SB Nation - Eric Boateng

ASU Basketball Review After 10 Games

Cory Williams — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:52:44 -0000

So here is how our team looks after 10 games and a record of 7-3. As a unit, we are still developing, but I give a lot of credit to our freshmen (Lockett, Rudd, Walker) for playing well in the early going.

Most pleasant surprise: Trent Lockett. The young man plays the game well, going hard after every opportunity. He was proclaimed to be the best player on the court in the first half against Duke by the ESPN announcers before foul trouble took its toll.

Lockett needs to continue to play well in the OOC schedule to help him prepare for the increased level of competition found in Pac-10 play.

Biggest disappointment: Ty Abbott. After a resurgence in the Pac-10 Tournament last season, I thought Abbott was ready to become a significant piece of the Arizona State offense. Unfortunately, he has disappeared once again, with his latest effort against Delaware State (1-4 from the field, 5 points) providing little to inspire confidence.

What has happened, Ty? This could have been your team. In the end, it is clear that Derek Glasser is the leader and the galvanizer on this team.

What we are good at: Our team excels when the pace is moderate, giving us an opportunity to get back into our zone defense. Our clear lack of height has been exposed by taller teams this season. On the other side of the floor, Glasser can find his teammates off the dribble and if we can score 75 points and keep Lockett out of foul trouble, I am going to bet we will have won the game.

What we need to work on: Ball control from the big men. Eric Boateng, while better than advertised, has looked awfully sloppy with the ball. He is not someone I want taking a big shot late in the game (Baylor, anyone?) and he needs to work on passing the ball out of the post-up. He's not doing his team any favors by taking an off-kilter hook shot.

Last words: Herb Sendek is doing a good job of motivating his team. We haven't pulled any upsets yet, but the comeback victory against TCU and the solid victory over LSU lead me to believe that this is a middle-of-the-pack finisher in the Pac-10 (ranked between 4 and 7 by year's end).

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Derek Glasser	10	31.7	3.7	7.6	48.7	1.6	3.2	50.0	4.1	4.7	87.2	0.1	2.0	2.1	5.6	1.8	1.0	0.2	0.9	13.1
Rihards Kuksiks	10	28.5	3.8	8.5	44.7	2.5	6.5	38.5	1.4	1.7	82.4	0.7	2.6	3.3	2.6	1.1	0.9	0.3	1.8	11.5
Eric Boateng	10	25.9	3.9	5.8	67.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.5	3.6	69.4	2.5	3.8	6.3	0.9	2.9	0.9	0.4	2.1	10.3
Trent Lockett	10	24.6	3.3	5.7	57.9	0.3	0.4	75.0	2.4	3.2	75.0	1.5	3.0	4.5	0.7	1.7	0.7	0.1	2.3	9.3
Jamelle McMillan	10	27.0	2.5	4.8	52.1	1.2	2.5	48.0	0.7	1.4	50.0	0.3	2.9	3.2	2.6	0.9	1.0	0.2	2.4	6.9
Ty Abbott	9	17.6	2.2	4.8	46.5	1.2	3.0	40.7	0.7	1.1	60.0	0.8	1.3	2.1	0.6	0.8	0.6	0.2	1.7	6.3
Demetrius Walker	8	12.4	1.4	4.4	31.4	0.4	1.3	30.0	1.5	2.3	66.7	0.0	1.6	1.6	0.8	0.9	0.4	0.0	1.4	4.6
Victor Rudd	5	7.8	1.4	2.8	50.0	0.6	2.0	30.0	1.0	1.6	62.5	0.2	1.6	1.8	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.6	1.2	4.4
Jerren Shipp	9	13.6	1.6	2.8	56.0	0.6	1.3	41.7	0.3	0.7	50.0	0.4	1.1	1.6	0.4	0.6	0.9	0.2	0.7	4.0
Taylor Rohde	9	9.6	1.3	2.4	54.5	0.0	0.3	0.0	1.3	2.0	66.7	0.7	1.0	1.7	0.1	0.4	0.2	0.0	1.2	4.0
Rusian Pateev	8	9.5	1.0	1.9	53.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	1.1	55.6	1.1	1.1	2.3	0.8	0.6	0.3	0.6	1.5	2.6
Brandon Thompson	7	3.6	0.3	0.4	66.7	0.3	0.4	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.0	0.3	0.9
Marcus Jackson	5	3.6	0.2	0.6	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.6	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8

Arizona State Basketball: Top 25 Material?

