By all accounts, it was a typical “less than full capacity crowd” at Wells Fargo Arena Monday night when Mesa High School played Mesa Mountain View High School.
More than anything else that has occurred on the floor for the Sun Devils this season, Mesa point guard Jahii Carson has provided the program’s faithful, however large or small the size, a reason to be optimistic about its future.
Carson, one of the top players in the country (ranked No. 35 by Rivals.com), who committed to ASU in November, provides a combination of attributes that may just radiate brightly enough to catch some looks from a Valley of apathetic bandwagoners, though getting derrières into seats may still be a challenge.
Some have blasphemously compared his court vision and dazzling passing skills to Steve Nash and Magic Johnson. Hyperbolic maybe, but Carson also has “rise and bounce,” that rarely goes in concert with the aforementioned skill set.
Word is his shooting isn’t so refined.
He’d fit right in with the current squad.
Though likely to improve, the Sun Devils rank 223rd in the country in field goal percentage. More concerning, however, is that the Sun Devils offensive staple under coach Herb Sendek, the “money ball,” has only been converted at a 32 percent rate, ranking ASU an even worse 228th in the country in three point percentage.
Perhaps most alarming is that the team’s primary sharpshooters, seniors Rihards Kuksiks and Ty Abbott, have not suffered from a precipitous drop in percentage this year compared to their careers.
The Sun Devils’ third senior, point guard Jamelle McMillan, who many had hoped would emerge as a primary facilitator, has not fully stepped up to the level some expected of him this season, though he has been beset by a groin injury.
The Sun Devils’ inability to consistently penetrate the defense from the guard position is perhaps the cause of their inefficient offense, inhibiting the ability to generate easy buckets and fouls inside and open shots on the perimeter, often leading the team to stagnantly pass the ball around the perimeter like a hot potato until the buzzer sounds.
Walk-on sophomore point guard Marcus Jackson, raising comparisons to Derek Glasser, has thrust himself into a primary role, though his game is neither explosive nor adept enough to allow the Sun Devils to compete against top conference foes just yet.
The woes are not limited to their errant chucking and null playmaking, as an inability from its two seven footers, sophomore Ruslan Pateev and freshman Jordan Bachynski, to consistently control the boards has beset the defense. To make matters worse, the Sun Devils are very small behind the twin-towers.
Perhaps even more disappointing than all of that has been the play, and oftentimes complete lack thereof, from five-star recruit guard Keala King, whose practice habits and future role on the team have already come under scrutiny.
While no one expected ASU to be championship contenders, especially with the graduation of key cogs Glasser and center Eric Boateng, and 13 mostly un-established underclassmen, many media-members predicted the team to finish in the top four of the Pac-10.
While the trajectory of the program still seems to be heading in a positive direction, especially with the play of freshman wing/forwards Carrick Felix and Kyle Cain and sophomore guard Trent Lockett, and the future promise of Carson, doubts have begun to swirl around the suddenly fickle fan base.
There are even doubts about the general state of the program and Sendek’s ability to lead it — as asinine as it sounds.
Stay tuned.
Reach the reporter at nick.ruland@asu.edu
