Sun Devils Switch to Man-to-Man Days after Going a Man Down
Our weekly update on the Arizona State men’s basketball team finds the Sun Devils with one more tally in the win column, one fewer player on the roster and one big-time opponent on the week’s schedule.
Last Week (1-0): 59-58 W vs. IUPUI
What Did We Learn: Arizona State (8-1) can win a game when James Harden provides next to nothing. In the ultra-ugly overtime win vs. IUPUI, Harden had just nine points on five shot attempts in 40 minutes. We also learned that the Sun Devils can play some man-to-man defense. ASU was down 39-23 early in the second half when they switched to “man,” and they let up only 19 points the rest of the way.
For his part, Herb Sendek dug the team’s intensity in the second half. Quoth Sendek, “We turned up the amps. Whether you play man or zone, that is required.”
Unfortunately we also learned that freshman Johnny Coy is leaving the program and going back to Missouri to be with his ailing father. Coy was a two-sport star in high school who turned down a deal with the Phillies to play baseball and basketball at ASU. He never played for the basketball team this year, but that’s good news for him. Coy didn’t lose a year a eligibility. We wish he and his family the best.
Star of the Week: Rihards Kuksiks led the ASU comeback in the second half against IUPUI and had six threes in the game, including the clutch shot late in regulation pictured above. But we’re giving props this week to Jeff Pendergraph. He had 10 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and zero turnovers while playing every minute against IUPUI. Pendergraph had one of the two ASU baskets in overtime and played tough defense all afternoon.
What’s Next: Only one game this week, but it’s a big one Saturday against BYU at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cougars have yet to play a ranked team, but they’re 10-0 and outscoring their opponents by 22 a game. BYU is led by senior Lee Cummard, the former Mesa High star who is averaging 20 points and seven rebounds a game. He’s skinny as a rail, but can slither to the rim or kill you from beyond the arc. He’s a 45 percent shooter (130-289) from distance in his long college career. Will ASU stick to the zone defense, or switch to this newly debuted man-to-man and put Harden on Cummard? You’ll have to drive out to Glendale to find out — or just catch it on TV.
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I wonder what kind of impact the loss of Johnny Coy will have. Obviously he wasn’t playing this year, but he was supposed to be a hotshot. Maybe he would have come on late as a freshman a la Rihards Kuksiks last season. Plus, he was supposed to be big time on the diamond. I guess we’ll never know.
I’m kind of pulling for him to wind up with coach Phelps at Drake. He’ll be closer to home (Iowa and Missouri are close to one another I think) and he’s familiar with Phelps after being recruited by him to ASU.
Wherever he ends up I’m rooting for him.
The bright side of Coy leaving is that a scholarship has just freed up. Hopefully Sendek can find someone better than Coy. Unfortunately, for Pat Murphy there is no bright side to this development as Coy probably wasn’t taking up a baseball scholarship.