Cory Williams — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:36:52 -0000

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

Glasser doesn't respect your mouthpiece.

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Before the season began, most experts and fans were in complete agreement about ASU basketball: it was going to be a very mediocre campaign.

But here we are, 6 games into the schedule, and the Sun Devils are 5-1 after a resounding win over LSU in the 3rd place game of the NIT Preseason Tournament.

ASU is playing textbook basketball, led on the court by the experienced Derek Glasser, who is doing a great job finding open men near the basket. Glasser is responsible for the meteoric rise of Eric Boateng, who has contributed heavily to the successes of this squad.

The Sun Devils have blown out several mediocre teams at home this season. They rallied as a team to come back and beat TCU, which looked improbable at the time.

When tasked with the very talented Duke Blue Devils, ASU gave it their best shot and nearly came out of Madison Square Garden with the win. Instead of mailing in the consolation game, they came out after haltime and blasted LSU to the tune of 44-18 in second half scoring.

This is a team that knows what it takes to win, and has good leadership in Herb Sendek. They may run into some serious resistance once conference play begins, but for right now, this team deserves a little national recognition.

With 25 games left in the season before the Pac-10 tournament tips off, a little optimism about this team's capabilities is deserved. Realistically, this team can win 14-16 more games if they continue to play as hard as they have been.

With a 19-21 win season, ASU may be destined for another NCAA Tournament. At the very least, one thing is certain: Arizona State basketball is back in business, and it doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon.

Around the ACC: 11/26

MRickman84 — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:00:26 -0000

Only two ACC teams in action today--Clemson takes on Texas A&M at 4:30 in the 76 Classic and Florida State plays Iona at 9:00 in the Old Spice Classic. The biggest game of the day is Minnesota v. Butler (also part of the 76 Classic) tonight at 8:30. That kind of a game is good for gauging how good a mid-major really is, in addition to what a high end team in a conference like the Big Ten looks like against a good opponent. I'm definitely interested in this matchup.

Maryland 69, Wisconsin 78
Maryland has not looked good. Now, this game wasn't exactly pretty for either team throughout, but it is pretty obvious that the Terps have some questions they need to answer. Vasquez keeps jacking it up but hit a couple more late to give him 18 points. The problems from the Cincy game were not as evident, but MD's perimeter defense really doomed them against the Badgers as Wisconsin hit 10 of 22. Cedar Falls product Jason Bohannon dropped 20 on 5-7 shooting (4-5 on 3PTs).

Virginia 76, Cleveland State 65
Good to see the Cavs pull off a decent win. I honestly don't know what to make of UVA. They don't have a ton of pieces, but they do have Tony Bennett instituting a new philosophy into the team. If they buy in, Virginia could outproduce their talent level. Cleveland State is not a dud team. We know what they can do and they're picked to finish 3rd in the Horizon. So this is definitely a good victory for the Cavs.

Landesberg had 20 points, but the big story was walk-on Will Sherrill's 15 point explosion in the second half.

Miami 77, Florida Gulf Coast 58

Miami beat a team they should beat. The 'Canes forced 23 Eagle turnovers and held FGCU to 1-13 shooting from beyond the arc. DeQuan Jones led Miami with 18 points and 5 rebounds, while Malcolm Grant tossed in 14 points, 4 assists and 5 rebounds. James Dews lit it up with 5 of 6 threes for 15.

