Early in the game last night while sitting in the media section along with our staff writer Samantha Pell I said to her, this isn't a Jon Gilling-Bo Barnes type of game. UCLA is too long and athletic and closes out to the 3-point line well and those guys are limited at both ends as a result. Barnes obviously ended up hitting probably the shot of the game late, a 3-pointer from Mesa with about four seconds left on the shot clock, but mostly it was guys other than those two who enabled the ASU win.
What I've thought about this team dating back to pre-season practices is that it has been the first true opportunity for Herb Sendek to evolve into playing in a way that can be more reliably predictive of success. He just hasn't had enough athletes to not have to be reliant on 3-point shooting in the past, but that exists with this team this year and so I've thought and said as much here earlier in the year that he was putting an artificial cap on his team by resorting back to within his Barnes-Gilling etc comfort zone whereby success is predicated too much on shooting the ball from range.
I probably shouldn't lump Barnes and Gilling too much because Barnes competes on the defensive end and is gritty and overachieves in a lot of ways, more so than I ever expected, admittedly, while Gilling is an absolute liability. But even Sendek playing Kodi Justice at point, because he's a better shooter or perhaps a little less turnover inclined than other options, I think is the wrong way to look at employing the pieces of this team.
Last night was a breakthrough as I saw it because the Sun Devils beat a more talented team and only made 5 of 17 3-pointers in the game, with 23 made field goals in total. They didn't need to rely on 3-point shooting, which as Sendek said last night when I asked him about it after the game, is progress that goes beyond just a one game result.
Tra Holder is the catalyst for this evolution, no question in my mind. He may have only had one basket in the first half but Holder was getting wherever he wanted on the floor, turning the UCLA defense into a pretzel. UCLA couldn't defend him with Bryce Alford and probably should have turned more to Norman Powell to try to make that happen, but I'm not sure it would have mattered.
Holder created so many direct and indirect opportunities on the offensive end for ASU. Teams that don't have a very good point guard are always going to be behind the 8 ball and Sendek is more on the structure side of the spectrum than the organized chaos side, and needs a good, heady and competent point guard probably more than most coaches. But when he has that type of guy he can also do more with it than a lot of other coaches, so it's a trade off.
Earlier in the year when Sendek was grasping at every possible option to find something that would work at the point, when he literally tried five of his players and nothing seemed to be working, things were a mess. I thought he needed to let Holder work through it coupled with letting Blakes figure it out. If not notice there have been some recent games including last night in which Blakes has been a lot more composed and making better decisions with the ball. He played 30 minutes last night with just one turnover and granted he missed 10 shots and had just seven points, but he had a great assist in the second half on a driving take which brought a help defender and dropped it on a bounce pass for an easy layup. Blakes sees the floor fine. But that's kind of a tangent..
What I would say is that Holder's box score in no way conveys how much he impacted and even at times controlled the game last night. 7 assists 6 turnovers (some bad ones in the second half) 2 of 7 from the field, 8 of 12 from the line, you say ehh, he was okay. But he was essential and has brought ASU to a different capability entirely not just in one game or one season, but as a freshman, he's got a chance to transform ASU basketball in a much more significant way if Sendek stays the course in how he's recruiting and is willing to continue to embrace this evolution he's been slow at times to fuel.
Certainly Savon Goodman was terrific and continues to settle in with an 8 of 8 performance from the field, 20 points, 12 rebounds. Hard to imagine he's not an all-league player before he is done. What I like about his game is how he fully embraces who and what he is and doesn't try to be anything else. He's going to short drive you, quick score you, work the baseline seams, hit the glass, wear on you physically, keep his output very steady. I thought he would probably end up ASU's best player at some point and he very well might be there now. I find Goodman to be extremely even keel and insightful in his post-game perspective he's given us throughout the last couple months.
What Goodman has done for Sendek is potentially hugely significant. Sendek has always favored the face four-man like Gilling (and Kuksiks before him and remember when 6-foot-4 Jerren Shipp was playing this role like 8 years ago?) because he wants floor spacing in a way that enables more offensive movement etc. Goodman isn't like that at all and Sendek has never played a guy like this who doesn't have range to his game, but he's now having success with it. Sendek is the type who needs to be nudged or even pulled into a new comfort zone at times, I feel. Remember he initially played Goodman only behind Jacobsen when Goodman became eligible and I think this is the reason, no question. He was prodded into playing the two together and I don't think there was going to be any way around it with the creeping realization that the two of them are both among his best players. I think this can shape Sendek's visions and willingness to do different things moving forward in a way that can help him and ASU.
