When Herb Sendek and I agreed on a time to meet to talk about the future of Men's Basketball, I thought I'd be talking to a coach.
Herb Sendek is NOT a coach. He's so MUCH more than that!
He's part architect, visionary, teacher, mentor, planner, master strategist, and OH, BTW, he CAN coach.
For example, I wanted to talk "on ball" screen strategies that plagued our team last year and the techniques he'll employ to make us better. Or talk about recruiting. Instead, I listened to the "architect" talk about the foundation of the "building" that first has to support everything that follows.
At first, I was thinking what a load of bull. But 10 seconds later, I was like "wow" this level of detailed thinking is just one of the many missing pieces from the past nine years. Our players had so much "clutter" to deal with, that on the court they floundered in key situations.
Coach Sendek had just come from a player development meeting where he, and staff members from all areas around the University, spent two hours planning for specific players on exactly what they will need to develop their game. Everything is discussed from dorm room to classroom to pull up jumpers. Nothing is omitted. The staff takes ownership to help streamline the processes. When the player comes to practice, he can focus on basketball - fresher, ready, able to learn, and absorb. It's not coddling, it's enabling.
Planner/Mentor. De-clutter = better De-fense.
Didn't we all wonder why Coach Keating and his staff were always barking instructions non-stop during games? I mean we have smart kids on our teams, yet they couldn't seem to remember things they had just practiced for hours and hours...Clutter.
The transition to D1 college basketball is hard enough. Recruits come into the program with ability and potential, but very raw in terms of the skills needed to succeed at that level.
Learning those skills is critical. Therefore, teaching becomes the "trump card" giving the players the ability to absorb and apply the recipe for sustained success.
How many times did we see the shot clock run down to last 5 seconds because our offense broke down and we had to settle for the last second "hero" one on one play? A lot... Clutter.
A good teacher removes clutter and IMHO Coach Sendek will be a great teacher. He looks like a teacher. He acts like a teacher. His classroom just happens to be the basketball court where he has taken his past teams to the NCAA and NIT tourney 18 times!!!
Playing D1 basketball is a bit like multi-variable calculus, only these solutions are decided in split seconds; the formulas and variables changing each moment. The teacher must enable these "results" to become instinctual. De-clutter...
When I was leaving, I walked out and saw the work on the Leavey floor and it all made sense. This is a total makeover. Taking the program down to the "bare hardwood" and emerging with a whole new strategy, where the SCU Brand "We're On A Mission" will mean something.
For season ticket holders, fans, and the SCU community, we all want it finally to mean "something more."
*Part 1 of a series on Coach Sendek and staff
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