Herb Sendek Fired

Arizona State University has finally fired head basketball coach Herb Sendek.  IMO, it was about 2 years too late.  Don't get me wrong here, by all indications Herb Sendek is a very good man, he's very well liked in the community and he knows his basketball, that doesn't mean he was the right fit for the Arizona State basketball program though.  After 9 years at the helm, the program was mired in mediocrity and extending his run wouldn't have changed that, it was time for a change.  With all of this being said, don't get your expectations too high on Arizona State finding a top tier replacement, the program is just not that attractive, so don't be expecting a Mark Few or Gregg Marshall hire.  That's not to say that they can't find a desirable candidate to take over the helm though.  I suspect that they'll want a young up and coming guy who can recruit.

Here are my Top 15 candidates to take over the ASU basketball program:

1. Jeff Capel - current assistant coach at Duke, former head coach at VCU & Oklahoma, he's young and reportedly a very good recruiter, he's also apparently already the clear front runner.  
2. Josh Pastner - current head coach at Memphis, he's young, he's driven, he's a very good recruiter, he's got a ton of Arizona ties and most importantly he's interested, it sounds like he could be had too.  
3. Steve Lavin - current head coach at St John's, probably the biggest name out there who may have some interest, he's got a big personality and lots of west coast ties.  
4. Randy Bennett - current head coach at St Mary's.  He's got a great track record and a ton of west coast ties.   
5. Eric Musselman - current assistant coach at LSU, former Arizona State assistant, former NBA head coach, the guy knows how to coach and his ASU ties could pay dividends.  
6. Archie Miller - beyond the great storyline this would make, Miller can coach, he's had a nice run at Dayton, he's got ASU ties and the chance to be close to his brother may actually have some sway.  
7. Michael White - current head coach at Louisiana Tech, he's young and has a very impressive track record.  
8. Steve Prohm - current head coach at Murray State, he's another impressive young coach on the rise.  
9. Dan Majerle - current head coach at Grand Canyon University, he is extremely well liked in the community and he wouldn't have to leave the Valley.   
10. Bryce Drew - current head coach at Valparasio, coaching runs in his family.  
11. Jim Hayford - current head coach at Eastern Washington, he's got west coast ties and a nice looking resume.  
12. Ben Jacobson - current head coach at Northern Iowa, another young guy with an impressive track record.  
13. Brad Underwood - current head coach at Stephen F Austin, former Kansas State assistant, he's had an impressive start to his head coaching career.  
14. Bobby Hurley- current head coach at Buffalo, he's got a lot of steam right now along with lots of name recognition, he also comes from a legendary coaching family. 
15. Randy Rahe - current head coach at Weber State where he's had a nice run. 

If I were a betting man, wait I am, I'd put my money on Jeff Capel getting this job fairly quickly.