The 2010-11 version of the ASU men’s basketball team has a rare combination.
Not many teams welcome in seven newcomers, but also feature three of the Pac-10’s most experienced players.
Seniors Ty Abbott, Rihards Kuksiks and Jamelle McMillan have combined for 206 career starts and will provide leadership for coach Herb Sendek’s fifth ASU team.
"We have three seniors in Ty, Jamelle and Rick who offer us outstanding leadership," Sendek said. "They've been quick to point things out to the new guys and share with them what our culture is all about and I think that has really helped bring things along.”
Here is a breakdown of this year’s team.
Guards
The starting backcourt appears to be in good hands with Abbott and McMillan.
Abbott returns after earning First Team All-Pac-10 honors last season, averaging 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in conference play.
The Phoenix native earned high praise from Sendek, who called Abbott one of the best leaders he has ever coached.
"I think Ty has worked as hard as anybody this offseason I think he is very determined and dedicated, extremely focused, and he has always been like that," Sendek said. "I remember September skill workouts when he was a freshman, he would snap a pass, he would cut hard, he always had great attention to detail even as a young guy.
“Now he has a wealth of experience; his body has continued to change. I think he is in the best condition of his career right now. He has really dedicated himself and worked hard during the off season and I think he is ready to have a great season."
Abbott dedicated himself in the offseason to becoming an elite player. In addition to countless hours spent in the gym, he studied film of NBA stars to further enhance his scoring ability.
“I pretty much worked on everything, so I think, all around, I’ve improved,” Abbott said. “You know being just more athletic as a player, drawing fouls, things like that. I have worked on things just to be more consistent, and be able to put points on the board in many different ways.”
McMillan will be tasked with replacing Derek Glasser as the floor general. Not many teams have a leader and great basketball-mind available to replace their graduated point guard.
“[Glasser] was a tremendous player and I have learned a lot from him,” McMillan said. “I learned a lot about this conference and the way to approach different things. I feel confident in going into this year, as a senior, being able to take that role and be in that leadership position.”
The backup point guard minutes will be an unknown going into the season. Junior Brandon Dunson was originally expected to grasp the backup role, but has seen more time at the other guard position in practice. Freshman Keala King will likely run the point when McMillan is out of the game.
Freshman Chanse Creekmur will also see time at guard. Sendek recently gave the sharpshooter from Iowa the title as freshman that has impressed him the most during early practices.
Freshman Corey Hawkins is a natural scorer, but missed practice time early on with an ankle injury.
Front court
Kuksiks will likely be joined in the starting lineup by sophomore Trent Lockett.
Lockett started 15 games during his freshman season and earned All-Freshman honors in the Pac-10.
Kuksiks considered forgoing his senior season to play professional basketball overseas, but the Latvian ultimately decided to return to Tempe.
ASU’s returning leading scorer at 12.1 points per game, Kuksiks became a more complete player last season and should have his best all-around season.
Freshman Kyle Cain and sophomore Carrick Felix will battle for time off the bench.
At the center position, sophomore Ruslan Pateev will get the first shot at filling the major question mark. Pateev has improved greatly from last season, gaining muscle and strength, while showing vastly improved footwork in practice.
Freshman Jordan Bachynski, at 7-feet-2-inches, hasn’t played competitive basketball in 18 months due to an LDS mission and has shown his rust. While talented, rust may prevent Bachynski from contributing early on.
Because of this, Sendek has shown lineups that have the 6-foot-7-inch Cain as the tallest player on the court.
Schedule
Last season, the Sun Devils strength of schedule may have kept them out of the NCAA Tournament.
There is no doubt that ASU’s schedule is stronger this season, starting with Tuesday night’s season opener against New Mexico.
The Lobos will present a tremendous challenge right off the bat. UNM won 30 games last season and boast one of the country’s best home court advantages in Albuquerque.
“We've really upped the ante with our schedule,” Sendek said. “Our schedule will be as competitive as most. Right out of the gates we're going to be tested by fire when we play at New Mexico and then UAB at home that first week of the season and if you look at our schedule they're is not a breather in it.
“I think that's what our program really needs at this point as we continue to try to move forward and advance.”
Goals
Abbott laid it all on the line when he was asked of the team’s goals in 2010-11.
“We want to win the Pac-10,” Abbott said. “We want to win the Pac-10 Tournament. We want to get to the [NCAA] Tournament. We just want to win.”
After taking over a program that had reached rock bottom, Sendek has guided ASU to three straight 20-win seasons. However, there has been only one NCAA Tournament appearance in his four seasons.
With a tougher schedule, a surplus of senior leadership and an influx of athleticism and talent amongst the newcomers, ASU feels that it is ready to become a regular in the Big Dance, starting this season.
“I think we have taken big strides,” Abbott said. “We are getting good recruits now. We were the team that didn’t have a lot of wins before I got here, and [now] three straight years of 20 [wins], so I think that says something. I think it’s going in the right direction.”
The Sun Devils take on UNM 8 p.m. MST in Albuquerque and open in Tempe on Saturday at 2 p.m. against UAB.
Reach the reporter at andrew.gruman@asu.edu
