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Wave goodbye to the pigskin and say hello to the hoops season


As the semester turns from fall into spring, the sports seasons make the transition as well.

Every Sun Devil sports fan knows the fall semester is just another way of saying it's football time. And this past football season produced an abundance of stories.

Sadly, very few of them had to do with the play on the field.

The beginning of the year was muddled in a quarterback controversy that ultimately ended with senior Sam Keller taking off to the University of Nebraska. The ordeal began at the end of summer camp when then-coach Dirk Koetter could not make up his mind on who would be the Sun Devils' starter. He eventually gave the job to sophomore Rudy Carpenter who ended up being a shadow of the player he seemed to be during the 05-06 campaign - a season in which he led the nation in passing efficiency and appeared to be the future of ASU football.

This season, with Carpenter at the helm, the Sun Devils went just 7-5. The shaky record resulted in the end of Dirk Koetter's tenure as head coach, despite the fact that he signed a contract extension that called for Koetter to be paid a total of $2.85 million through the 2009 season.

Koetter's successor, Dennis Erickson, was named in early December.

Erickson has a lengthy and sparkling resume featuring both college and pro experience. Hopefully he can regain the magic he once held with the University of Miami, leading the Hurricanes to a 63-9 record in six seasons, picking up two national championships along the way.

But Sun Devil fans will have to wait and see what the coaching change will bring.

The start of spring semester marks the beginning of the basketball season for many Sun Devil fans, even though a quarter of it has passed.

Those who have not paid attention to off-season news will be surprised to find a new coach roaming the Sun Devil sidelines. This is the first season at ASU for Herb Sendek, who replaced Rob Evans for the head coaching spot.

Sendek has spent his last 10 years at North Carolina State, which he led to the NCAA tournament for the past five seasons. In 2004, he was named the ACC coach of the year and has consistently been one of the nation's top recruiters.

Sendek hit the ground running since coming to Arizona State, grabbing Eric Boateng, a transfer student from Duke who has to sit the 2006-2007 season out due to NCAA transfer rules, as well as receiving commitment from Jamelle McMillan, an intensely sought after point guard from Seattle, Washington.

So far this season, the Sun Devils have looked hot and cold. But a strong recruitment class, in addition to sophomore forward Jeff Pendergraph have the Devils looking toward the future.

The women's basketball team, which came into the season ranked 13th, is looking strong so far.

Led by senior forward Emily Westerberg, the Devils look primed to make a serious run at a national championship.

This spring, ASU fans' expectations are high and rising as the ultimate prize in March grows near.

Reach the reporter at: william.hennigan@asu.edu.


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