Ugh - I guess we donât want to go dancing 
Confirmation that SCU Hoops dies with Sendek at the helm.
I share the disappointment of the Broncos failing to make it to the big dance. Iâm no expert on picking apart Sendekâs deficiencies but I do realize that it wasnât to long ago that 20 win seasons were a pipe dream. With the success of Jalen Williams and Podz our program has gained in stature not seen since the Nash years.
We can question sticking with man and not switching occasionally to zone defense. We could try for young up and coming coaches like USF who win then move on. From what I can tell, Herb needs to keep whoever is his recruiter, recruit using the Williams and Podz examples of what can happen to a recruit at SCU. From what I see, Herb represents the school well. He doesnât make scenes at games and is stable. I donât know our graduation rate but for the most part we seem to keep our players. I wish him success and remember Bum Phillips, who coached Pastorini, saying after a tough loss to the Steelers in the playoffs, âwe will keep banging on the door until it comes downâ or something
Ike that. While the Oilers never won the championship they did keep pushing. I hope the Broncos can push through the door, get into the NCAA tournament, and against all odds, win. Go Broncos!,!
I am going to respectfully disagree. During Nashâs tenure, the Broncos went to three Dances in four years. In two of those three years, SCU won a first round game (vs. Arizona 1993 and vs. Maryland in 1996).
We have yet to match, let alone eclipse, the Nash years.
Very much agree with this sentiment. No KK theatrics on the sidelines.
A shame they didnât have instant replay back thenâŚRenfroâs feet were in bounds! https://youtu.be/E8gCDIQ7_Nw?si=OwQR1Y-eFzJXyrHr I remember that game well. My dad and I were heartbroken.
Buckets. I agree. I said we havenât reached levels since the Nash years. I definitely remember beating Arizona and Maryland in the NCAAâs. Itâs been a long time since then. I loved Dick Davey.
I agree with those that mentioned Herbâs demeanor on the court and the fact that he has represented SCU well both on and off the court. I know a few people that have met him, and Iâve been told that heâs a terrific guy and a gentleman.
He has produced two NBA players, three NIT appearances and some notable wins. On the flipside, there have been some head shaking losses, many of which large leads were blown. I think he has represented Santa Clara well, but his contract extension sends a message of contentment too IMO. That message being that reaching the NCAA tournament is NOT the goal.
At the end of the day, Herb and KK have coached at SCU the same number of years with one very big commonality.
ZERO trips to the dance.
To say that the big commonality between Herb and KK is no NCAA trips doesnât really track at all to me. Would you really say their tenures are otherwise similar? The stats and eyeball test I think lead one to prefer HS to KK all day long.
If NCAA trips are the only satisfactory results for you, you will be disappointed following a mid-major team much of the time. Doubly so for a WCC team that isnât GU/SMC. Itâs like the asinine argument about which player has the most âringsâ in a given sport equating to being the best.
In the actual second level of analysis:
NITs? HS 3, KK 0
NBA Players? HS 2, KK 0
20 Wins? HS 5, KK 2 (one of which the 20th win came in the CIT/CBI)
Double Digit WCC records? HS 5, KK 0
GU/BYU/SMC Wins? HS 8, KK 2 (?)
Finishing Last with Zero Wins? HS 0, KK 1
âPower Conferenceâ Wins? Iâm not going to count, but I recall KK beating 'Nova, Saint Louis and New Mexico. HS has beat USC, Stanford, California, Wazzu (twice⌠3x?), Saint Louis, TCU (twice), Oregon, DePaul, as well as some legitimately good mid-majors.
DD, incidentally, won 20 games 4 times in 15 seasons. He won double digit WCC games 5 times. Those NCAA trips were heavily frontloaded In the ten season span from 1997-2007, DD went to the NCAA or NIT zero times, won 20 games only twice, and finished higher than 3rd (HSâs plateau) only in the final season which I recall as a bit of a ârallyâ by the team. Iâll concede they played fewer games, etc.
There is no doubt Herb has been frustrating and fallen short of expectations at times, but I have a very hard time with anyone whose take is Herb is just more of the same as Keating. If the NCAA tournament is the goal, HS, KK and DDâs tenure when Nash was not on the floor have all been about the same.
Carroll Williams, who is in the SCU Hall of Fame, coached for 22 seasons with one NCAA trip⌠in his 17th season. His claim to the hall? Long tenure of good student athletes, competitive ball, occasional NIT trips and a few NBA players. I love SCU basketball, and have high expectations, but the 3-out-of-4 year NCAA trips were the blip, not the norm. 7 of our 11 NCAA trips occurred before 1970.
