I’ve heard this already over the weekend, and I’m not trying to steal other people’s words.

But they’re so appropriate.

“Be careful what you wish for.”

Such is the advice N.C. State fans now need after basketball coach Herb Sendek decided more money at a much less prestigious program at Arizona State was better than a pressure-cooker home on Tobacco Road.

From all indications, Sendek left his station in West Raleigh because five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, one Sweet 16 appearance and a 46-34 ACC mark over the same time period was not good enough.

While the dissatisfaction of fans disgruntled with Sendek may have come from the noble intentions of trying to improve the basketball program, these fans certainly went about it the wrong way.

Ask the average college basketball fan from anywhere else in the country, and he’ll say State has a solid program. Most coaches would agree.

So when they look and see what happened to a level-headed, classy coach like Sendek, what are they to think? Should he line up to be the next coach forced out because he isn’t consistently as good as Duke and Carolina?

Put most coaches in this neighborhood, and they won’t consistently outdo the country’s two best programs.

Sure, top coaches like Rick Barnes and John Calipari – names at the top of many State fans’ wish lists – may not be as concerned about the possibility of not measuring up, and they would have a chance to change the balance of power in the neighborhood.

But even as great coaches, they still won’t be jumping on a chance to coach at a program that has fans unwilling to respect and support the coach through tough times.

More likely, the coach will come from a mid-major school or a lower-tier major conference school. Those are the type of coaches who want to advance their careers, but wouldn’t they want to go somewhere where there will be unflinching support? After all, who wants their career derailed by a pack of overzealous wolves too willing to reject a good coach?

Another lesson must be taken before saying anybody else would be better than Sendek. The facts of the last five years simply don’t support that assertion. In fact, only one other coach – Jim Valvano – in the school’s history went to five tournaments in a row.

Some State fans may point to archrival North Carolina and what Roy Williams was able to do in his second season there by winning the school’s fourth national championship three seasons after the school went through an 8-20 campaign. The problem for State is no prominent alumni currently reside among the ranks of the best college coaches in the country, so such a fix won’t be as simple here.

What State needs heading into this search for the next great coach is credibility, and that may have been damaged by the situation that came to a head over the weekend.

The fallout for recruiting already started on Saturday, when 2007 top point guard recruit Chris Wright reopened his recruitment. He and fellow recruits must have seen how quickly support eroded over the final four games of State’s regular season when things went wrong.

Maybe they fear the same will happen if they come here and ever fall below expectations. This can’t be good for recruiting, and the only way that can be reversed is if a marquee coach is hired.

Otherwise, the parting that numerous fans desired so much may turn into more of a nightmare than any failure Sendek ever had.

The future of the program and the chance for a return to greatness is in the balance with this coach search. State’s administration and supporters can only hope they didn’t handicap their chances before the looking game even started.

Tell Clark what you think about Herb Sendek’s departure and the pending coach search at [email protected].