Duke 64, Arizona State 53

Oh, Herb Sendek. Your teams never look good, but they always compete. And with 13 minutes to go in the game, they were tied with Duke, who really struggled to find their shot and a rhythm. Kyle Singler really struggled, missing 9 of his first 10, but recovered to hit 4 of his last 6 to finish with 13. Jon Scheyer committed a turnover. That brings him to...one this season. He also had 16 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Nolan Smith added 14. Duke really shot poorly in this game though, especially from deep (4-18) as two of those four came from freshman Andre Dawkins. Former Duke benchwarmer Eric Boateng had 4 points and 9 TOs.

ASU Improves SOS by Facing Duke in the Preseason NIT Semifinals

Cory Williams — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:10:53 -0000

One knock on ASU basketball in recent years has been their pedestrian OOC schedule. Outside of the Hardwood Series between the Pac 10 and the Big XII, and ASU's scheduling of BYU this season and last, the Sun Devils have played a fair amount of cupcakes in the early season.

With the invitation to the Preseason NIT, however, the Devils are about to experience a dramatic increase in Strength of Schedule. Regardless of outcome, ASU will be playing the #9 team in the country, Duke, and then either face #12 UConn or a solid LSU team that is 3-0 on the season.

This serves ASU very well, considering the argument against them in 2007 was their weak SOS. After defeating Arizona (19-14) twice in conference play and having a better record than the Wildcats (ASU was 19-12), UA was still invited to the big dance based on their SOS (and their perceived prestige, I guarantee) while the Devils were relegated to #1 seed in the postseason NIT tournament.

While it is not realistic to expect this ASU team, sans Harden and Pendergraph, to be truly NCAA tournament-caliber, it does not hurt that we are 4-0 and playing well. This ASU squad has a lot of experience, and they have been known in recent years to be a fun team to watch. If the Sun Devils can put up a good fight against their opponents in Madison Square Garden, they will be in great shape come conference play.

Eric Boateng, a transfer from Duke, will be playing motivated basketball on Wednesday night. He has a lot to prove, and will see significant minutes as the #1 center for the Sun Devils. Boateng got into foul trouble against San Francisco the other night, and he will have to make smart decisions in order to stay in the game against the Blue Devils.

The Devils are at a crossroads, where their freshmen are learning from the experience of Glasser, Abbott, McMillan, and Kuksiks. Herb Sendek has developed his team mentally and physically, and the time has come for ASU to put on a show against an excellent Duke team.

Pac-10 Recap...Grading the ASU regular season

ASUBoyd — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 06:54:14 -0000

So - we beat Cal easily, played as a team, everyone played well. Glasser was a true PG. Harden was solid. Pendergraph dominated..too little, too late, we lost 3 straight at a critical point. Pac-10 Tourney starts this week, I don't see us faring very well.

Let's hand out some grades.

via bloggingwiththedevils.freedomblogging.com

Team, #21 22-8 (11-7):

Coming off last season, expectations were high. We had our senior PF, Pendergraph. Harden. Some solid roleplayers. We were preseason rank #18. Things were good. We had a good non-conference run, although not a very tough schedule. Then the Pac-10 season came and we had a lot of ups (See: two wins over Arizona, two wins over UCLA) and lows (See: getting swept by Washington schools..losing to Stanford at home..).. The team's identity has never really materialized, both offensively and defensively. Sometimes we ran the entire game through Harden. Sometimes we relied on Pendergraph. Sometimes it was all the other guys - Kuksiks, Glasser. Sometimes our zone was stifling and we ran a really slow tempo. Sometimes we let the other team dictate the game and we ran and ran. Ugh. So, while it was the most successful season we have had in 6 years, it was also rather frustrating considering the talent we all knew we had.

