House Of Sparky

Wild BCS Scenario: What if Oklahoma and Texas Meet in the BCS Championship Game?

2008-12-03T07:20:25Z

If you haven't read this article about the BCS rankings and Florida's current malaise in the standings, do so immediately. For the sake of this article, feel free to assume that Florida wins the SEC Championship game, and Oklahoma romps Missouri in the Big XII title matchup.

What if Oklahoma ascends to #1, and Texas squeaks past Florida for #2? Lets take care of the obvious, first of all.

The Big XII would have contributed both of its BCS teams.
Florida fans would raise hell.
A whole new can of worms would potentially blow the lid off of the BCS, for good this time.

What is my angle?

As you all are well aware, the BCS takes an absolute maximum of 2 teams per conference. This is to prevent an east coast (or SEC) bias, I imagine.

The Fiesta Bowl contracts the Big XII representative to play in its game every year. Should they lose their champion to the BCS title game, they take another Big XII team. Should they lose both teams to the BCS Championship, what would they do?

Florida would be the automatic SEC berth, and would thus be slotted to play in the Sugar Bowl.
USC and Penn State are locked into the Rose Bowl, no matter what happens this week.
Boston College or Virginia Tech, whoever wins the ACC, is in the Orange Bowl.
Cincinnati is playing somewhere.
Utah is playing somewhere.

This leaves 2 at-large berths, and the Fiesta Bowl has complete control over the future of the BCS. In terms of chaos, they could really "tear down this wall," should they so decide to.

The Fiesta Bowl can play it safe, picking Alabama and a team like Ohio State... Or they can spring for complete anarchy, picking Boise State and another at-large team like Ball State. Does this make monetary sense? Absolutely not! But it would leave these teams out of the BCS, big money bowls:

Alabama
Texas Tech (already eliminated by virtue of Texas/Oklahoma title matchup)
Ohio State
TCU

The sheer amount of awfulness that the BCS Bowls would reek this year would be enough to have a playoff system appear as soon as the 2010 bowl cycle.

Lets look at the chaos:

Bowl Game	Participants
Fiesta Bowl	Boise St. Broncos (at-large) vs. Ball St. Cardinals (at-large)
Sugar Bowl	Florida Gators (lock) vs. Utah/Cincinnati
Orange Bowl	ACC Champion (lock) vs. Utah/Cincinnati
Rose Bowl	USC Trojans (lock) vs. Penn St. Nittany Lions (lock)
BCS Championship	Oklahoma Sooners (lock) vs. Texas Longhorns (lock)

The whole thing is a beautiful mess. If only it would happen.

All of this is moot if Alabama wins, or Florida passes Texas in the BCS bowls... It's just so glorious to conceive an alternate reality where undefeated teams are rewarded for their play.

Sun Devil Madness - 2 days, 2 sports, 3 games - 2 wins, 1 loss...

2008-12-01T08:12:11Z

Wow, what a crazy weekend full of crazy Sun Devil action. The games were wild, the food was delicious, and Tempe has finally started having some beautiful weather. Lets get to it.

ASU FOOTBALL - 34, UCLA 9... BIG WIN

ASU has a dominant (defensively oriented) win over the UCLA to get up to 5 wins, and set up a fateful showdown with Arizona for a bowl berth, which we do not really deserve, but will gladly take.

This game was bizarre. If someone tossed the game stats in your face you'd cringe and assume ASU got trounced.

