Mornin Mates...
Today's Topic = Long Hot Summer
At least we don't have to be concerned about our men's golf program that just finished second in the nation behind only Texas this past week or about our ladies softball program that won the PAC championship this year before being eliminated in a Super Regional...
Both the Sun Devils men's golf coach - Matt Thurmond - and the ladies softball coach - Trisha Ford - were some of the first hires made by Ray Anderson back in 2016 and they have reached a very high level of "competitive consistency" for those sports programs at ASU...
Coach Thurmond has won 14 team titles at ASU so far and was the PAC COY in 2019 and his top assistant coach - Armen Kirakossian - was named the top assistant college golf coach in the country in 2019 and both have been able to attract top golf talent to ASU and will continue to do so with their Top 10 golf program, it appears to me...
Likewise, Coach Ford has reached a high level of softball success at ASU and there is no reason to think that she will not continue to do so moving forward...
She was the PAC COY in 2018 and again this season in 2022 and has the Devils in a position to be a major player in the PAC and nationally perennially...
For these hires, Ray Anderson gets an A grade in my book and I look forward to continued success with Matt Thurmond and Trisha Ford...
I also look forward to our baseball program improving steadily under new coach - Willie Bloomquist - who did not inherit a particularly good situation under former coach - Tracy Smith - but managed to be fairly competitive on the field without much of a talented pitching staff...
Sun Devil baseball attendance rose to become the best on the West Coast when an average of 3,199 fans attended home games for an overall total of 102,355...
I can imagine that figure climbing even further as the Devils fortunes improve under Willie's guidance...
Already, at least eight players have elected to transfer out of the program since they were not deemed to have a future with Willie's program, from what I can tell...
It may not take a lot of talent to play with energy and effort but it does take talent to compete for championships and we'll see what Willie can do with his kind of guys as he attempts to provide a championship caliber type program at ASU in the coming years...
Speaking of "our kind of guys" it is going to be very interesting to see how Herm and his football staff handle Sun Devil recruiting in the next year or two when it's pretty clear that they will not be able to recruit a lot of blue-chip type talent to ASU, given the NCAA investigation, coupled with the new transfer portal and NIL realities...
It looks to me that Herm will have to continue to rely on the portal for talent and that the Devils will not have the financial resources with which to compete with the big boys when it comes to NIL pay-for-play enhancements...
Ohio State football coach - Ryan Day - has told Buckeye boosters that it will take an annual $13 million dedicated NIL type funding to keep Ohio State from falling behind teams in the SEC like Alabama and Texas A&M...
Meanwhile, at the Sun Devil ranch, recruits and players may get all the popcorn, peanuts and cracker jacks they can eat, while they improve their game enough to enter the transfer portal, where they can earn real cash deals at other destinations...
So, I guess we'll end up being a "feeder" type school that takes "OKGs" and develop enough of them to then become portal bait for other, wealthier programs...
It looks like our kind of guys will be coming from the portal G-5 schools and JC ranks and let's hope that Herm can leverage these guys into another winning season this fall in SDS...
If he cannot do that, Ray is looking at getting a poor grade with his football hire, if you ask me...
G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!
Today's Topic = Long Hot Summer
At least we don't have to be concerned about our men's golf program that just finished second in the nation behind only Texas this past week or about our ladies softball program that won the PAC championship this year before being eliminated in a Super Regional...
Both the Sun Devils men's golf coach - Matt Thurmond - and the ladies softball coach - Trisha Ford - were some of the first hires made by Ray Anderson back in 2016 and they have reached a very high level of "competitive consistency" for those sports programs at ASU...
Coach Thurmond has won 14 team titles at ASU so far and was the PAC COY in 2019 and his top assistant coach - Armen Kirakossian - was named the top assistant college golf coach in the country in 2019 and both have been able to attract top golf talent to ASU and will continue to do so with their Top 10 golf program, it appears to me...
Likewise, Coach Ford has reached a high level of softball success at ASU and there is no reason to think that she will not continue to do so moving forward...
She was the PAC COY in 2018 and again this season in 2022 and has the Devils in a position to be a major player in the PAC and nationally perennially...
For these hires, Ray Anderson gets an A grade in my book and I look forward to continued success with Matt Thurmond and Trisha Ford...
I also look forward to our baseball program improving steadily under new coach - Willie Bloomquist - who did not inherit a particularly good situation under former coach - Tracy Smith - but managed to be fairly competitive on the field without much of a talented pitching staff...
Sun Devil baseball attendance rose to become the best on the West Coast when an average of 3,199 fans attended home games for an overall total of 102,355...
I can imagine that figure climbing even further as the Devils fortunes improve under Willie's guidance...
Already, at least eight players have elected to transfer out of the program since they were not deemed to have a future with Willie's program, from what I can tell...
It may not take a lot of talent to play with energy and effort but it does take talent to compete for championships and we'll see what Willie can do with his kind of guys as he attempts to provide a championship caliber type program at ASU in the coming years...
Speaking of "our kind of guys" it is going to be very interesting to see how Herm and his football staff handle Sun Devil recruiting in the next year or two when it's pretty clear that they will not be able to recruit a lot of blue-chip type talent to ASU, given the NCAA investigation, coupled with the new transfer portal and NIL realities...
It looks to me that Herm will have to continue to rely on the portal for talent and that the Devils will not have the financial resources with which to compete with the big boys when it comes to NIL pay-for-play enhancements...
Ohio State football coach - Ryan Day - has told Buckeye boosters that it will take an annual $13 million dedicated NIL type funding to keep Ohio State from falling behind teams in the SEC like Alabama and Texas A&M...
Meanwhile, at the Sun Devil ranch, recruits and players may get all the popcorn, peanuts and cracker jacks they can eat, while they improve their game enough to enter the transfer portal, where they can earn real cash deals at other destinations...
So, I guess we'll end up being a "feeder" type school that takes "OKGs" and develop enough of them to then become portal bait for other, wealthier programs...
It looks like our kind of guys will be coming from the portal G-5 schools and JC ranks and let's hope that Herm can leverage these guys into another winning season this fall in SDS...
If he cannot do that, Ray is looking at getting a poor grade with his football hire, if you ask me...
G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!
