Big Sin Sendek's Santa Clara Success Obscured By Gonzaga & Saint Mary's
February 9th, 2026 - 8:22
Santa Clara's streak of five straight 20-win seasons under coach Herb Sendek has been overwhelmed by success of Gonzaga and Saint Mary's in the West Coast Conference. Sendek is on the precipice of becoming the 45th coach in NCAA history to reach the 600-win plateau. He'll join following list of 11 coaches with at least 600 triumphs but never reaching Final Four:
| Coach (DI Seasons) | Division I Career Record | NCAA Playoffs |
|---|---|---|
| Cliff Ellis (46) | 833-566 (.595) with South Alabama/Clemson/Auburn/Coastal Carolina from 1975-76 to 2023-24 | 10 tourneys (8-10 record) |
| Charles "Lefty" Driesell (41) | 786-394 (.666) with Davidson/Maryland/James Madison/Georgia State from 1960-61 through 2002-03 | 13 (16-14) |
| Ed Diddle (42) | 759-302 (.715) with Western Kentucky from 1922-23 through 1963-64 | three (3-4) |
| Ralph Miller (38) | 674-370 (.646) with Wichita State/Iowa/Oregon State from 1951-52 through 1988-89 | 10 (5-11) |
| Leonard Hamilton (37) | 660-506 (.566) with Oklahoma State/Miami FL/Florida State from 1986-87 through 2024-25 | 11 (14-11) |
| Bob McKillop (33) | 634-380 (.625) with Davidson from 1989-90 through 2021-22 | 10 (3-10) |
| Norm Stewart (32) | 634-333 (.656) with Missouri from 1967-68 through 1998-99 | 16 (12-16) |
| Fran Dunphy (33) | 625-380 (.622) with Penn/Temple/La Salle from 1989-90 through 2024-25 | 17 (3-17) |
| *Steve Alford (31) | 639-351 (.645) with Missouri State/Iowa/New Mexico/UCLA/Nevada from 1995-96 to 2025-26 | 13 (11-13) |
| Stew Morrill (29) | 620-294 (.678) with Montana/Colorado State/Utah State from 1986-87 through 2014-15 | nine (1-9) |
| *Herb Sendek (32) | 595-420 (.586) with Miami of Ohio, North Carolina State, Arizona State and Santa Clara from 1993-94 to 2025-26 | eight (7-8) |
*Active coaches (records through February 8).