Team Stat Comparison

1st Downs	18	10
3rd down efficiency	6-17	2-13
4th down efficiency	0-1	0-0
Total Yards	306	122
Passing	217	101
Comp-Att	26-44	13-26
Yards per pass	4.9	3.9
Rushing	89	21
Rushing Attempts	35	24
Yards per rush	2.5	0.9
Penalties	9-81	7-56
Turnovers	4	1
Fumbles lost	1	0
Interceptions thrown	3	1
Possession	31:26	28:34

So, we couldn't run the ball, couldn't pass the ball, held the ball for less time despite 4 turnovers, and were nearly outgained 3-1...but we win by nearly 30? How? Defense. Like I have been saying since the USC game, our defense is well coached, full of studs, and has been the strongest part of this team. Nolan, Nixon and Goethel all had INT returns for TDs. That kind of thing is not sustainable, but it sure kicks ass. Troy Nolan's was even for 100 yards. Dexter Davis now has 10 sacks - he could get up to 12 easily by the end of the season, since bowl statistics count in college. Nolan has 4 ints, Nixon has 5. Defense looks good.

Offense - not so much. Rudy threw for 101 yards, 1 int, and had a 50% comp percentage. He looked lost out there, and really struggled. He sucks. I look forward to the future. McGaha and Jones were the only people getting open. UCLA has a good pass defense, but this was pathetic. Herring, Nance, DeWitty - none of them could run the ball against one of the worst rush defenses in the nation (96th nationally). The line sucks. At least the penalties were cut down by about 30 yards today...

Anyways. It was a good win, and it sets us up nicely for a showdown with Arizona that will be packed with storylines.

ASU Basketball 1-1

ASU 78, Baylor 87 LOSS

The first loss of the season came in depressing fashion. The game started off nicely and looked like a win until it became clear that Baylor was going to successfully do the one thing our defense wants other teams to do - shoot threes. The zone scheme Sendek has in place is predicated on forcing the opponent into taking a bunch of long threes, since it clogs the passing lanes and the key, but Baylor just kept hitting shots. Baylor was 11-24 (~46%) from downtown, with LaceDarius Dunn hitting 6 of them off the bench for 27 points. Baylor's guards combined for 69 points and Baylor just drowned us out in the second half. Baylor played flawlessly with only 8 turnovers, and shot an incredible 57% for the game.

Frankly, I am not that upset with the loss. Baylor hit everything. They took shots we wanted them to take, and in the end, just made more. They are a quality team. Harden was huge again with 32 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. He just was not enough. Abbott was garbage, going 2-10, and 1-7 from three. Harden can't do it alone. Pendergraph had another solid game with 19 points and 10 boards, but needs to be more assertive on the offensive end. He should have taken more than his 7 shots. He was 6-7 and 7-7 from the line. We just got beat, which is something I can accept.

ASU 88, UTEP 58

We responded on Sunday with a crushing defeat of UTEP. Sendek really is an amazing coach. Obviously, UTEP is not Baylor, but in one day Sendek fixed our defensive problems and the team responded in shutting down UTEP to under 30% from the field (29.6%), and from three (23.5%). Defense was amazing, but James Harden was king.

Harden dropped 40 points and set the tournament record for points in a game, and points in the tournament. 40 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assits. 6-7 from three. 6-6 from the line. Harden is simply gangster. Abbott was the only other person in double figures with 12, although he shot poorly again. He needs to find his stroke quickly if he is going to be taking 7 threes a game. He is only shooting 26% on the season. The team looked good today. Wish we could have come out of the tourney undeafeated..but oh well.

We are 5-1 and have one of the best players in the country on our team, and our football team has won 3 in a row. ASU athletics are looking good.

BCS Bowl Projections: November 30, 2008

2008-11-30T23:33:01Z

Okay, let me pontificate for just a moment. I feel like Texas got hosed. Just my personal opinion. You beat Oklahoma? You have the same record? You should go to the championship game. Texas Tech was destroyed by Oklahoma; Texas lost on a last second touchdown to Tech. Thus, not the same scenario.

Either way, there were a lot of shakeups in the BCS bowls projections for this week, with Oregon State losing to Oregon and Oklahoma moving to #2 in the BCS standings.

Keep in mind, the Fiesta Bowl has the first at-large selection, after all tie-in games are satisfied. ACC goes to Orange Bowl, Pac-10 and Big Ten go to the Rose Bowl, SEC goes to the Sugar Bowl, and Big XII goes to the Fiesta.

