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Herb Sendek got a big verbal commitment Saturday. Jahii Carson a star point guard from Mesa High has indicated his desire to attend ASU. I likes it. Herb Sendeks’ reputation as a recruiter has been unfairly questioned. I think this commitment from Carson addresses those concerns. From arizonastate.rivals.com

During an unofficial visit to the school Saturday, Mesa High School star Jahii Carson gave coach ASU Herb Sendek a verbal commitment. In doing so, he became the first elite point guard recruit from the state to elect to play for the hometown Sun Devils during the Pac-10 era. For Sun Devil coaches, the word exciting is probably an understatement. Point guard was far and away their biggest position of need in the 2011 recruiting class and Carson, by all indications, far and away their top target. “Since he came to ASU, coach Sendek has turned the program totally around,” Carson said. “Me being an Arizona native, it would be common for me to go to Arizona and be a really good point guard. But I can be the first one in a really long time to come out of Arizona and go to Arizona State and be a really good point guard. So that’s something that really appealed to me also.”

ASU Basketball has had a successful recruiting season so far. So successful that Herb Sendek mentioned he might have a tough time getting a tickets for future Sun Devil home games. Sounds good, what kind of talent have we got coming. From rivals.com:

After seeing four younger, lightly contributing members of the roster transfer this spring, Sendek’s staff rebounded by signing two of the most heavily recruited recruits still available following the conclusion of the April signing period. Kyle Cain, a 6-foot-7 power forward from Chicago who took an extra year at New Hampton Prep in Hew Hampshire, had offers from Alabama, Illinois and West Virginia, among others, after receiving a release of his letter of intent with Rohde Island. Carrick Felix, a 6-foot-6 College of Southern Idaho wing forward, appeared headed to being Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski‘s first junior college addition ever, before electing to instead re-open his recruitment. Felix received over 30 offers in a single day according to his coach, but the Goodyear Millennium product tripped only to ASU before reaching a decision.  ”We are very excited about our team going into next year,” Sendek said. “We have a cast of returning players who have experience and who have continued to get better every step of the way. So we look forward to their continued progress. And then we have an injection of talent into our program with a really important recruiting class for us. I think we have a group of guys who have tremendous character. I think we have made our team more athletic and I’m really looking forward to working with this group.”

Speaking of recruiting, the talent pool just expanded with the expansion of the Pac-10. Its was officially announced today that Colorado will join the Pac-10. And before its all over the Pac-10 could expand to 16 teams total. From sportingnews.com:

The Big 12 is also expected to lose Nebraska to the Big Ten, and those two losses will be the beginning of the Big 12′s breakup. Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are also expected to announce their plans to leave the Big 12 for the Pac-10 as soon as today. Even if Nebraska doesn’t leave for the Big Ten, Colorado is still committed to the Pac-10. If the Big 12 somehow stays intact –- without a Nebraska defection — CU still would be part of a two-team Pac-10 expansion, possibly including Utah.

At first glance this sucks for my generation. I grew up watching USC, UCLA roll into town to play the Sun Devils as well as the Washington and Oregon schools. That may be a thing of he past with Pac-10 expansion and realignment.  For the future of the Pac-10 this is awesome. If we expand to 16 teams we cold rival the SEC in terms of talent and national championships. We would become a super conference and that is a good thing. Bigger is better right? Right.

Why is everyone jumping ship? Is Herb Sendeks 40 minutes of hell to tough for these guys. Was it a case of wanting to start but not putting in the work during practice? Not sure what to make of it all. The latest to leave is Victor Rudd. From azcentral.com:

“According to the website asudevils.com, forward Victor Rudd has told head coach Herb Sendek that he intends to transfer from ASU.”

I know we got five really good recruits coming in. I just don’t think all five are going to be ready to make an impact next season. I hope nobody else takes off, Like Rihards Kuksiks, that would suck. From fanster.com:

“Rudd joins Demetrius Walker, Brandon Thompson and Taylor Rohde as players leaving the program. Add the fact that Derek Glasser, Eric Boateng and Jerren Shipp are all graduating, and the Devils have a lot of uniforms to fill for next season.”

Dude, buy these guys some cars, hook them up with some ladies, lets get them to commit to stay here. Know what I’m say’n

This is a terrible way to end what was turning out to be a pretty positive season. ASU blew an 11 point lead with 5 minutes to go. The Sun Devils played desperate in that final 5 minutes. ASU seemed to be getting a taste of their own medicine facing a tough, pressing Jacksonville defense. It was a pretty depressing loss at home for the Devils. From azcentral.com;

“As Jacksonville (20-12) celebrated, the Sun Devils slowly walked off the court. Freshman Demetrius Walker stood on the bench with his hands raised over his head, staring in disbelief. The Sun Devils, the Pac-10′s second-place team, finished 22-11.”