I really don't know what Steve Alford is doing sometimes. He started his son at point guard last year over Zach Lavine and now Lavine has started more than half his games as a rookie in the NBA. Last night he was running one play after another for his son Bryce Alford and Alford wasn't even hot in the game (as an aside, Shaquielle McKissic did an excellent job with his energy last night on the defensive end against Alford from the tip, chasing him over perimeter ball screens and in all their sets for him. When McKissic was out in second half in foul trouble, there was a drop off the Blakes defending in this capacity). Meanwhile, Powell is a more dynamic athlete and scorer and he starts out the game really hot, and instead of continuing to feed that, Steve Alford actually went away from it to a large degree. It was beyond perplexing and there's no way you can logically come to a conclusion that it isn't nepotism as I see it.
How about what Eric Jacobsen does on the defensive end? His level of improvement in the last year is remarkable. Last night Parker had two points and one rebound for UCLA in 20 minutes. He's a good player. Did nothing against Jacobsen. Jacobsen is another guy who impacted the game way more than the stat line shows.
Overall, as I've said a number of times, this ASU team was slow to get going and play to its capability with I think some mistakes from a coaching approach coupled with just being young and inexperienced and not playing together a lot and figuring everything out on the fly, including Sendek. I thought they should have won at least a few more games earlier, and may have actually been a little better now had they been doing some of what they're doing now a little earlier. Still feel like there is more opportunity to extend defensively more and do a few different things, but they've made real strides. Players are developing.
I thought ASU would be around a 9-9 team in the league this year and 18-19 overall wins, NIT type team. They probably do make the NIT I'm guessing now but still need to probably win a few more, fall a little short of my pre-season expectation. But with Holder, Jacobsen and Goodman returning, I don't see ASU taking a step back next year, probably will be better, NCAA very possible. Can't see Sendek being in any jeopardy this year. Some of the commits are very well suited to his style and I think will mesh well. He needs to add another big in the spring to play behind Jacobsen and Goodman next year.
What I've thought about this team dating back to pre-season practices is that it has been the first true opportunity for Herb Sendek to evolve into playing in a way that can be more reliably predictive of success. He just hasn't had enough athletes to not have to be reliant on 3-point shooting in the past, but that exists with this team this year and so I've thought and said as much here earlier in the year that he was putting an artificial cap on his team by resorting back to within his Barnes-Gilling etc comfort zone whereby success is predicated too much on shooting the ball from range.
I probably shouldn't lump Barnes and Gilling too much because Barnes competes on the defensive end and is gritty and overachieves in a lot of ways, more so than I ever expected, admittedly, while Gilling is an absolute liability. But even Sendek playing Kodi Justice at point, because he's a better shooter or perhaps a little less turnover inclined than other options, I think is the wrong way to look at employing the pieces of this team.
Last night was a breakthrough as I saw it because the Sun Devils beat a more talented team and only made 5 of 17 3-pointers in the game, with 23 made field goals in total. They didn't need to rely on 3-point shooting, which as Sendek said last night when I asked him about it after the game, is progress that goes beyond just a one game result.
Tra Holder is the catalyst for this evolution, no question in my mind. He may have only had one basket in the first half but Holder was getting wherever he wanted on the floor, turning the UCLA defense into a pretzel. UCLA couldn't defend him with Bryce Alford and probably should have turned more to Norman Powell to try to make that happen, but I'm not sure it would have mattered.
Holder created so many direct and indirect opportunities on the offensive end for ASU. Teams that don't have a very good point guard are always going to be behind the 8 ball and Sendek is more on the structure side of the spectrum than the organized chaos side, and needs a good, heady and competent point guard probably more than most coaches. But when he has that type of guy he can also do more with it than a lot of other coaches, so it's a trade off.
