After nine seasons leading the Arizona State Sun Devils, Herb Sendek has been relieved of his duties as head men’s basketball coach. Arizona State finished this season 18-16 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the past six seasons.
Sendek was 159-137 overall in Tempe, but well below .500 in conference play while making just two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Under his guidance, ASU watched the rival Arizona Wildcats regain their footing in the college basketball landscape and take over the Pac-12. Unlike Sean Miller in Tucson, Sendek struggled to win major recruiting battles for blue-chip prospects. When he did, like the with the coups of James Harden and Jahii Carson, he and his staff were unable to cash in on the recruiting momentum with postseason runs or continued recruiting success.
The search is now on for Sendek’s replacement, and Evan Daniels of Scout.com first reported that Duke assistant Jeff Capel has been offered the position. It is currently unclear what kind of interest, if any, the former Oklahoma and VCU coach has in Arizona State.
With the explosive growth that the Phoenix metro area has seen over the past decade, ASU sits in prime recruiting real estate. Miller and the Wildcats spend much of their recruiting efforts in Southern California and across the nation, leaving some of the top preps in Phoenix open for the taking.
Whoever takes over the ASU program has two young pieces to build on, Savon Goodman and Tre Holder. Although, Holder did tell Doug Haller of Arizona Central that he will wait and see who the administration brings in before deciding whether or not he will transfer.
Since news broke, one 2015 commitment (Lindsey Drew) and 2016 four-star forward Brendan Bailey have both decommitted from ASU.
