After dismal year, ASU can only get better

By foxsports
Published

After a first-round loss at the Pac-12 tournament ended Arizona State's season, sophomore center Jordan Bachynski tried to view the glass as half-full.

"You learn the most from times that are tough," Bachynski told the Arizona Republic. "You learn who you are. You learn your strengths and your weaknesses, and I really feel like our team showed moments of that this season."

The Sun Devils (10-21) certainly showed their weaknesses on a regular basis. They struggled to score for most of the season and were plagued by rashes of turnovers. They lost nine of 11 at one stretch and did not win two games in a row until the final two games of the Pac-12 schedule.

There were reasons, of course. There always are.

ASU was inexperienced to start, with no seniors on the roster. The Devils lost the player they believed might have been their best before he ever suited up. Freshman point guard Jahii Carson never became eligible, and ASU paid the price all season. There also was a key injury (Trent Lockett) and a midseason defection (Keala King).

The 85-65 loss to Stanford in the Pac-12 tournament had a familiar odor to it.

"They came out and put on us our heels," Lockett said. "We picked it up in the second half, but it was far too late."

Coach Herb Sendek said the staff will evaluate and develop a plan to remedy the problems. Players must be self-motivated to make personal improvements, he said.

ASU should be better a year from now. Frankly, there's almost nowhere to go but up.

NOTES, QUOTES


-- Arizona State's 85-65 loss to Stanford in the Pac-12 tournament was the program's third straight first-round exit from the event. Nothing points more clearly to the improvement the program must make than repeated ousters on the first day of the conference tournament.

-- The Pac-12's most turnover-prone team, Arizona State coughed up the ball just 10 times in its regular-season-ending upset win over Arizona. Three days later, the Devils had 11 giveaways in the first half of their loss to Stanford. They finished the season with 515 turnovers, an average of 16.6 per game.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Going into the offseason, we obviously have plenty of motivation. I don't think anybody should have a reason not to work hard this offseason." -- Arizona State junior G Trent Lockett.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL


THE GOOD NEWS: The Sun Devils had no seniors, so they return their entire roster plus PG Jahii Carson, who was not eligible to play as a freshman this season but practiced with the team. Jordan Bachynski, a 7-foot-2 sophomore center, made steady progress throughout the season and should be improved next year. Junior G Trent Lockett is a versatile player with all-conference potential.

THE BAD NEWS: ASU still needs to demonstrate it can win. Everyone returns, but all of them were part of a losing season, and the Sun Devils must take huge leaps to become an upper-division contender in the conference. They're still no match athletically for the best teams in the conference, and would-be PG Jahii Carson still hasn't shown what he can do in a college game.

KEY RETURNEES: ASU returns eight players who averaged 16.7 minutes or more, so there will be ample experience on the floor a year from now. Versatile senior-to-be Trent Lockett will be a major piece, especially if he can stay healthy. C Jordan Bachynski and F Jonathan Gilling made huge strides this season, and wing Carrick Felix has potential but must develop consistency.

PLAYER NOTES


-- Junior G Trent Lockett scored just six points in ASU's loss to Stanford in the opening round of the Pac-12 tournament. He had 21 the game before as Arizona State upset Arizona, but the truth is he never really found his stride over the final eight games after missing six with an ankle sprain. Lockett averaged 13.0 point for the season but just 11.3 in his post-injury games, a stretch in which he shot 38.9 percent from the field.

-- C Jordan Bachynski, the 7-foot-2 sophomore from Canada, showed great progress over the second half of the conference season. He had eight double-digit scoring games in his final 13 outings and shot 64.3 percent from the field in those games. Bachynski averaged 13.7 points in Arizona State's final three games and had six blocks against Arizona. He could become a very solid player.

-- F Jonathan Gilling, a freshman from Vaduz, Denmark, proved a dangerous perimeter shooter, converting 41 percent of his 3-pointers for the season. He was 10 for 17 in the Devils' final three games. He scored 21 points in the late-season upset of Arizona and had 17 against UCLA a few weeks earlier.