GRADE = B-

COACHING - Herb Sendek, 3rd Year (51-42, 22-32 Pac-10)

via www.themightymjd.com

Herb had a lot of expectations after last year. His '07 recruting class brought us Abbott, Kuksiks and Harden. 3/5 of our starters. This year, his class was weak. We got Johnny Coy and Taylor Rhode. Coy ended up going home due to his father's sickness, and Rhode is not quite ready to play. His defensive coaching, while marred by a few problems this year, has been typically solid. His zone is strong, he keeps the guys committed to it, and overall we had a great defense. The offense though, has been an issue. Largely inconsistent, due to Herb's lack of focus - who is our focal point? Is Harden going to control the ball and let the game flow through him? Do we run a two man game with Harden and Pendergraph? Are you going to count on people triple teaming Harden, hoping other guys get open? Are we slow? Or are we going to run with teams who run? Inconsistent. Overall a solid season, but Herb had some issues this year.

2008 Recruiting Grade = D+
2008 Defensive Coaching = A-
2008 Offensive Coaching = B -

Overall = B

The players.

James Harden

via i2.cdn.turner.com

Season Averages
SEASON	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2007-2008	34.1	17.8	5.3	3.2	2.6	1.24	2.1	.6	2.1	.527	.754	.407	1.63
2008-2009	35.7	20.8	5.4	4.1	3.4	1.20	1.7	.3	2.8	.504	.752	.362	1.58

Harden had a similar season to his freshman campaign. He was no longer an unknown, he faced a ton of double and triple teams and lots of pressure, but still managed to shoot a very high % and averaged ~21 ppg, 5 and 4. He is a star. I hope he does not leave, but the chances of that aren't high. We all saw what he brings - when he is aggressive he is an offensive force, reminiscent of a D-Wade who can shoot from outside, with a sneaky athleticism and a penchant for playing the passing lanes. Harden needs to step it up and show us some more Wade like play in the tourney.

Best Game = 11/30 against UTEP, an 88-58 victory. Harden's coming out party for 2008/09 with 40 points (14/25 FG, 6/6 FT, 6/7 3P) 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
Worst Game = 1/15 against USC, a 61-49 loss. Harden was shut down to the tune of 4 points (0/8 FG, 4/7 FT, 0/2 3P) 7 rebounds, 1 assist.

Grade = A (I would have liked to see Harden assert himself more)

Jeff Pendergraph

via www.eastvalleytribune.com

Season Averages
SEASON	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2005-2006	25.5	10.9	6.1	.6	1.9	.29	.4	.9	3.4	.494	.730	.000	1.27
2006-2007	33.6	12.1	9.1	.9	2.3	.37	.6	.7	3.5	.551	.730	.000	1.38
2007-2008	28.4	12.4	6.4	.9	2.0	.43	.4	1.6	3.1	.593	.793	.000	1.63
2008-2009	32.7	14.4	8.5	1.0	1.2	.78	.5	.9	2.6	.665	.772	.000	1.72

The emotional leader on the team, and our sole senior, Pendergraph had a fantastic season. He has been especially dominant down the stretch - his last 10 games he has averaged ~17 points per game and 10 rebounds a game. His FG% this season was out of this world 66.5%. He figured out how to work the post, not rely on his jump shot as much, and STAY IN THE GAME. He averaged 5 extra minutes a game this year, mostly due to not getting in foul trouble like he did last year. He will be a big part of the tourney run.

Best Game = 1/2 against Stanford, a 90-60 win. Pendergraph had 31 (14/19 FG, 3/3 FT) points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks and only 1 foul against a team he struggled against a lot last year - mostly due to the Lopez twins.

Worst Game = 2/28, the 51-49 loss to WASU. He had 8 points and 8 rebounds, and was not much of a factor against a small team.

Grade = A- (really solidified his game down the stretch, after some C+/B- performances throughout the season.

Rihards Kuksiks

via farm3.static.flickr.com

Season Averages
SEASON	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2007-2008	17.2	5.4	1.8	1.1	.7	1.63	.6	.1	1.1	.386	.615	.367	1.11
2008-2009	32.5	10.8	4.0	1.4	1.3	1.05	.5	.2	2.6	.459	.750	.456	1.35

The Toni Kukoc of the team, Kuksiks really stepped his game up between his freshman and sophomore seasons. Doubling his minutes resulted in a doubling of production, something that is really nice to see. His 45.6% 3P percentage is the star here, as he pretty much shoots as high from three as he does from anywhere on the floor. Kuksiks needs to work on his defense, as his lack of lateral speed sometimes gets him caught in blocking situations. He hits the big three often, though does not often get the ball in his hands. He is inconsistent and needs to step up offensively more often, too often deferring to Harden and Pendergraph.

