For the majority of men's basketball coach Herb Sendek’s career at ASU, the level of excitement surrounding the Sun Devil hoop squad has been average at best.
The program has seen its highs and lows, from the James Harden era, to just last year, when the team collected only 10 wins.
When Harden was at ASU, Wells Fargo Arena was routinely packed, and the Sun Devils were nationally relevant. In his final season (2008-09), ASU made it to the NCAA Tournament and won its first round game before being knocked out in the second.
Since then, the Sun Devils haven’t sniffed the tournament. But I believe Sendek has his team on the right track.
Behind senior wing Carrick Felix and redshirt freshman point guard Jahii Carson, the Sun Devils are finally back on the national radar, and fans have started to show their support.
Questions surrounding this team about winning the big games were silenced for now after the 78-60 slaughter of UCLA. The Bruins beat No. 6 UA in Tucson in their previous game.
As of right now, Sendek has this team at 16-4 and in prime position to make a NCAA Tournament bid, barring a massive collapse.
Reach the reporter at ross.dunham@asu.edu
