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(07/26/13 7:49pm)
CULVER CITY, Calif. — New media guides of every Pac-12 team stacked on information tables. Roses strategically placed around the Sony Pictures Studio lot. The Pac-12 Championship Game, Rose Bowl and the BCS National Championship trophies displayed front and center at the courtyard.
(07/26/13 1:10pm)
CULVER CITY, Calif. — Prior to the start of Pac-12 Football Media Day, the Pac-12 released its 2013 media poll Friday.
(07/19/13 3:33pm)
When a team returns 15 starters including most of its impact players, it's no surprise many of its veterans will be tracked nationally in the following season.
(07/09/13 7:05pm)
The long history of the Territorial Cup football rivalry between ASU and UA will finally be chronicled under one book.
(06/28/13 12:41am)
A stellar senior season has landed former ASU wing Carrick Felix a spot on an NBA roster.
(06/18/13 7:04pm)
(06/11/13 9:01pm)
After a dispute between the ASU and Notre Dame athletic departments put their 2014 football game in question, the Sun Devils have salvaged their home meeting against the Fighting Irish for next season.
(06/11/13 8:35pm)
Entering the NCAA outdoor track and field championships in Eugene, Ore., last week, ASU senior thrower Jordan Clarke had the chance to become the second athlete in NCAA history to win five national championships.
(06/11/13 8:19pm)
This summer is already shaping up to be one of the strangest offseasons the NBA has ever seen.And the NBA Finals isn't even over, and free agents still can't sign with teams until July.Despite leading their teams to their best seasons in history, Lionel Hollins and Vinny Del Negro were let go by the Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Clippers, respectively.The Denver Nuggets booted George Karl after he won Coach of the Year in May and watched general manager Masai Ujiri leave to the Toronto Raptors after he won Executive of the Year this season.After losing LeBron James in 2010, the Cleveland Cavaliers picked up their second No. 1 overall draft pick in two years and could build a roster promising enough to lure James back next summer.And the weirdest bit of news: Jason Kidd may become the next head coach of the Brooklyn Nets after announcing his retirement Saturday.The NBA offseason is always just as entertaining as the games themselves. Like any great blockbuster, there are plot twists and no one can predict what happens next.On the next episode of this basketball soap opera: Is Chris Paul sick of the Clippers enough to leave, and which team will Dwight Howard's heart choose — the Los Angeles Lakers or the Houston Rockets?Reach the columnist at jnacion@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Josh_Nacion
(06/06/13 10:37pm)
After being criticized by bracketologists for playing a weak non-conference schedule last year, the ASU men’s basketball team has added several powerhouses to its 2013-14 slate.
With the addition of ASU’s home-and-home series with UNLV, the Sun Devils have completed their non-conference schedule for next season, the team announced Thursday.
ASU finished its non-conference play 11-2 last year but the Sun Devils’ soft schedule hurt their chances of reaching the NCAA Tournament with their opponents finishing with a combined record of 181-223 (.448). The combined record of the Sun Devils’ guaranteed non-conference foes next season is actually worse at 135-187 (.419), but a heavy field awaits ASU at the Wooden Legacy during Thanksgiving weekend.
The Sun Devils will play two true road games this season compared to last year’s one and ASU will face two opponents (DePaul and Texas Tech) from last season’s schedule. The Sun Devils play two NCAA Tournament teams from last year (UNLV and Marquette) and could see three more at the Wooden Legacy.
Here's what ASU’s non-conference lineup looks like for 2013-14:
Nov. 8 vs. Maryland-Baltimore County
Nov. 12 vs. Miami (Ohio)
Nov. 15 vs. Idaho State
Nov. 19 at UNLV
Nov. 22 vs. Bradley
Nov. 25 vs. Marquette
Nov. 28 - Dec. 1 at Wooden Legacy
Dec. 6 at DePaul
Dec. 14 vs. Grambling
Dec. 21 vs. Texas Tech
Dec. 28 vs. UC-Irvine
Some notes about the schedule:
- Miami (Ohio) is where ASU coach Herb Sendek received his first head coaching position.
- UNLV (25-10) made the NCAA Tournament six out of the last seven years and is one of the most coveted basketball programs on the West Coast, but this could be an intriguing matchup for the Sun Devils. Not only did the Rebels lose star freshman forward Anthony Bennett to the NBA Draft this summer, but UNLV also saw forward Mike Moser transfer to Oregon and guard Katin Reinhardt leave the program for USC. The Rebels only return two of their top-eight scorers from last year, but a win over UNLV should still give ASU some respect from bracketologists down the road. The Rebels went 18-3 at Thomas & Mack Center with losses coming to Oregon, Fresno State and New Mexico in the championship round of the Mountain West Tournament. UNLV will come to Tempe in 2014-15.