In this scenario, Texas will be the Big XII representative in Glendale. With Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, Penn State, USC, and Boston College/Virginia Tech all locked into their respective games, that leaves very few options for the committees to choose from. These include the Big East champion Cincinnati Bearcats, the undefeated Utah Utes, and an at-large pick of their choice.

After the Fiesta Bowl picks, it is the Sugar Bowl's turn. After that, the Orange Bowl gets its pick.

Bowl Game	Participants	Winner
Orange Bowl	Boston College Eagles vs. Utah Utes	Utah
Rose Bowl	USC Trojans vs. Penn St. Nittany Lions	USC
Fiesta Bowl	Texas Longhorns vs. Boise State Broncos	Texas
Sugar Bowl	Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Cincinnati Bearcats	Bama
BCS Championship	Oklahoma Sooners vs. Florida Gators	Florida

Bear with me here. The Fiesta Bowl loves the Boise State Broncos, right? They have the first choice, and can take either a guaranteed team (Cincy, Utah) or go with a team like Ohio State, TCU, Ball State, or Boise State. I think they are going to extend the invitation out of the realm of normalcy, sending ripples through the BCS picture.

With only guaranteed teams remaining, the Sugar Bowl will go with the Bearcats, who are far better than the Hawaii Warriors of last season.

Lastly, Utah plays the mediocre Boston College Eagles, winning that game easily.

Thoughts?

Jeff Pendergraph Has Arrived, ASU Beats Charlotte 84-56

2008-11-28T16:15:16Z

ASU's defense emphatically shut down Charlotte on Thanksgiving night, to the tune of a 28 point victory in the first round of the 76 Classic in Anaheim.

Jeff Pendergraph, off to a slow start this season, really found his stride and scored 23 points while collecting ten rebounds.

ASU moves on to play Baylor in the second round at 10:30 tonight, on ESPN2.

This is going to be one of those rare "ASU Doubleheaders" on ESPN2, with the football team playing at 7:30, immediately passing the network off to Herb Sendek and his squad 3 hours later.

James Harden pitched in 15 points, while Ty Abbott scored 13.

This kind of beatdown has been what we expected to see earlier, against the likes of Mississippi Valley State or Pepperdine. But a peak performance in the first round of a neutral site tournament is a rare and unusual treat for Sun Devil (4-0) fans.

Lets just hope they can keep this up.

Turkey Day Has Arrived, Sun Devil Football and Basketball Is Coming To Town

2008-11-27T19:15:46Z

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

To celebrate this momentous occasion, ASU will be supplementing the holiday cheer by playing basketball all weekend, and also hosting UCLA in Sun Devil Stadium on Friday.

First things first:

ASU BASKETBALL!

Sun Devils vs. Charlotte 49ers

Tonight, 7:00 PM Mountain

The 49ers are 2-3 on the season, but have a quality core of players that can surprise the Sun Devils if they have another lackadaisical performance like the one against Pepperdine.

The Sun Devils will need to get more out of Ty Abbott, who hopefully has recovered from his cold. Jerren Shipp will need to bring his energy game off the bench to inject the Devils with a much-needed boost once again.

Prediction: Sun Devils 67, Charlotte 58

Depending on whether the Devils win or lose, they will be playing on Friday night. Win, they are on ESPN2 at 10:30 PM against Baylor or Providence. Lose, and it's 9:00 PM on ESPNU.

ASU FOOTBALL

UCLA Bruins @ Arizona State Sun Devils

Friday, 7:30 PM Mountain, ESPN2

The Sun Devils have won two games in a row, and are looking to beat the Bruins on their improbable run to a bowl game. Both teams are 4-6, 3-4 in Pac-10 play. Beating UCLA would fully establish ASU as the 6th best team in the conference, with the 5th spot to be decided against Arizona.

Not much to be said about this game, other than the fact that ASU has had two weeks to prepare, and should be able to beat UCLA without difficulty. Then again, they should have beaten UNLV by 30, so there is that.