Earlier in the year when Sendek was grasping at every possible option to find something that would work at the point, when he literally tried five of his players and nothing seemed to be working, things were a mess. I thought he needed to let Holder work through it coupled with letting Blakes figure it out. If not notice there have been some recent games including last night in which Blakes has been a lot more composed and making better decisions with the ball. He played 30 minutes last night with just one turnover and granted he missed 10 shots and had just seven points, but he had a great assist in the second half on a driving take which brought a help defender and dropped it on a bounce pass for an easy layup. Blakes sees the floor fine. But that's kind of a tangent..
What I would say is that Holder's box score in no way conveys how much he impacted and even at times controlled the game last night. 7 assists 6 turnovers (some bad ones in the second half) 2 of 7 from the field, 8 of 12 from the line, you say ehh, he was okay. But he was essential and has brought ASU to a different capability entirely not just in one game or one season, but as a freshman, he's got a chance to transform ASU basketball in a much more significant way if Sendek stays the course in how he's recruiting and is willing to continue to embrace this evolution he's been slow at times to fuel.
Certainly Savon Goodman was terrific and continues to settle in with an 8 of 8 performance from the field, 20 points, 12 rebounds. Hard to imagine he's not an all-league player before he is done. What I like about his game is how he fully embraces who and what he is and doesn't try to be anything else. He's going to short drive you, quick score you, work the baseline seams, hit the glass, wear on you physically, keep his output very steady. I thought he would probably end up ASU's best player at some point and he very well might be there now. I find Goodman to be extremely even keel and insightful in his post-game perspective he's given us throughout the last couple months.
What Goodman has done for Sendek is potentially hugely significant. Sendek has always favored the face four-man like Gilling (and Kuksiks before him and remember when 6-foot-4 Jerren Shipp was playing this role like 8 years ago?) because he wants floor spacing in a way that enables more offensive movement etc. Goodman isn't like that at all and Sendek has never played a guy like this who doesn't have range to his game, but he's now having success with it. Sendek is the type who needs to be nudged or even pulled into a new comfort zone at times, I feel. Remember he initially played Goodman only behind Jacobsen when Goodman became eligible and I think this is the reason, no question. He was prodded into playing the two together and I don't think there was going to be any way around it with the creeping realization that the two of them are both among his best players. I think this can shape Sendek's visions and willingness to do different things moving forward in a way that can help him and ASU.
I really don't know what Steve Alford is doing sometimes. He started his son at point guard last year over Zach Lavine and now Lavine has started more than half his games as a rookie in the NBA. Last night he was running one play after another for his son Bryce Alford and Alford wasn't even hot in the game (as an aside, Shaquielle McKissic did an excellent job with his energy last night on the defensive end against Alford from the tip, chasing him over perimeter ball screens and in all their sets for him. When McKissic was out in second half in foul trouble, there was a drop off the Blakes defending in this capacity). Meanwhile, Powell is a more dynamic athlete and scorer and he starts out the game really hot, and instead of continuing to feed that, Steve Alford actually went away from it to a large degree. It was beyond perplexing and there's no way you can logically come to a conclusion that it isn't nepotism as I see it.
How about what Eric Jacobsen does on the defensive end? His level of improvement in the last year is remarkable. Last night Parker had two points and one rebound for UCLA in 20 minutes. He's a good player. Did nothing against Jacobsen. Jacobsen is another guy who impacted the game way more than the stat line shows.
Overall, as I've said a number of times, this ASU team was slow to get going and play to its capability with I think some mistakes from a coaching approach coupled with just being young and inexperienced and not playing together a lot and figuring everything out on the fly, including Sendek. I thought they should have won at least a few more games earlier, and may have actually been a little better now had they been doing some of what they're doing now a little earlier. Still feel like there is more opportunity to extend defensively more and do a few different things, but they've made real strides. Players are developing.
I thought ASU would be around a 9-9 team in the league this year and 18-19 overall wins, NIT type team. They probably do make the NIT I'm guessing now but still need to probably win a few more, fall a little short of my pre-season expectation. But with Holder, Jacobsen and Goodman returning, I don't see ASU taking a step back next year, probably will be better, NCAA very possible. Can't see Sendek being in any jeopardy this year. Some of the commits are very well suited to his style and I think will mesh well. He needs to add another big in the spring to play behind Jacobsen and Goodman next year.