- Marquette (26-9) will likely be the strongest opponent the Sun Devils face all season, and ASU gets homecourt against the Golden Eagles in Tempe. Marquette finished 2012-13 with an RPI of 12 and made it all the way up to the Elite Eight in its eighth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. There's a chance the Sun Devils could face the Golden Eagles again later that week. Marquette won’t have former Sun Devil guard Trent Lockett due to graduation over the offseason.
- The Wooden Legacy, set to take place in Anaheim, Calif., is packed with talent. Good or bad, it will most likely be a huge turning point of the Sun Devils’ season. The seven other entrants in the Wooden Legacy are Marquette, Miami (29-7), Creighton (28-8), San Diego State (23-11), College of Charleston (24-10), Cal State Fullerton (14-18) and George Washington (13-17). Marquette, Miami, Creighton and San Diego State all made the NCAA Tournament, so it will be a great benchmark for ASU to see if it’s worthy to be a tournament team by then. Bracket pairings will be announced sometime over the summer.
- ASU gets a rematch against DePaul (11-21) in Chicago after the Blue Demons’ 78-61 shellacking over the Sun Devils in Tempe last season.
- A huge reason why the combined record of ASU’s non-conference foes for 2013-14 is worse than it seems is because of Grambling. The Tigers finished a whopping 0-28 in 2012-13 and last won on March 3, 2012 against Alabama A&M.
- ASU gets to host Texas Tech (11-20) after travelling to Lubbock last season and defeating the Red Raiders 77-62. However, Texas Tech will be a harder matchup this upcoming December. It retains all five starters under new coach Tubby Smith, who last coached Minnesota and has taken his teams to the NCAA Tournament in 19 of the past 20 years.
Reach the reporter at jnacion@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Josh_Nacion
(06/04/13 6:58pm)
Beginning in the 2013-14 academic year, the Pac-12 will launch a Student-Athlete Health and Well-Being Initiative, the conference announced Monday.
(05/21/13 8:35pm)
At this point of the NBA Playoffs, the average sports fan has made at least one joke about Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose’s refusal to play.
While some jabs are clever, I humbly ask all of the criticism to stop.
Rose tore the ACL in his left knee on April 28, 2012, in last year’s NBA Playoffs and still hasn’t seen the court since. While Rose has repeatedly stated he won’t return until he is “110 percent healthy,” he has become an easy target for critics questioning his toughness.
And that’s just not fair.
It’s easy for fans that have never played a minute of competitive basketball to criticize a player for not returning to the court the moment he’s been cleared from a long-term injury.
For injuries like an ACL tear, it takes far more than physical recovery to make a complete rehabilitation.
A player like Rose will require every single second it takes to return to the court. Rose is the most explosive point guard the game has seen since Allen Iverson. It’s not blasphemous to say Rose could have a Hall-of-Fame career, but a bad start in his return to the court could derail that potential.
Critics are quick to point out New York Knicks wingman Iman Shumpert tore his ACL the same day as Rose and returned from his injury much sooner than Rose.
But these are two different players we are comparing here. Shumpert will likely be a role player for his entire career and maybe get selected onto an NBA All-Star team or two as a reserve if he’s lucky.
An ACL tear isn’t as bad of an injury if a player doesn’t lean on quickness to operate at a high level. But the injury could forever affect Rose’s game, since he heavily relied on speed and athleticism.
And why should have Rose returned at any point in the 2012-13 season, even when he was completely healthy?
Amid injuries to several other players, the Bulls were still a formidable team this season. Chicago still finished fifth in the Eastern Conference without Rose and advanced to the second round of the playoffs after defeating the Brooklyn Nets.
Having Rose return near the end of the season would have likely altered Chicago’s chemistry as it made its push toward the playoffs and forced the Bulls to cater to his game while he learns how to play after a major knee injury.
It was also meaningless for Rose to attempt to play in the second round against the Miami Heat. Despite losing Game 1 courtesy of Nate Robinson’s career game, the Heat made easy work on the Bulls, so any contribution Rose could have made would be nearly irrelevant.
The Bulls organization didn’t beg for Rose to come back at any point of the season, either. Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf said the team wouldn’t rush his recovery and wants him to return when he is absolutely ready.
If Rose had the full support of his boss, why should he listen to anyone else?