BCS Bowl Projections: November 24, 2008

2008-11-25T01:01:45Z

Another week, another shakeup in the projections of the BCS Bowls.

This much we know:

Utah is BCS-bound, with their undefeated 12-0 season.
Penn State is going to the Rose Bowl after winning the Big Ten.
Oregon State goes to the Rose Bowl if they beat Oregon on Saturday.
Unless Missouri wins the Big XII championship game, there will be 2 teams out of Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma in BCS games.
Florida and Alabama are in BCS games.

Keeping that in mind, where is there wiggle room?

The ACC is still wide open. As for the Big East, Cincinnati has to get by Syracuse, and they will be going bowling.

I am still very interested in Oklahoma State's and Missouri's influences on the BCS picture. If the Cowboys beat the Sooners, then Texas Tech will go to the Big XII Championship game, playing Missouri.

If Missouri is able to pull off that upset, we would see a very unusual event: a team that didn't even win its own conference playing in the BCS Championship game, the Texas Longhorns. Unfair? Probably. Missouri would then go to the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale.

Bowl Game	Participants	Winner
Orange Bowl	Florida St. Seminoles vs. Utah Utes	Utah
Rose Bowl	Oregon St. Beavers vs. Penn St. Nittany Lions	PSU
Fiesta Bowl	Oklahoma Sooners vs. USC Trojans	USC
Sugar Bowl	Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Cincinnati Bearcats	Bama
BCS Championship	Texas Longhorns vs. Florida Gators	Texas

Harden Named Pac-10 Basketball Player of the Week

2008-11-24T23:17:31Z

Harden Named Pac-10 Basketball Player of the Week

The super soph averaged 25.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists en route to the honor.

Interesting list of the most player of the week awards for sun devil players.

#1 - Eddie House with 5
#2 - Ike Diogu with 4
#3 - Mario Bennett 3
#4 - Harden now with 2

James Harden and Jerren Shipp Lead The Sun Devils Past Pepperdine

2008-11-24T01:08:25Z

Final - 11.23.2008	1	2	Total
Pepperdine Waves	19	21	40
Arizona St. Sun Devils	27	34	61

Complete Coverage >

TEMPE, AZ (House of Sparky Press)-

The Arizona State Sun Devils improved their record to 3-0 on Sunday afternoon, beating the Pepperdine Waves 61-40 in Wells Fargo Arena.

The Sun Devils were led by James Harden, who scored a career-high 33 points on 12-19 shooting, while going 8-9 from the charity stripe.

Ty Abbott, who averaged 15.5 ppg over the first two games of the season, was battling a cold all afternoon. He failed to score, but his slack was picked up by Jerren Shipp, who scored 11 points and played a high-energy game.

Facing a Pepperdine (1-4) team with three freshmen and two sophomores in their starting lineup, ASU was able to exploit the youthfulness of the Waves.

The game began with an emphatic Harden dunk, assisted by Derek Glasser. The Devils played sloppily to begin with, turning the ball over on three consecutive possessions. At the first timeout, Pepperdine was winning 7-5.

Instead of pulling his players, Coach Herb Sendek showed belief in his young team by leaving the starters in to work out the kinks. This was a telling vote of confidence.

Pepperdine came into the game averaging 46% from 3-pt territory, but only could muster a 27.6% average against ASU. Mychel Thompson, a sophomore from Ladera Ranch, California, went 3-12 from beyond the arc.

With 5:39 left in the first half, the game went to TV timeout with the Sun Devils winning 22-19. An ASU student came onto the court and hit a halfcourt shot to win a year of free pizzas and $2500 towards his tuition from Papa John's. The crowd erupted, and this moment was parlayed into more emotion during the game itself.

Money in the bank!

ASU used the crowd's input to play stellar defense, holding the Waves scoreless for the rest of the half, going into the locker room with a 27-19 advantage.

