ASU coach Herb Sendek doesn’t want to focus on negatives this season, but unless ASU officials plan on passing around memory erasing drugs to those in attendance on Thursday and Saturday, they won’t be forgotten.
If for no other reason than to provide some good off-season vibes, the Sun Devils need to show up for these last two contests.
While effort is not atop the problem list with the current squad, it would be nice to see the underclassmen leave Wells Fargo Arena with a few floor burns.
If you’re going to be stuck in the basement, you might as well get out the cleaning supplies and give a little elbow grease.
No, you can’t change the fact that 2010-11 was an utter disappointment, but you can show a growingly skeptical fan base your commitment to the program.
Seniors Ty Abbott, Jamelle McMillan and Rihards Kuksiks legacies’ are cemented as support players on good teams. The trio will not be remembered for failing to fill the production and leadership voids left by their predecessors, but as complementary pieces on good teams.
The career contributions of Abbott and Kuksiks in particular are certain to overshadow the absence of impactful leadership in their final year. More importantly, it leaves the door open for a new group to establish itself in a shorter time frame.
Who will step up?
The most likely candidate is sophomore Trent Lockett, who should continue to develop into an upper-tier conference guard next season.
While Lockett seems to do all the right things, has nice elbow-and-in game, and loves attacking the basket, he doesn’t quite have the “center of attention” charisma.
Sophomore Carrick Felix, a little tepid at times, has shown the courage to gather his teammates for in-game huddles, but won’t be a big enough contributor on the court. Freshman Kyle Cain has fire, but isn’t a primary ball-handler. Freshman Keala King is in his own world, tasked with figuring himself out first.
While we can assume that these core players will form some kind of leadership group, they may not be strong enough, not even collectively, to keep incoming point guard Jahii Carson from taking over the show.
The kid is a rock-star. He knows it, and he wants you to know it.
It’s an exciting and terrifying prospect.
From afar, it seems he is the archetypal “superstar” guard, with the power to both attract and repel.
While ASU is in dire need of the talent infusion and his playmaking ability, it will be up to Sendek and a still young group of players to decide which magnetic force Carson becomes.
Without establishing a sense of identity now, the team may not have the backbone to stand up to Carson.
While he has the ability to turn ASU’s program around once more, yielding Carson the floor as a true freshman would only serve to balloon his ego.
That could mean the Hindenburg for ASU basketball.
Reach the columnist at nick.ruland@asu.edu
