SB Nation - Jerren Shipp

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.

Saved By The Bell! - #17 Sun Devils Bests BYU (barely) 76-75

ASUBoyd — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:17:37 -0000

Continuing the trend of 1 game a week, ASU plays an extremely close game after not playing for a week and nearly loses - frankly, it could be argued we did lose this game. But the officials took a look at BYU's game winning shot and determined it came after the buzzer - so we were saved. BYU is a really good team - they were 10-0 before this loss, and i would not be surprised to see them crack the top 25 before the end of the season.

They played us tough, lead for 75% of the game - and were even up by 10 with 8 mintutes to go.

But - it was not enough.

ASU showed once again the resiliency that has become a staple of these Sendek coached teams. The guy just breeds this atmosphere of no-quit basketball and the players have bought in. The guys might have been outplayed, but they never gave up.

Before I get to the good things, the bad.

The defense was ok, but we need to capitalize on the turnovers. They turned the ball over 16 times, and often we would rush down and waste the possession with a stupid three. I'm looking at you Ty Abbott. The not so super-soph was 2-10 FG, 2-7 3PA, had NO free throws, and ended up with 6 points, 3 rebs, 3 ast, 1 steal, 1 TO. The kid just is not producing. He played 29 mins, and really has not found a groove all seasonl. He needs to step up, because if he is going to continually play 30 mins a game, he cant do this kind of thing. He is supposed to be the third, if not second, scoring option on offense. Two thirds of his field goal attempts have been three pointers, and he is shooting 25% on threes. That is awful. Frankly, if he does not improve, i think there is reason to start Shipp or McMillan over him, just to send a message. He could still get his 20-25 mins, but he needs to shoot a higher percentage.

Another thing is the amount of minutes Derek Glasser has been getting - and the lack of production the team has been getting for those minutes. For example this game - 32 mins. 1 point. 1 assist. 3 turnovers. 3 rebounds. 1 steal. 0-1 FG, 1-4 FT.
Are you joking me? His counterpart on BYU also scored 16 points and shot 50%, so he wasn't exactly providing stellar defense. The guy shouldn't be getting these kinds of minutes - not when McMillan is behind him. ANd while McMillan has been lacking confidence and is still raw - the kid's upside is so much bigger. Look at what happens when he gets his shot to play. 18 mins, 10 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks (one at a huge moment near the end of the game) and 2 turnovers. He just is a better, more athletic player. I know Harden loves Glasser, but i think its time to give McMillan some more PT.

Kuksiks also disappeared - he has trouble creating his own shot, but he played ok and demanded a defender at all times.

The bright spots of the night came from Harden (natch) and Pendergraph. Jeff had 22 points and 9 rebounds. He shot a high percentage, avoided mistakes, and held his man to 7 points. He needs to become more aggressive offensively, our tallest guy only getting 5 FTA is not ok, but he has really mastered his midrange game.

Harden - he carried us to victory again. He was so aggressive on offense, I love it. His 21 FTAs were more than all of BYU's team (19). 30 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assits, 5 steals. The kid was ballin'. He is ASU basketball at the moment. The team lives and dies by his production. We lived tonight, even though it was close.

#17 ASU (9-1) will face the Idaho State Bengals (2-8) at home on Tuesday, December 23rd at 2 PM. Expect a blow out.

James Harden and Jerren Shipp Lead The Sun Devils Past Pepperdine

Cory Williams — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:08:25 -0000

Final - 11.23.2008	1	2	Total
Pepperdine Waves	19	21	40
Arizona St. Sun Devils	27	34	61

Complete Coverage >

TEMPE, AZ (House of Sparky Press)-

The Arizona State Sun Devils improved their record to 3-0 on Sunday afternoon, beating the Pepperdine Waves 61-40 in Wells Fargo Arena.

The Sun Devils were led by James Harden, who scored a career-high 33 points on 12-19 shooting, while going 8-9 from the charity stripe.

Ty Abbott, who averaged 15.5 ppg over the first two games of the season, was battling a cold all afternoon. He failed to score, but his slack was picked up by Jerren Shipp, who scored 11 points and played a high-energy game.

Facing a Pepperdine (1-4) team with three freshmen and two sophomores in their starting lineup, ASU was able to exploit the youthfulness of the Waves.

The game began with an emphatic Harden dunk, assisted by Derek Glasser. The Devils played sloppily to begin with, turning the ball over on three consecutive possessions. At the first timeout, Pepperdine was winning 7-5.

Instead of pulling his players, Coach Herb Sendek showed belief in his young team by leaving the starters in to work out the kinks. This was a telling vote of confidence.

Pepperdine came into the game averaging 46% from 3-pt territory, but only could muster a 27.6% average against ASU. Mychel Thompson, a sophomore from Ladera Ranch, California, went 3-12 from beyond the arc.

With 5:39 left in the first half, the game went to TV timeout with the Sun Devils winning 22-19. An ASU student came onto the court and hit a halfcourt shot to win a year of free pizzas and $2500 towards his tuition from Papa John's. The crowd erupted, and this moment was parlayed into more emotion during the game itself.

Money in the bank!

ASU used the crowd's input to play stellar defense, holding the Waves scoreless for the rest of the half, going into the locker room with a 27-19 advantage.

The Sun Devils played solid defense, bringing Pepperdine down to the wire on their shot clock multiple times throughout the contest. The 2-3 zone stymied the Waves, forcing them to shoot 29 three pointers. They only made 8 of them.

Shipp hit two 3-pointers in the first half, helping to bolster the early lead.

Harden broke his previous high score of 27 points, which he accomplished on January 17, 2008 against California in Berkeley.

Jeff Pendergraph kept out of foul trouble, playing 29 minutes and only fouling twice. Pendergraph went 3-6 from the foul line, scoring 5 points and taking down 6 rebounds. Sendek went on to say that Pendergraph played his best game of the season against Pepperdine.

Pepperdine has to go home to THIS? Rough life. (This is Malibu, CA)

With this game complete, ASU travels to Anaheim to play in the 76 Classic. Their first game is on Thanksgiving night at 7:00 PM MST against the Charlotte 49ers (1-3). Don't be fooled, Charlotte was 20-14 last year, and "returns four starters and nine of its top 10 players from last season," according to a Charlotte 49ers press release.