Sparky's Insights
 
Well it's been an enjoyable ride with the ASU Men's and Women's Basketball teams this season. Overall, the Men's Basketball team had a great year, ending with a second round loss to the Syracuse Orange in the NCAA Tournament. The team, who finished the season 25-10 earned many accolades this season including a 3-game sweep of in-state rival UofA, a sweep of UC ...(more)

ASU freshman guard attracts attention

The Arizona Republic

Two weeks ago, Trent Lockett learned from a conversation with his mother that it was snowing back home in Minnesota. Ice was on the road. Lockett looked at himself. He was wearing shorts and sandals.

Lockett, a 6-foot-4 freshman guard, hasn't second-guessed his decision to play basketba ...(more)

ASU guard Abbott to miss at least a month

The Arizona Republic

Arizona State junior guard Ty Abbott had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday and will be out at least a month.

Abbott, expected to contribute more this season with James Harden's departure, had battled swelling the past few weeks. He likely will miss four games, ...(more)

SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS
Freshman Demetrius Walker, described five years ago by Sports Illustrated as "the next LeBron," is a 6-4 super-athletic wing player. He is healthy after offseason knee surgery. Ruslan Pateev, a 7-foot freshman from Moscow, Russia, may eventually earn the starting job this season. Trent Lockett, a 6-5 wing from Minnesota, arrived on campus last May, returned ...(more)

 A look at ASU's roster

The Sun Devils are in the midst of small-drill workouts, which is pretty much designed to shake the rust off while focusing on skill development.

Under NCAA rules, players are allowed to work with the coaching staff for up to two hours a week in groups of four. As Herb Sendek gets reacquainted with his team, let's do the same. Pr ...(more)

 Sendek yields kudos from friend Collins

Herb Sendek is the best basketball coach in Arizona, and usually the smartest guy in the room. That changes when Doug Collins comes over to lend a hand at Wells Fargo Arena, where the former NBA coach practically has become the fourth assistant on staff.

The brainpower now guiding Arizona State basketball is stag ...(more)

Sendek meets with Texas guard

ASU coach Herb Sendek is in San Antonio today, meeting John Paul Stevens High standout Brandon Thompson, along with the guard's grandfather and coach.

Thompson has drawn attention the last few weeks, but he has been a secret most of the year. And as ASU, Georgetown and Texas Tech close in, his coach, John Hirst, t ...(more)

Rudd waiting to get cleared by NCAA

ASU Media Day began yesterday, and I talked to some guys as they walked to various photo shoots.

*The biggest news: Freshman forward Victor Rudd still is waiting to be cleared by the NCAA and likely won't begin practice tomorrow. Rudd, a 6-foot-7 forward from Los Angeles, is known for his explosiveness and athletic ability ...(more)

ASU men's basketball gets center commit

Dynamic point guard - check.

Skilled post player - double check.

Herb Sendek's recruiting class for 2011 has a pair of solid cornerstones.

The latest one to commit to the Sun Devils is Kyle Caudill, a 6-foot-11, 260-pound center from Brea (Calif.) Olinda High School.

Caudill joins 6-1 point guar ...(more)

A conversation with Herb Sendek

I recently stopped by campus and had lunch with ASU coach Herb Sendek. Over an hour, we touched upon many topics. Here's a portion of our conversation:

In the past, ASU has h ...(more)

Sendek's Devils look for staying power

The Arizona Republic

The college basketball preseason, chock-full of hollow words and unrealistic expectations, often warrants a sickle to clear a path through the thick brush of hyperbole.

As much as you want to quash the grand visions of Arizona State players during Thursday's Media Day, you can't.

Woods leaving and other tidbits

let's get caught up:

First off, junior forward Kraidon Woods is leaving ASU. (Thanks to Chris Karpman of Rivals for giving me a heads up on this.) If you've paid attention, this shouldn't come as a surprise. Woods was an incredible athlete but he never seemed close to cracking Herb Sendek's rotation. He played 23 minu ...(more)

SPARKY SAYS:

It was a Duel in the Desert between the Sun Devils and the Wildcats last Wednesday, with a victory for the Sun Devils!  The game ended with #14 ASU winning over the U of A 53 – 47.  This is the second win in the past two years for ASU men's basketball over U of A in Tucs ...(more)

A conversation with Ty Abbott

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Ty Abbott was one of the Pac-10's more fascinating stories last season. Two years ago, he had set a school record for most 3-pointers by a freshman in a season, but as a sophomore Abbott lost his touch -- not just for five games or 10, but for most of the season.  He missed 51 of 59 from 3-point range during conference action.

A ...(more)

Harden gets 1st taste of life in NBA

James Harden has the beard of an uncle. He plays the game with a surgeon's calm. The Pac-10 Player of the Year and No. 3 NBA draft pick took maybe two bad shots in five NBA Summer League games in Las Vegas last week.

Get caught up in the Harden package, and you forget his age. He is 19, but his cool demeanor and willingne ...(more)