Well thats how its going to end. With a 67-66 loss. Next years team is not going to have the senior leadership this team had. It will be interesting to see what magic Herb Sendek can work next season.

So happy for coach Sendek and the Sun Devil basketball team. Most of us didn’t imagine finishing with the second best record in the Pac10 after losing James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph to the NBA. The experts certainly didn’t expect to much, picking us no higher than 7th. This has been a down year for the Pac10 to be sure. However, under Herb Sendeks coaching the Sun Devils ceased on that opportunity and made the most of it. From azcentral.com;

“Stories have surfaced over the years about the Arizona State coach stopping practice to correct a non-scholarship player’s stance or halting a drill to fix a team manager’s chest pass. Such attention to detail usually leads to success, and so it did Monday when Melanie Sendek called her husband to inform him he had been named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year. “I’m certainly flattered,” Sendek said after the Sun Devils finished practice hours later. “It’s obviously a team award in many respects. Our coaching staff is so heavily relied on, and obviously our players play the game, so it’s flattering but most certainly shared.”

And the good news doesn’t end there. Ty Abbott was named to the all Pac10 first team. Abbott has had a great season after coming back from knee surgery. I knows this team truly believes they can win this Pac10 tournament. ASU plays Stanford Thursday night at 9:30. Go Devils!!!

I got this weird feeling Mike Montgomery is going to win it just because he has coached a lot of years in the Pac10. Make no mistake, I want and think Herb Sendek should win it hands down! The Sun Devils were picked to finish nowhere near the top of the conference after losing their two star players to the NBA. From azcentral.com;

“Yes, Mike Montgomery led Cal to its first Pac-10 regular-season title in 60 years, but the Golden Bears starting four seniors, were supposed to be good from the start. In fact, you could even argue they have underachieved. Arizona State is a different story. Herb Sendek has the Sun Devils competing for a conference title in the Pac-10′s final week. No one saw that coming. This is his award.”

It sure is. it would be a travesty if Sendek does not get it. Ok, how about some baseball news. ASU swept Towson (Towson?) in a double header at Packard Stadium. They won the first game 9-1 and the second 11-6. This team may have one of the deepest rotations in the Pac10! Annnnd lets finish with some football news. ASU has hired Trent Bray as the new linebackers coach. From Fanster.com;

“Former Arizona State University graduate assistant Trent Bray has been named Linebackers Coach for the Sun Devil football team, Bray will assume the full-time role of coaching the ASU linebackers, a task he is no stranger to as he served as graduate assistant for the linebackers/defense in 2007 and 2008.”

Looks like this coaching staff is going to look a little different than last years. I wonder if there are more changes to come.

Dude check out Rich Eisen’s 40 yard dash, hilarious

Devils lose 62-46 to the Cal Golden Bears. It was a tall order to begin with. Travel to Cal on Senior day and try to get a win that would put the Devils in first place in the Pac10. A feat made even more diffulcult with the Devils poor shooting. They went 3-22 from three point range and that is not going to get it done. From azcentral.com;

“Perfection would’ve called for ASU’s best effort. Stubborn defense, strong rebounding, lucky bounces. But more than anything, perfection would’ve called for great shooting. The Sun Devils didn’t have it. With ASU leading 30-29 to start the second half, Glasser missed a point-blank shot in the lane. With ASU trailing 49-42, Jamelle McMillan missed an open 3-pointer that could’ve halted Cal’s momentum. “For us to have had a better chance, we needed to convert those kinds of opportunities,” Sendek said.”

This season is not over. We can still share the Pac10 title. We face USC on Thursday. Lets go Devils and win out.

Wow, the seniors on this Sun Devil team came through big. The Devils battled back for a 68-60 win against Stanford at  Maples Pavilion. I can’t remember when the Devils won this many road games. Eric Boateng had a epic game. From fanster.com;

“But Boateng was unstoppable. The senior from London had 11 points in the first half, including three dunks. Stanford’s post defenders, Jack Trotter and Andrew Zimmerman couldn’t do anything to stop him, and Boateng contributed to Zimmerman fouling out and Trotter drawing 3 personals. Derek Glasser added 20 points for the Devils, including 15 in the 2nd half. It was Glasser’s 4th 20-point game of the season, and his first since scoring 22 in a loss at BYU in early December. Glasser was perfect from the line, hitting all nine of his attempts, and pushing his season free throw percentage to 89%.”

Awesome, this win still has us at a 1/2 a game behind Cal for first place in the Pac10. ASU faces them this Saturday. From statepress.com;

“Now the showdown is set. On Saturday afternoon in Berkeley, first place and control of the conference championship are on the line. “It is going to be a fun game on their floor,” McMillan said. “You have to expect 100 percent from both teams, and it is going to come down to patience, poise and execution on both ends. It is going to come down to heart.”

