Sun Devils’ “Incredible” Seniors just Two Wins Shy of Elusive Pac-10 Title
Charli Turner Thorne called them the “most talented class in the country” when she signed them in 2004. Four years later, ASU’s seniors have accomplished much—but they’re still chasing that elusive Pac-10 crown.
(Photo of Briann January, Kate Engelbrecht, Kirsten Thompson, Lauren Lacey, Sybil Dosty and Nia Fanaika courtesy thesundevils.com)
Most of the seniors on the ASU women’s basketball team arrived on campus in 2005. They did so with such fanfare that Charli Turner Thorne dubbed them The Incredibles and said they might be “the most talented class in the country.”
The star of the group was and remains Briann January, who memorably shared the cover of Sports Illustrated with James Harden. She was joined by Kate Engelbrecht, Kirsten Thompson, Danielle Orsillo and walk-on Nia Fanaika.
The senior group has evolved since then, as Sybil Dosty and Lauren Lacey joined them after transferring from Tennessee and Minnesota, respectively.
And their accomplishments have nearly equaled the hype.
- 100 wins and 29 losses in four seasons
- 2007 Elite Eight appearance; the best finish in school history
- School record 14-game winning streak in 2008
- And soon, four straight NCAA Tournament appearances
The missing piece is a Pac-10 championship. And that goal, too, is within reach.
The Sun Devils control their own destiny as they head to the Bay Area this weekend to face conference-leading Stanford and Cal—both of which are ranked in the top 10 nationally. (You can watch the Stanford game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday on Fox Sports Arizona.)
ASU will likely have to sweep the weekend to claim the conference crown.
A tall order, no doubt. But ASU lost to Stanford and Cal by a combined four points in Tempe before beginning their amazing winning streak.
Quoth Turner Thorne in the Arizona Republic: “This is what we prepared for. This is why we played that incredibly brutal schedule in the preseason and lost a couple more games than a lot of other teams. That’s why we spent the whole season not in the rankings. This is where it’s supposed to pay off. We know we can play at that level. Now we have to go do it.”
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Mannnnn…that’s quite a haul of top players that will be leaving for greener pastures after this season. Any word on how the incoming class looks?
A sweep is going to be extremely difficult. Let’s get at least a split.
I’ll be stunned if ASU can beat either team. They haven’t beaten a good team in the last two seasons. ASU is solidly entrenched as the third best program in the Pac-10, which will get them into the NCAAs every year. I hope that CTT can keep ahead of UCLA, which is the only team that I see challenging ASU for a spot in the conference’s top 3.
A bit of good news last night, the Lady Devils upset Cal 63-41 to win their 15th straight game! If they beat Stanford on Saturday, they’ll win a share of the conference title for the first time since 2001.
The game’s on TV as stated above. Go Devils!