Barring any freak setbacks, everyone will witness Rose’s return Opening Night next season. Like any hungry athlete, he’s probably heard the attacks on his toughness and will use them as motivation.
I would be very surprised if Rose still isn’t playing at an elite level when he comes back next season.
I’m publicly rooting for a Bulls-Lakers matchup for next year’s NBA Finals matchup. As Rose returns from his ACL injury and Kobe Bryant heals from his Achilles tear, both will face criticism in their attempts to build a remarkable comeback.
Those odds of that matchup happening is no likelier than Snoop Dogg giving up marijuana, but it would create one of those storylines that make sports powerful. Even if it doesn’t happen, both athletes will have a solid chance of becoming the saviors for their respective teams when they return.
And all the critics will be eating their memes and Twitter jokes once they do.
Reach the columnist at jnacion@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Josh_Nacion
(04/28/13 11:00pm)
Kobe Bryant. Derrick Rose. Russell Westbrook. Dwyane Wade. David Lee. Steve Nash. Rajon Rondo. Danilo Gallinari. Jeremy Lin. Amar'e Stoudemire. Danny Granger. Larry Sanders.No, this isn't a team for some fantasy NBA pickup game. All these notable players have injuries that are either hampering them or keeping them out for the rest of the NBA postseason.Yes, injuries are part of the game, but they are ruining the entertainment value of this year's NBA playoffs. The playoffs appeared to have so many great matchups in the first round on paper. The postseason is when casual fans finally start watching the NBA. Right now, they're getting a subpar product.There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a key player helping his team make it to the playoffs for the entire season get sidelined when it actually matters. The expression Bryant's face when he attempts his final two free throws after tearing his Achilles before the playoffs truly shows that.Critics want players to play harder in the regular season every night but do not understand the wear an 82-game season puts on a player's body. Maybe Commissioner David Stern should think twice before fining San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich for resting his stars in a meaningless games. Today, Popovich still looks like the best head coach in the NBA by a mile. And the Spurs still look like a title contender.Reach the columnist at jnacion@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Josh_Nacion
(04/22/13 10:29pm)
The ASU baseball team finally has a definite home venue in its future.
ASU and Phoenix Municipal Stadium have reached an agreement for the baseball team to move in 2015, Sun Devil Athletics announced Monday.
ASU will formally announce the deal in a press conference at Phoenix Municipal Stadium Tuesday at 9 a.m.
Speakers scheduled to appear at the press conference are ASU athletic director Steve Patterson, ASU President Michael Crow, ASU baseball coach Tim Esmay, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio and Phoenix City Manager David Cavazos.
ASU baseball players will throw a first pitch with city leaders to commemorate the partnership.
Reach the reporter at jnacion@asu.edu or follow him at Twitter @Josh_Nacion
(04/18/13 11:12pm)
If you haven’t seen any video of the entire TD Garden crowd in Boston singing the National Anthem before the Bruins-Sabres game Wednesday, please, I’m begging you to watch it.
As SportsCenter anchor Neil Everett described it to open Wednesday night’s show, it was “one of the greatest karaoke events in human history.”
I’m devastated about the Boston Marathon bombings on Monday as much as any other American.
But one of the positive things that resulted from the tragedy is how the entire sports community came together this week.
For instance, New York Yankees fans have virtually put aside their historic rivalry with the Boston Red Sox to support the city. All week, some have worn hats with the signature “B” logo and blasted Yankee Stadium’s speakers with Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” a Fenway Park staple.
This is why I want to dedicate my career to sports. It’s more than fun and games; it bridges communities and celebrates unity. Team affiliations can separate people, yet sports fans are still humane enough to set their allegiances aside in the name of sportsmanship and support others in the time of need, even if they’re rivals.
The power of sports is beautiful. And it was on full display all week.
Reach the columnist at jnacion@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Josh_Nacion
(04/17/13 11:00pm)
There’s no team sport that an individual player can impact with sheer presence alone more than basketball.
(04/15/13 10:28pm)
In the wake of the Boston Marathon explosions Monday, the 9th Annual Pat’s Run will still go on as scheduled on Saturday with enhanced security.
(04/12/13 3:36am)
ASU football coach Todd Graham discusses with reporters about Saturday's Fan Fest, Mo Latu practicing on defense and position battles around spring practice.
(04/11/13 11:03pm)
ASU football coach Todd Graham isn’t regarding the Sun Devils' spring game as a casual event anymore.
(04/11/13 6:22pm)
Redshirt defensive tackle Will Sutton talks about receiving the honorary Pat Tillman practice jersey, his expectations for his senior campaign and his hopes for Saturday's Fan Fest.