This season has been great and if they win Saturday Herb Sendek has got to win Pac10 coach of the year! thebiglead.com knows whats up.

This story doesn’t sound good for the Sun Devils. ASU’s assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator, Matt Lubick, is leaving ASU for Duke. Leaving the Pac10 for Duke football? Weird. Does he know something about the future of Sun Devil football that we don’t? Maybe he sees a better opportunity with Duke. From azcentral.com;

“Lubick, who also coached defensive backs for ASU the last three seasons, will be Duke’s recruiting coordinator, passing game coordinator and receivers coach. Moving eastward affords him the opportunity to have a hands-on role on the offensive side of the ball.”

Well at least Herb Sendek isnt going any where. The Sun Devil basketball team is in second place with a great shot to win their first Pac10 title. What a crazy season. We still have a lot of work ahead. From azcentral.com;

“ASU plays its next three games on the road – at Arizona, Stanford and California – before closing with USC and UCLA at home. ASU has already lost to four of its five remaining opponents, including a 19-point drubbing by Arizona on Jan. 23 in Tempe. “I expect we’ll have to be at our very best to be competitive,” ASU coach Herb Sendek said Tuesday on the Pac-10 coaches teleconference. “At our place, Arizona was vastly superior, and we’re going to have to be much better to compete.”

I am getting excited for Sundays big game!!!

Ok, now a sad note. A Legendary Sun Devil has passed away. Bill Kajikawa passed away at the age of 97. He was one of the people responsible for the creating the ASU football, baseball and basketball programs. He will be missed. From houseofsparky.com;

“Before retiring in 1978, Kajikawa had worked as the freshman football coach under nine ASU head football coaches.  In addition, he served as head basketball coach from 1948 to 1957, and he was head coach of ASU’s club baseball team from 1947 to 1957.  He was inducted into the Arizona Basketball Hall of Fame in 1968 and the ASU Hall of Distinction in 1982.”

Ugly game. I mean the Devils had 26 points at halftime. The Beavs only had 18! It wasn’t pretty but a win is a win. (I use that description every night I go out drinking). Its nice to see ASU playing defense again. From statepress.com;

“After allowing 70 or more points in its last five contests, ASU held OSU to just 46 points on 24.6 percent shooting, leading to a 56-46 win at Wells Fargo Arena. The shooting percentage by OSU (10-13, 4-7 Pac-10) was the lowest allowed from a Pac-10 opponent by ASU in 23 years.”

Shut it down baby! The second half belonged to Jerren Shipp. Shipp has been little used his senior season but came through big with 11 points 6 rebounds and 3 assists. From azcentral.com;

“The biggest thing for me, my senior year, I want to go out with a Pac-10 championship,” Shipp said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to do that. If that means coming off the bench, giving us a spark, then that’s what I’ll do.” “Jerren Shipp seemed to make every big play in the second half, keeping Oregon State from mounting a serious charge. The senior role player had 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.”

Its going to take gutty performances like that to get this team a Pac10 championship. It can still happen.

Always use spell check.

Herb Sendek has got another commitment to add to the likes of Brandon Dunson, Jordan Bachynski, Keala King and Corey Hawkins. Chanse Creekmur a 6-7 forward from Marshalltown, Iowa wants to be a Sun Devil!!! From azcentral.com;

“Basically, they’ve been recruiting me the longest and made me feel comfortable,” Creekmur said. “I loved the place when I visited. The team was cool, and I realized it was just something I wanted to be a part of.“

You made a good choice buddy. Looking forward to seeing you wear the maroon & gold. Speaking of signing. ASU signing day, check this video out ASU fans..

The Pacific Northwest enacted some revenge on the Devils Saturday night in the form of a butt-kicking at the hands of the Huskies in Washington. The Devils were never in control in this one and lost 79-56. From statepress.com;

“Washington really took it to us,” ASU coach Herb Sendek said, according to UW media relations. “They were very aggressive and I thought they played outstanding defense.”

So now we are some kind of weird five way tie for second place. it seems like no one wants to challenge for the Pac10 title. Hey do you now what might give us an edge in the future? How about a smaller Wells Fargo Arena? From houseofsparky.com;

Ok. The Pac10 is weak this year. I concede that. Everybody is in the same boat the Devils are, but the Devils are taking full advantage of it. From fanster.com; “There’s simply no precedent for what we’re currently observing during the 2009-10 Pacific-10 men’s basketball season. The pundits have been quick to jump all over The West Coast’s Premier Athletic Conference ™ this season and with due cause. Let’s face it: the 10 teams in this league have combined to lose to or have close shaves with the likes of Lipscomb, Portland, Montana, Idaho State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Sacramento State, UIC, Seattle, Oral Roberts, James Madison, CS-Fullerton, CS-Bakersfield, Long Beach State, Wright State, Eastern Washington and Nicholls State.” This season has provided the Sun Devils with a perfect opportunity to build on the success they have already had under Herb Sendek. They sit alone on top of the Pac10, a conference without a team in the top 25. ESPN/USA Today Poll gave us 15 votes, not enough to crack the top 25.

