With freshman forward Jayden Quaintance, freshman guard Joson Sanon and senior guard BJ Freeman missing a combined 23 games last season, ASU men's basketball head coach Bobby Hurley was forced into a tighter rotation. While injuries haven't determined as many results this season, they have been a factor in the early going.
Eight players are averaging at least 15 minutes per game, with senior guard Moe Odum leading the pack with 33. Hurley has been able to distribute the minutes relatively evenly, but the original rotation was already affected in the preseason.
Junior guard Vijay Wallace was a contender to start, SunDevilSource's Chris Karpman posted on X, but he required surgery on a dislocated ankle sustained during an exhibition game against Texas A&M on Oct. 26 will keep him out for the rest of the season. Sophomore guard Noah Meeusen also suffered an ankle injury in the preseason that held him out of the Sun Devils' first three contests, according to Karpman.
After a 77-65 loss to then-No. 19 Gonzaga, where Odum played 37 minutes, Hurley said that ASU "need(ed) to get Noah back because Noah was getting all the reps at point" and that he'd "got to find a way to get Moe down to about 32, 33 minutes."
Having injury concerns in mind helped ASU's coaching and recruitment staff build this roster. Hurley mentioned how he tried to get more scholarship players on the team as part of the solution.
"We distributed our NIL money in a way that was more balanced, I think, and those kinds of things, so that we can avoid having one injury, two injuries derail everything," Hurley said.
Since Meeusen's entry back into the rotation, Odum's averaged about 33 minutes per game, even during close matches against Texas and Washington State. Meeusen's numbers have also ticked up over the past three games, playing at least 23 minutes in each one.
But having a secondary ball-handler on the court has only amplified Odum's scoring load. At the Maui Invitational, Odum averaged 26.3 points per game on 14 shots, including 9.3 attempts from long range at a 53.6% clip. The senior isn't just the head of the snake on the floor, but off it as well.
After ASU's 81-66 victory over Utah Tech in which redshirt sophomore forward Santiago Trouet had a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double, Odum said he "told (Trouet) before the game (that) if he gets a certain amount of rebounds, (he)'ll buy him lunch," per Sun Devil Athletics. Following the Maui Invitational, Odum mentioned how the team bonded on the trip by walking on the beach and just talking about life.
Trouet, who's one of four Sun Devils averaging at least 25 minutes a game, is an example of a player who's been given a larger role because of injuries to graduate forward Allen Mukeba and redshirt sophomore forward Marcus Adams Jr.
"That opened the door for a guy like Santi (Trouet) to step in," Hurley said. "He did play great in the opener, but did some nice things in our exhibitions, and then played, I thought, very well in our last game."
The Argentina native has taken full advantage of that opportunity to lead ASU with six rebounds per contest, but he's just one player who's stepped up. Odum has helped lead both the team and the offense, but junior guard Bryce Ford is shooting 48.6% from distance on 4.4 attempts per game, and freshman center Massamba Diop has hit double-figures in seven of eight games this season.
As a collective unit, this side carries a next-man-up mentality every time they step onto the hardwood. Regardless of the opponent or who's on the court, the Sun Devils' approach still revolves around only what they can control.
"We're not scared of nobody," Ford said after the Gonzaga loss. "The bigger the team, I feel like we're going to show up for it, and just to make us play better. We're a big moment team."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Henry Smardo and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at pvallur2@asu.edu and follow @PrathamValluri on X.
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Pratham Valluri is a sports reporter at The State Press. He is a junior majoring in sports journalism with a business minor. He’s in his 5th semester with The State Press working previously as an opinion writer.