Best Game: 2/22 Arizona, 70-68 win. 17 points (6/12 FG, 5/10 3P) 4 rebounds, 4 assists. Kuksiks was raining threes at crucial times all game. The kid does not shy away from the big shot.

Worst Game: 1/21 Arizona, 53-47 win. Kuksiks almost lost us the game. He had 5 points, was 2-11 FG, 1-10 3P and fouled out.

Grade = B

Derek Glasser

via cache.daylife.com

Season Averages
SEASON	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2006-2007	27.9	6.3	2.0	3.2	2.0	1.64	.9	.0	1.9	.345	.778	.337	1.09
2007-2008	26.8	6.1	1.9	3.9	1.7	2.27	.8	.0	1.1	.384	.841	.315	1.31
2008-2009	32.2	8.0	2.0	4.9	2.2	2.17	1.0	.0	1.6	.371	.848	.409	1.46

I have to admit, I have not been a Glasser fan. The low FG%, the poor shooting in big games... I just have not been that into it. He won me over a bit this season. His FG% was still low (37.1%) and he did only average 8 and 5 but he shot ~85% from FT and 41% from 3! A near 10% increase and arguably his biggest weakness. He plays good D, the team likes him, he works his ass off, and he is clutch as anything on FTs. He will have at least one huge moment in the Pac-10 or NCAA tourney.

Best Game: 1/10 win over Oregon 76-58. Glasser had 15 points (4/6 FG, 6/7 FT, 1/1 3P) 11 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal.

Worst Game: 3/5 against Stanford, a 74-64 home loss. Glasser went 0/5 FG, 4/5 FT, 0/3 3P for 4 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds.

Grade = B-

Ty Abbott

via www.asuwebdevil.com

Season Averages
SEASON	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2007-2008	32.7	9.9	3.6	1.5	1.3	1.16	1.1	.4	2.4	.392	.731	.353	1.18
2008-2009	29.2	6.3	4.1	1.6	1.5	1.09	1.0	.4	2.2	.340	.667	.227	.94

Sigh. Ty Abbott. What are we to do with you? Other than his rebound rate increasing a little bit, Abbott regressed in every other area. He was given the minutes, and just could not find his shot. 34%/67%/23% is just awful. His green light has been taken away and he still has some potential, but I do not expect much from him in the tourney. His defense has been really solid, however, and he does do well for himself on the glass.

Best Game: 11/14 (first game) against Mississippi Valley State. Abbott had 18 points (8/13 FG, 2/6 3P) 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block.

Worst Game: 1/31, loss at home vs. Washington. 84-71. Abbott had 5 points (1/7 FG, 2/4 FT, 1/5 3P) 3 rebound and 2 assists.

Grade = D- (EDIT**: Dropped a letter grade after feedback/reconsideration. It is pretty bad to get 29 mins a game and put up those numbers, any way you cut it. From a regression standpoint alone he deserves an F.)

Jamelle McMillan

via bloggingwiththedevils.freedomblogging.com

Season Averages
SEASON	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2007-2008	14.2	2.6	1.6	2.1	1.3	1.70	.5	.0	1.6	.402	.600	.357	1.06
2008-2009	19.7	5.0	2.1	1.8	1.2	1.50	.7	.1	2.0	.423	.579	.365	1.19

McMillan has a lot of athleticism and talent, and it was nice to seem him start to put that together this season. I still do not feel like he is living up to his potential (Scouts, Inc had him as a 93 grade recruit) he shot the 3 well, improved his FG%, and played solid defense. His FT% is atrocious, but he did only shoot 19 on the season...McMillan is still too timid. A few misses can ruin his flow for the entire game.

