Senior forward Jonathan Gilling goes up for a layup in a game against Colgate, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. (Mario Mendez/The State Press)
It is commonly said that basketball games are won and lost on the boards. This season, the ASU men's basketball team is hoping that there is more than just one way to play.
The Sun Devils are relying more on the outside shot than any other team in the Pac-12. Averaging 69.1 points per game this season, ASU has made a living from distance, scoring over 32 percent of its points from beyond the 3-point arc, which is the highest in the league.
The two main weapons in the arsenal are seniors Jonathan Gilling and Bo Barnes. Both have seen their play time change since arriving in Tempe, but they seem to have found their roles in their last season wearing the maroon and gold.
Through 18 games this season, both Gilling and Barnes are having the best shooting seasons of their career. Gilling has hit half of his attempts from beyond the arc, while Barnes is making 41.5 percent of his attempts, a slight jump from a season ago.
Floor spacing is always a key for basketball teams, and having threats from the outside has proved to help the other players on the floor. Barnes said that one doesn't cause the other, but that the two aspects coexisting helps scoring.
"I think it helps both ways," Barnes said. "With them being able to drive and kick, I think helps us get open shots, and then when we're making shots, it helps the floor spread open and allows them to drive a little easier, so it goes both ways."
Entering the season, many outside of the program believed Gilling would have to take a lot more shots for the Sun Devils to be competitive, but he has played his most efficient basketball of his career this season, seeing a slight drop in points per game, but in fewer minutes. Gilling said his approach has been the same, however, and that the shots are just falling.
"I haven't done anything differently," Gilling said. "I think I've been shooting pretty good percentages throughout my career, this year it's just falling at a little bit higher clip."
Gilling is playing exclusively off the bench this season after starting the majority of ASU's games in his first three seasons. He said that while it is nice to play more minutes, he is more focused on helping the team win games.
"I feel really comfortable coming off the bench and I try to do what coach wants me to do and that's coming off the bench," Gilling said. "I don't complain about that. Some guys might be sad or mad about coming off the bench their senior year, but I don't really care about that stuff."
Coach Herb Sendek said the transition started last season and since Gilling feels good there, it is a good fit.
"We did that last year and continue to this year," Sendek said. "It's just something he's comfortable with, and it gives us some good balance to our rotation."
Barnes, on the other hand, has seen a jump in minutes in each of his three seasons at ASU since transferring from Hawaii after his freshman season. Sendek believes that Barnes is in exactly the right role to fit his skill set.
"I think he's basically doing what he did for us last year," Sendek said. "I think Bo is best when he stays in his lane, when he plays his game. He can really help our team doing that. He doesn't have to have expansion. He doesn't have to be anybody other than who he is."
Barnes said that he is fine doing whatever Sendek and the coaching staff say is the best for him and the team.
"To me it's about doing whatever's best for the team," Barnes said. "Whether they have me as that sixth, seventh man coming in and getting a spark on offense and defense, that's what I'm there to do."
Barnes has excelled in that role so far, scoring double-digit points in six games this season, including 12 in the Sun Devils' first conference win last Saturday.
As seniors, Gilling and Barnes are both leaders by default on a team with 10 new players, and as such have taken on that role. Barnes said his day-to-day work sets an example of effort for his younger teammates.
"I think me playing hard is the biggest thing to try to set that example because it allows them to see, 'Oh, if he's going that hard, I can do that too,'" Barnes said. "Just trying to play as hard as I can and do what's best for the team."
Gilling said that while he doesn't consciously do it, the team-first attitude that both he and Barnes exhibit shows teammates what is truly important: winning.
"I think it can set an example for the younger guys, so they don't see that I cry about coming off the bench," Gilling said. "But it's nothing that I'm thinking about, like, 'Oh, I have to do this so they can look at me and do the same stuff.'"
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or on Twitter @Tonis_The_Tiger.
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