss to Ohio State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge). The Wolfpack must take care of business versus teams they are favored against, especially at home. It's never easy to win on Tobacco Road when ACC powers like Duke and North Carolina are in your way.

The ACC has super-strong teams at the top, but clubs like Georgia Tech, Florida State, Clemson and even North Carolina can be vulnerable at times. This N.C. State team is young and exciting, and diaper dandy Julius Hodge will be a key player. Keep an eye on the likes of Scooter Sherrill and Marcus Melvin and veteran Anthony Grundy.

Good people sometimes get set aside. Unfortunately, sometimes performance is judged solely by the Ws and Ls. I'm amazed at the difference between a genius and a guy who can't coach. Sometimes it's simply the difference between a buzzer-beating shot clanging off the iron or going through the hoop.

As for Herb Sendek, I'm rooting for him to succeed. He's a class guy and a hard worker -- and college basketball can use more guys like him.