Ty Abott is taking advantage as well, he is having a great season after struggling early last year. From azcentral.com; “Abbott found his shot three games later. By the postseason, he was a different player, scoring a season-high 20 points in an NCAA Tournament loss to Syracuse, taking momentum into this, his junior season. After a slow start because of a Knee injury, Abbott enters Saturday’s contest against rival Arizona as perhaps the biggest threat in ASU’s rejuvenated offense. Abbott said overcoming last season’s shooting struggles – he missed 51 of 59 from 3-point range during the Pac-10 season – helped him deal with his knee injury. It also made him a more-rounded player, focusing on defense and rebounding. Overall, he’s averaging 10.1 points for the Sun Devils and shooting a team-best 42.5 percent from 3-point range.” We’ll need that kind of production against Arizona on Saturday.

Yes we do have some offensive talent on this team but it is the team defense that is winning games. From statepress.com; “ASU defenders have been straight up bullies during the 2009-10 campaign. I’m talking the beat-you-up-and-take-your-lunch-money variety. ASU (14-5, 4-2 Pac-10) leads the nation in scoring defense (54.6 points per game) and has held eight different opponents to their respective season lows in scoring this season. In the team’s last five games (4-1), ASU opponents have shot just 36.5 percent from the floor, and 13 of the 19 squads the Maroon and Gold has faced have converted field goals at a sub-40-percent clip. Boards are being crashed, shots are being contested, screens are being run through and the hardwood is being mopped up by Sun Devil players hustling after every loose ball.” I love Sendek’s commitment to defense, it makes me confident that the Sun Devil basketball program will continue to be competitive during his tenure as head coach. Go Devils!!

So after watching the Cardinals lose, then watching the Suns embarrass themselves I was ready to lock myself in a closet and cry away the weekend. Then came those irrepressible Sun Devils. God bless em. This team is on a gravy train with biscuit wheels!!!! In defeating the Oregon State Beavers Saturday they swept the schools from Oregon. Did I mention they swept the schools from Washington last week? They are showing no mercy to the Pacific North West. From fanster.com; “What was completely unpredictable is the way the Sun Devils have responded from that awful showing in Los Angeles. Since then, Arizona State is 4-0, including a weekend road sweep of Oregon and Oregon State. ASU played their final game ever at the historic McArthur Court in Eugene on Thursday, and blew out the Oregon Ducks 76-57. The Devils followed that up with a 66-57 win in Corvallis over Oregon State on Saturday. Sendek’s crew is now 14-5 on the season, and their 4-2 conference mark has them alone in first place in the Pac-10.” Ty Abbott had a season high 21 points and Rihards Kuksiks finished with 15 points. This team sits alone on top of the Pac-10! We should be excited right coach ??? Not So much. From azcentral.com; “It doesn’t mean anything, because the difference between first place and 10th place in our league is nothing,” ASU coach Herb Sendek said. “I don’t even know the standings. I don’t want to know the standings. I know everybody’s jumbled up. You’re as good as your last four-minute segment before the next media timeout.” He’s right boys and girls. The mildcats come to town next Saturday. Can we beat them for a sixth straight time? You bet we can! Go Devils!

Herb Sendek has got this team playing great basketball after a rocky start to the Pac-10 season. After losing two games in Cali the Sun Devils have rattled off three wins in a row. The latest victim was the Oregon Ducks. From azcentral.com; “All three opponents faced double-digit deficits in the first half. None shot better than 37.3 percent. “They’re a very skilled team,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. Rihards Kuksiks scored 25 points to lead the way. He made 9 of 12 from the floor, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range. Abbott, the Pac-10 Player of the Week, added 16 points, all in the first half. Abbott led the initial surge, scoring 10 points as ASU jumped to an 18-6 lead. At halftime, the margin was 19. ASU, trying to put two strong halves together for one of the few times this season, never let up. “Our guys are in a good place right now,” ASU coach Herb Sendek said.” NO KIDDING. The devils are playing awesome and these wins put us in a great position to compete for a Pac-10 title. From houseofsparky.com; “With the win, ASU moves into “contender” category for the Pac-10 crown. Another strong showing in Corvallis will make ASU stand out as the top dog in conference, which is not a good sign considering we lost our two best players from last season.” Our next opponent? Oregon State. Then the Arizona Mildcats. We swept them last year, so you know they are out for revenge. Going to be a good game. Hey! So it is a “down” season for the Pac-10. Who cares, its not our fault everybody bolted for the NBA!