The nature of sports is such that most coaches are labeled an unequivocal success or an indisputable failure as soon as their tenure at one job is over.
Herb Sendek is the rare exception.
Arizona State's decision to fire Sendek on Tuesday after nine years at the school will probably evoke mixed feelings among most Sun Devils fans. Sendek elevated the program from where it was when he took over in 2006 by taking Arizona State to two NCAA tournaments and four NITs, but he never achieved the sustained success school administrators craved.
The pinnacle of Sendek's time at Arizona State was the James Harden-Jeff Pendergraph era when the Sun Devils narrowly missed the NCAA tournament in a historically strong Pac-10 in 2008 and reached the round of 32 in 2009. Arizona State achieved relevance again with star point guard Jahii Carson, making the 2013 NIT and nearly upsetting Texas last March in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
The timing of Sendek's firing was interesting because he probably did one of his best coaching jobs this season to propel Arizona State to a .500 record in the Pac-12 and an NIT bid.
The Sun Devils were projected ninth in the league at the start of the season after losing Carson and their two other most important players from the 2013-14 team. Not only did they finish fifth in the Pac-12, they also are expected to return four of their top five scorers next season including promising young players Savon Goodman and Tra Holder.
Why would Arizona State fire Sendek now then? Well, a surprising opening-round Pac-12 tournament loss to last-place USC couldn't have helped, nor does the high bar being set down the road in Tucson. Sean Miller has Arizona in contention for the Final Four year after year, which surely made settling for NIT bids and early NCAA tournament exits more difficult for the Sun Devils to swallow.
History suggests that finding a coach who can build and sustain momentum at Arizona State will not be an easy task. The Sun Devils have made just five NCAA tournaments since going in back-to-back seasons in 1980 and 1981. Previous coaches Bill Frieder and Evans arrived in Tempe with strong track records, yet neither had more success than Sendek.
Two qualities Arizona State should look for in its new coach is the enthusiasm to galvanize a fan base that is often apathetic toward basketball and the recruiting ability to lure top talent from the Los Angeles area. The Sun Devils don't have to compete with UCLA and Arizona for elite prospects, but the right coach certainly could identify and land the types of second-tier prospects the Sun Devils currently aren't getting.
Whoever the new coach is, he'll inherit a program in better shape than the one Sendek took over.
Sendek may not have gotten Arizona State to the point where it was a perennial NCAA tournament team and league title contender, but he did achieve a lot.
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