Best Game: 2/7 win over Oregon State. 39 minutes, 14 points (5/9 FG, 0/1 FT, 4/7 3P) 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals.

Worst Game: 2/26 loss against Washington. 23 minutes, 3 points (1/5 FG, 1/2FT, 0/3 3P) 3 rebounds, 1 assist.

Jerren Shipp

via cache.gettyimages.com

Season Averages
SEASON	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2006-2007	30.0	7.6	3.3	1.5	1.6	.96	1.0	.1	2.0	.394	.617	.336	1.10
2007-2008	26.3	5.9	3.3	.9	.8	1.11	.5	.1	1.6	.386	.817	.352	1.28
2008-2009	13.7	2.9	1.6	.9	.4	2.25	.4	.0	1.2	.426	.667	.316	1.26

Poor Shipp. The kid is from a illustrious family full of college basketball stars, and he showed promise as a freshman on a terrible team. But as our back court has become more talented, Shipp has seen his minutes slip. His FG% reached semi-respectable levels this year, but his FT and 3P shots are both inconsistent. He just does not get enough playing time. But as our 7th guy he is solid.

Best Game: 11/23, win over Pepperdine. 11 points (4/5 FG, 1/1 FT, 2/2 3P) 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal.

Worst Game: 1/31 loss against Washington. 12 minutes, 2 points, 4 fouls.

Grade: C-

Eric Boateng

via www.asu.edu

Season Averages
SEASON	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2005-2006	2.5	.7	.6	.1	.3	.20	.1	.0	.6	.857	1.000	.000	2.00
2006-2007	Did not play.
2007-2008	11.6	3.9	2.6	.2	1.2	.14	.1	.3	1.5	.615	.365	.000	1.44
2008-2009	8.0	1.9	1.9	.2	.3	.56	.2	.2	1.1	.595	.438	.000	1.38

Interesting how a former McDonald's All-American, and the guy we all penciled in as our starting C turned out like this. Uncoordinated, terrible ball skills, ok defense, ok rebounding, terrible offensive awareness. He never got a lot of minutes this year after the disaster last season. He had a streak of games with solid minutes, but i dont expect him to play in the post season unless there is foul trouble.

Best Game: 1/10 win over Oregon. 22 minutes, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks.

Worst Game: eh. it's not worth it. Boateng doesn't get enough highlights as it is.

Grade = D

The rest of the team did not play much.

So there you have it, the team under performed a bit this year... but there is at least hope at the post season for once. We will have a pac-10 preview this week.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES: House of Sparky weighs in on tomorrow's game

Nuss — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:41:52 -0000

From time to time, we love to get a take on the Cougs' next opponent from the perspective of their blog on SB Nation. Please welcome C.W. from House of Sparky, an excellent ASU blog.

What follows is a little Q&A on the pressing questions I had about tomorrow night's matchup. You can find my answers to his questions here.

Despite UW's surge to the top of the standings, I maintain that ASU is still the best team in the Pac-10. Convince me I'm right.

House of Sparky: ASU has the best player in the country (in my professional homer opinion), James Harden himself. Harden offers up 22 points a game, shooting 40% from beyond the arc and dropping 4.2 dimes a contest. His 5.7 rebounds aren't anything to sneeze at either. ASU also features a stifling 2-3 zone defense, and has seen improved play from its supporting cast of Rihards Kuksiks (10.6 PPG, 48.6% from 3) and Derek Glasser (7.1 ppg, 5.1 apg, 42.6% from 3).

This team quickly went from an inexperienced bunch to a well-developed squad in just a span of 3 years. A lot of this has to do with the consistent play of Jeff Pendergraph, who has anchored this team since the final act of the Rob Evans era in 2005-2006. Sure, everyone plays a big role in this team's success, but remove James Harden and you are looking at a pretty mediocre basketball team.

