For those fans who say the Sun Devil men's basketball team plays nothing but cupcake opponents, it's time to think again.
Basketball Times has tabbed ASU's 2002-03 schedule as the 20th-toughest in the nation. Other Pac-10 schools in the rankings include UA (No. 1), UCLA (No. 3), Washington (No. 8), Washington State (No. 9), Stanford (No. 12) and USC (No. 19).
The Sun Devils are slated to participate at the Maui Invitational in Lahaina on Nov. 25-27. They will open the early-season tournament against Kentucky. Other schools in the eight-team field include host Chaminade, Gonzaga, Indiana, Virginia, Massachusetts and Utah.
ASU will return home Nov. 30 for a pair of non-conference games, before traveling to Utah. The Sun Devils will later meet up with Purdue at the Las Vegas Showdown.
Head coach Rob Evans' team will host the 36th annual ASU/azcentral.com Hoops Classic on Dec. 27-28. Nebraska, UC Santa Barbara and Bucknell will participate in this year's tournament.
The Sun Devils will undoubtedly face their toughest challenges when beginning Pac-10 play in early January. They also will be in for a test at the 2003 Pac-10 Tournament, which will be held March 13-15 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Wildcats land top prospect
UA head coach Lute Olson received a verbal commitment Tuesday from Ndudi Ebi, a senior forward at Westbury Christian High School in Houston, who was ranked by some recruiting services as the nation's top prospect. Ebi turned down scholarships from Duke, Indiana, Kansas, North Carolina and Texas.
The 6-foot-9, 195-pound product averaged 23 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks per game as a junior at Westbury Christian when establishing himself as one of the best passers in the country. He was ranked by Dave Telep of TheInsiders.com as the second-best player for the class of 2003 behind Lebron James, a senior shooting guard at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School (Akron, Ohio), who many say will be taken with the No. 1 pick in next year's NBA Draft.
Huskies in hot water
The Associated Press reported last week that Washington will disclose multiple NCAA violations in a written report to the Pac-10. Washington athletics director Barbara Hedges conducted an internal investigation that revealed assistant coach Cameron Dollar broke several recruiting rules. She said the case will be forwarded to the NCAA, which is conducting its own investigation.
The violations center around Josh Heytvelt, a junior forward at Clarkston (Wash.) High School, who played for a Seattle Rotary Select team last spring. The Seattle Times reported phone records show Dollar made 20 improper calls to Heytvelt.
UA coach joins Hall
Olson, who has led the Wildcats to 18 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, was induced last week into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. He joined an elite list of 246 other people.
Getting connected
The Maui Invitational will feature real-time coverage of all 12 games for the first time in men's college basketball history. For access via the Internet, log on to www.mauiinvitational.com.
Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@asu.edu.