Herbâs tenure has obviously been a cut above KK, especially last four or so seasons. And I think we all agree that we would take most any DD or HS team and coach against any KK team, except their worst against the 2012-13 Broncos, I think.
HS has righted the ship to a very stable place, raising the floor along the way. Can he break through the ceiling? I donât know. But his behavior and results, to me, entitle him to keep trying.
Fair enough NashtyâŚHS numbers are clearly better, and maybe this programâs chances of reaching tournament will increase with GU departure to Pac 10.
I donât see ONE NIT win deserving of a 4-5 year extension though. Time will tell now that he has been extended.
I think weâre all in the same spot:
KK was AA, Herb is AAA but we all want to play major league ball.
I met the new AD and I quite liked her.
The grass is just so rarely greener on a mid-major coaching switch. It would be so easy to go backwards, and the times are strange in college sports⌠Hey, didnât I say I have high expectations?
In fun news, Iâve relocated home to San Francisco - hope to see the local among you all soon.
Ultimately over the Near future, success is going to come from wherever the money flows.
Herb is incredibly consistent with his approach. But, for better or worse, success will dictated by how much the university is willing to invest. Thereâs a brave new world in front of us in terms of salaried players and I hope the university (and ourselves) is ready to spend.
Iâd rather have Herb at the helm based off his ability to recruit and his track record, then someone new. Hopefully he will have a war chest at his disposal.
I was there in SLC when SCU played at Utah and won, so as much as it pains me, we have to give DD credit where itâs due.
Iâd say a bit unfair. CW joined the SCU coaching staff in 1962 as an assistant to Garibaldi, so CW was a big part of some of those very successful teams. He became head coach in 1970 (when Garibaldi went to go work for a shoe company!?!). The tourney was expanded from 16 to 32 teams in 1975, and didnât go to 64 teams until 1985, so it was MUCH harder to get into the Dance compared to KK/HS squads. Finally, CW is a hall-of-famer if just for his invention of the Flex Offense, which has been utilized successfully by several well-known coaches.
And just as CW was instrumental in Garibaldiâs years, DD was CWâs right-hand man. The continuity of the program was amazing - Garibaldi played on the SCU team that made it to the Final Four; then started coaching in '62; then DGâs assistant CW coached for over two decades; and then CWâs assistant DD coached for a decade-and-a-half. Three head coaches over 45 years! If weâre not gonna make the tourney regularly, then Iâd rather it happen under the leadership of bona fide Broncos who were happy to be at SCU. KK and HS were hired as mercenaries. And mercenaries are fine ONLY IF THEY GET BETTER OUTCOMES THAN WERE PREVIOUSLY ACHIEVED. Otherwise, stick with the guys who are SCU family.
Just my two cents.
Dick Garibaldi left coaching and Santa Clara for a sales career with Converse. I thought it a bizarre move at the time, but most likely for a better paycheckâŚ
I donât think the KK vs. HS debate is close. Herb is a superior coach.
I have no real interest in sticking up for KK, but I will say the school began investing in athletics far more once HS took over. I donât think thatâs a real debate.
I would have taken 3 NITâs in a heart beat during KKâs time.
With that all said, I am afraid weâve âtopped outâ on Herbâs ceiling. Now, is that enough to get us where we need to go in conference realignment? Not sure. You could convince me itâs more important to guarentee a top 100 ranking the next few years to try and end up in the right conference.
Donât want to get mired in the debate too muchâalthough it is fun to see some banter during what is the worst stretch in the annual sports calendar.
While everyone praises HSâs demeanor on the court, I would like to see him get fired up at the refs (and players) from time to time when the situation deems it. Sometimes the officiating and play is so unacceptable, it deems a heightened response IMO.
Secondly, comparing the CVs, I donât think you can fault KK for going 0-fer in conference. That was the result of a young man whose frontal lobe wasnât fully formed, embarrassed the university and paid the consequences.
Herb will be under more pressure to win the WCC when zags leave . Even more if someone takes SMC
20 victory season is. nothing now since teams play 30+ games now vs pre-1990 when they only played under 25
Nobody taking SMC. 
I could have seen the MWC taking Saint Maryâs before they snatched Grand Canyon. Now SMC seems redundant of what they already have.
SMC to the Pac-12 was and continues to be a pipe dream that is only given credence in Moraga.