The Sun Devils played solid defense, bringing Pepperdine down to the wire on their shot clock multiple times throughout the contest. The 2-3 zone stymied the Waves, forcing them to shoot 29 three pointers. They only made 8 of them.

Shipp hit two 3-pointers in the first half, helping to bolster the early lead.

Harden broke his previous high score of 27 points, which he accomplished on January 17, 2008 against California in Berkeley.

Jeff Pendergraph kept out of foul trouble, playing 29 minutes and only fouling twice. Pendergraph went 3-6 from the foul line, scoring 5 points and taking down 6 rebounds. Sendek went on to say that Pendergraph played his best game of the season against Pepperdine.

Pepperdine has to go home to THIS? Rough life. (This is Malibu, CA)

With this game complete, ASU travels to Anaheim to play in the 76 Classic. Their first game is on Thanksgiving night at 7:00 PM MST against the Charlotte 49ers (1-3). Don't be fooled, Charlotte was 20-14 last year, and "returns four starters and nine of its top 10 players from last season," according to a Charlotte 49ers press release.

ASU Locks up top 100 basketball recruit for 2009

2008-11-24T01:12:59Z

ASU Locks up top 100 basketball recruit for 2009

Demetrius Walker, a 6'3 guard out of AZ, and the #80 player in the country for 2009, has signed a LOI for ASU. Sounds like he will made an immediate impact because he does not have a ton of room left for growth. Could fill the void left by Harden's possible departure. August 2008 scouting report:

August, 2008: Walker doesn't have great upside, but there are few prospects in the country that play as hard as him. He has a chiseled physique and it's been like that since his freshman year. He is first and foremost a scorer and he can hurt the opposition in many ways. He's at his best in transition where he attacks the basket with reckless abandon - usually with a thunderous dunk. Although he has very good straight-ahead speed and a quick first step to the basket, he has limited lateral quickness. When defenders get into him that can match his strength he struggles getting to the basket. His jump shot has improved since last season, but it's still streaky. He gets great lift on his shot and he can stop on a dime, but most of the time it has a hard landing. He needs to hone his perimeter handle, particularly his left hand, and continue to smoothen out his jump shot to play at the highest level. Despite these drawbacks to his game, his effort level is unquestionable

Game Preview and Statistical Breakdown: Pepperdine at Arizona State

2008-11-22T22:01:57Z

On a Saturday with no Sun Devil football to report on, lets look forward to the basketball game on Sunday afternoon. Our competitors are the Pepperdine Waves (1-3) and the Arizona State Sun Devils (2-0), in a contest played at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. Game time is 2:00 PM, and it is on FS Arizona if you can't make it to Tempe tomorrow.

Here is the statistical breakdown for your Sun Devils:

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
James Harden	2	31.0	6.5	11.0	59.1	0.5	3.0	16.7	7.5	10.0	75.0	0.5	3.5	4.0	6.5	4.0	2.5	0.0	3.0	21.0
Ty Abbott	2	35.5	6.5	11.0	59.1	2.0	5.5	36.4	0.5	1.0	50.0	1.0	7.0	8.0	3.5	1.0	0.5	1.5	2.5	15.5
Rihards Kuksiks	2	33.5	3.5	6.0	58.3	3.0	5.5	54.5	1.0	1.0	100.0	0.5	2.0	2.5	0.5	2.5	1.0	0.0	2.5	11.0
Jeff Pendergraph	2	29.5	4.0	5.0	80.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	100.0	0.5	3.0	3.5	0.0	1.5	0.0	0.0	4.0	9.0
Derek Glasser	2	26.5	0.5	1.5	33.3	0.0	1.0	0.0	5.0	6.0	83.3	0.0	1.0	1.0	4.0	0.5	1.5	0.0	0.5	6.0
Jerren Shipp	2	10.0	1.0	1.5	66.7	1.0	1.5	66.7	0.5	1.0	50.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	3.5
Jamelle McMillan	2	15.0	0.5	2.5	20.0	0.0	2.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	100.0	0.5	1.0	1.5	1.5	2.0	1.0	0.0	1.5	2.0
Taylor Rohde	2	10.0	0.5	1.5	33.3	0.5	0.5	100.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	1.0	1.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.5
Eric Boateng	2	7.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.0	0.0
Kraidon Woods	1	3.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0
	2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

