During an eight-year period of Pac-12 basketball β in whichΒ Lute OlsonΒ walked off after three years of turbulence; UCLA imploded underΒ Ben Howland; WashingtonβsΒ Lorenzo RomarΒ faded into the pack; USC went up in smoke; and CalβsΒ Mike MontgomeryΒ lost his fire and retired β Arizona State had a .437 winning percentage in its conference games.
The Sun Devils won a single NCAA tournament game, against 11th-seeded Temple.
Opportunity knocked, and Arizona State went 63-81 in the Pac-12.
So, yes, it was a tremor of note on the college basketball Richter scale last week when ASU athletic directorΒ Ray AndersonΒ said he would extend coachΒ Herb Sendekβs contract through 2018-19.
Somewhere behind closed doors in the Pac-12 basketball offices, head coaches and their assistants knocked knuckles, encouraged by the news.
Arizona State has chosen not to play basketball on the national stage, or spend the time, money and marketing necessary to end three decades as an also-ran.
Sendek is a nice man with an off-the-charts IQ. He is low maintenance and as clean as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
But a day after his extension was announced, long-suffering Oregon State, infused by new coaching blood, got recruiting commitments from three of Americaβs Top 150 prospects.
When the Beavers beat you to the punch, you are moving in the wrong direction.