Harden was very good last year, but he's flat out amazing this year. What's been the difference in his game that's transformed him into a near lock for first team All-American?

James has shown an increased ability to take over games singlehandedly. His talent was always there, but it has been coaxed out by the coaching staff and his own fiery demeanor. The Pac-10 lost a lot of talent to last year's NBA draft, and I think the experience Harden gained last year has paid dividends for this season.

In the UCLA game, Harden looked nearly possessed after apparently being elbowed in the face. His play down the stretch took UCLA by surprise, and in the final 8 minutes of regulation, the Bruins failed to score a single point. His defensive tenacity has been astounding and he is looking for his shot in better situations. His game evolved at some point between midseason 2007-2008 and the beginning of Pac-10 play in 2008-2009.

To be honest, he is outplaying all of my wildest fantasies. For ASU basketball, this may be as good as it will ever get in terms of singular, game-changing talent. I want to liken him to Scottie Pippen, but a big part of me believes he wouldn't be the sidekick in the NBA; rather he would be the go-to guy.

How does a team even think about containing Harden? Is there a chance anyone will duplicate Daniel Hackett's defensive gem the rest of the year?

Two words: double team. Force Kuksiks, Glasser, and Ty Abbott to take a lot of shots. Play clean, solid defense. Don't give him any extra motivation to take over the game. He is an amazing talent, but he can be shut down if you are unwilling to let him beat you. Leaving it up to the rest of the team to win the game can be beneficial to the Cougars.

We know about Harden, and we also know about Jeff Pendergraph. But who's the guy we haven't heard of who could potentially do some damage Thursday night?

I've been mentioning him a lot in this: Derek Glasser. A teammate of Harden's at Artesia High in California, Glasser came out to ASU a year before Harden, and many believe he was a huge influence on Harden's eventual commitment to be a Sun Devil.

Glasser's game has greatly improved since the day he first set foot on campus. He is scoring more points, shooting better in every aspect (especially from 3, where he has improved from 31.5% in 2007-2008 to 42.6% this year), and distributing the ball nicely. He has found an on-court friend in Jeff Pendergraph, and they often hook up for alley oop jams.

With his improved 3PT shooting, he is much more valuable to the Sun Devils than he has ever been before, especially with Ty Abbott struggling so much this season (Abbott shot 35.3% from 3 last year, and this season it is down to 24.7%).

Herb Sendek was more or less run out of North Carolina State, but I'm guessing you guys are pretty happy to have him at this point. How do Sun Devils' fans view the job he's done in Tempe?

It is clear to the Sun Devil faithful that Herb Sendek was a gift from the basketball gods. Sendek is capable of landing big recruits (look no further than James Harden) and has a defensive attitude that is readily instilled in his team. The boys seem to buy into the mantra of defense and intensity. It's difficult to find much fault in his performance so far as our coach, but he has at times played Harden too much in games where the end result was already decided (see last week's game against Arizona).

The Sun Devil fans can't wait to see the next step forward for this program, whether that is in March 2009 or a few years down the road. But for once, it is not impossible to imagine ASU being the eminent basketball program in the southwest for years to come.

Give us the blueprint for beating the Sun Devils.

Did Tony Bennett send you?

Seriously, ASU can be beat. The first step is getting Jeff Pendergraph into foul trouble. We are paper thin in terms of size. Eric Boateng, our backup center, just plain sucks. With Pendergraph on the bench, the zone can be attacked by Baynes.

Once this objective is complete, Harden now feels the increased pressure of scoring the lion's share of points for ASU. Give him no room to make anything happen. Force Jerren Shipp and Jamelle McMillan to shoot. Pressure Derek Glasser in the backcourt. Defensive intensity will help you. Rotate your athletic players in a lot and ask them to go as hard as they can for short bursts. This is a hockey tactic that will serve you well.

Finally, break the zone from the inside. Make your 3's, and it will cause all kinds of havoc for the Devils. Stay away from shooting 30 from downtown, but make sure you are taking open shots. This is really all you can do to beat the Devils.