Sun Devils Basketball Gets a Facelift

by mlev811 on Apr 13, 2010 12:53 PM MST in ASU Basketball

If there is a theme that sums up the short couple of weeks that have passed since the Devils loss to Jacksonville, it might be one of abandoning ship. It has been a tumultuous offseason so far with 3 players defecting from the Devils and finding a new gym to call home. Brandon Thompson, Demetrius Walker, and Taylor Rohde have all decided to hang up their Sun Devil jerseys and move on from Herb Sendek's system.

It is understandable, to me, that Thompson left, as he rarely saw the court and with the influx of talent entering the system this year would likely have been buried on the depth chart a la Christian Polk, Kraidon Woods, and other players who've left the Devils. Rohde seemed somewhat lost on the court and I don't think he truly is the answer down low. With Pateev and Bachynski, the Devils aren't much worse off with the loss of Mr. Rohde.

Walker...hmmm. Could this be one of those situations where in 2 years we wonder what could've been of the Devils had Walker stayed? I'm not sure. He showed flashes of his athleticism, but showed the weakness of his jump shot. It would've been nice to see what would've come of Walker, as his time of the court most likely would've been increased next year. We lost some talent, but hopefully can make it up with this years incoming recruiting class.

Speaking of the recruiting class, it isn't complete. Herb is working hard to pull-in another player or two. He is chasing after the #7 SG in the nation Trey Zeigler. Zeigler will visit Tempe this week along with JUCO PF Dwight McCombs. McCombs is deciding between Arkansas, Auburn, Minnesota, Murray State, and of course, ASU. McCombs originally went to Miami of Ohio, before transferring to play at the junior college level. Either Zeigler and/or McCombs would make a very good incoming class a great incoming class.

Tweet Comment 3 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

What the heck

Is going on in the program? Sounds like Victor Rudd isn’t returning either and we are going to sign 7 recruits! Why are so many guys jumping ship? It can’t be playing time unless we are promising playing time to every recruit.

by Ion293 on Apr 15, 2010 8:25 PM MST reply actions

It is all about the playing time.

Brandon Thompson was buried – the back court is just going to be too deep. Taylor Rohde just did not fit the system, and he was not going to see much PT. Walker – that was a combination of things. His offense came, as it stands right now, is reliant on a shaky jump shot and attempting to get to the rim with no size – because he cannot rely on his jump shot effectively, and this offense is so slow paced, he was not able to contribute effectively and was frustrated with his usage.

All these guys met with the coaches here before they transferred – and the coaches let them go. They must have felt comfortable with the players coming in. Whether or not this was the right decision remains to be seen, but Herb has — arguably — the best class of his ASU career incoming. King should play immediately.

House of Sparky - www.houseofsparky.com - Go Sun Devils

by ASUBoyd on Apr 21, 2010 4:28 AM MST up reply actions

Ok but...

What does this say about Herb’s ability to gauge talent? You can’t swing and miss this often and expect to produce a winning tradition. Also, do all of these kids think they are McDonald’s All-Americans? Transfers on this scale are not that common in NCAA athletics. Finally, are we in danger of falling below the NCAA graduation quotas and getting sanctions? Transfers, fair or not, are counted against the program in their ability to graduate student-athletes.

by Ion293 on May 12, 2010 4:11 PM MST up reply actions