Arizona State’s James Harden in Blue and Gold? Yes, It Almost Happened
James Harden looks great in Arizona State’s maroon and gold. But he almost looked great in blue and gold. How did a twist of fate nearly lead the greatest Sun Devil hoopster ever to the other coast—and how would that have impacted Herb Sendek’s rebuilding job?
By now you’ve probably read last week’s Sports Illustrated feature on Arizona State’s Artesia High connection.
The story outlines the winding roads that led Scott Pera from small-town Pennsylvania to LA, Derek Glasser to a daily 40-minute commute to Pera’s Artesia High School, and both of them (along with one James Harden) to Tempe.
Our favorite snippet is this description of Harden: “Harden is, by nature, unorthodox: Left-handed and bearded, he wears a number 13 jersey and a baggy T-shirt underneath. He’s a bull moose of a wing player who can get into the lane at will and shoot efficiently from NBA range, and he’s expected to be a top 5 pick in June’s NBA draft.”
Perhaps the juiciest Harden nugget was left out of the story but revealed last week in SI.com’s basketball power rankings.
Paraphrasing SI, Pera, who grew up near Pittsburgh, had discussions with Pitt coach Jamie Dixon about job opportunities in the spring of 2006. But fellow Pennsylvanian Herb Sendek got to him first in May, and Pera left Artesia to become their director of basketball operations. On Pera’s first day, Dixon called him to offer a job – a job Pera probably would’ve accepted a few weeks earlier.
Here’s the kicker: Pera wasn’t sure if Harden would follow him so far East. In hindsight, Harden would’ve played for Pitt. Quoth Harden: “Yeah, I would have gone [to Pitt]. That’s a great program, coach Dixon is a great coach, and that would have been a good opportunity for me, too. I didn’t want to stay in L.A.”
A phone call placed two weeks earlier could have altered the course of Arizona State’s basketball program. But by how much?
What’s Your Take, Sun Devils?
How good would ASU be right now if James Harden ended up at Pitt? Would Herb Sendek’s rebuilding job ultimately succeed or fail? Let us know in the comments below.
[...] We know admittedly little about James Harden. Thanks to Sports Illustrated we knew that Harden is a “bull moose of a wing player” who was a twist of fate from attending Pitt. [...]
[...] James Harden in blue and gold? After he was profiled in Sports Illustrated we learned how a twist of fate nearly led the greatest [...]