ASU team leaders after two games:

Team Leaders

Stat	Player	AVG
Scoring	James Harden	21.0
Rebounds	Ty Abbott	8.0
Assists	James Harden	6.5
FG%	Jeff Pendergraph	80.0
FT%	Rihards Kuksiks	100.0
3PT%	Taylor Rohde	100.0
Blocks	Ty Abbott	1.5
Steals	James Harden	2.5

As you can see, James Harden is living up to his billing as a sophomore, even with the flu-like symptoms he was suffering all day before the game against San Diego State. Jeff Pendergraph truly needs to step up, as he is getting into foul trouble this year at a rate we would like to see go down significantly.

Continue reading to find out about the Pepperdine Waves, and my prediction for the game.

Now, lets look at the Pepperdine statistical breakdown.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Mychel Thompson	4	28.2	4.0	8.8	45.7	1.5	2.8	54.5	2.8	3.0	91.7	0.8	1.0	1.8	1.5	1.5	0.8	0.0	1.5	12.3
Keion Bell	4	23.0	3.8	9.0	41.7	0.2	1.2	20.0	3.5	4.5	77.8	1.2	3.2	4.5	2.5	3.2	1.8	0.8	2.0	11.3
Ryan Holmes	4	21.2	2.5	6.0	41.7	0.8	2.0	37.5	3.0	3.8	80.0	0.2	0.5	0.8	2.2	1.8	0.2	0.0	1.0	8.8
Dane Suttle Jr	4	16.2	2.8	5.5	50.0	2.0	3.8	53.3	0.8	0.8	100.0	0.2	2.8	3.0	1.0	0.2	1.0	0.5	1.2	8.3
Jonathan Dupre`	4	18.8	3.0	6.5	46.2	0.8	1.5	50.0	0.8	1.0	75.0	0.5	1.2	1.8	0.2	1.5	0.5	0.2	2.2	7.5
Taylor Darby	4	17.0	2.5	5.8	43.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.2	2.2	55.6	3.2	2.5	5.8	0.5	1.2	0.0	0.2	2.0	6.3
Mike Hornbuckle	4	19.5	2.2	3.8	60.0	0.5	1.0	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	2.2	2.8	1.2	2.5	1.0	0.0	1.8	5.0
Dennis Agre	4	24.2	2.0	4.8	42.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	1.0	25.0	1.5	3.8	5.2	1.2	1.2	0.2	1.0	3.8	4.3
Rico Tucker	2	12.0	2.0	5.0	40.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	2.0	1.5	0.0	0.0	4.0
Lorne Jackson	4	12.2	0.8	2.2	33.3	0.2	0.8	33.3	1.0	1.2	80.0	0.0	0.2	0.2	1.0	2.5	0.5	0.0	0.8	2.8
Corbin Moore	4	10.0	0.2	1.8	14.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	2.0	3.0	0.5	1.2	0.0	0.5	1.8	0.5
Gus Clardy	2	4.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	1.0	0.0
Andy Shannon	3	1.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0
	3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3	3.0	4.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Pepperdine spreads the scoring wealth, but with a 1-3 record thus far, it doesn't appear to be paying dividends. Their 3PT shooting is very good (around 46%), and ASU needs to watch this closely. In Pepperdine's last game, they lost to New Mexico State 90-66.

Prediction? ASU wins, but I haven't been overly impressed by our Sun Devils just yet. I am expecting a 20 point victory.

Sun Devil Bye Week: Lets Talk Basketball, Intentional Foul Edition

2008-11-21T02:50:52Z

My article on the collapse of the Arizona basketball dynasty was very timely. That very night, Arizona went on to lose in one of the most embarrassing ways I have ever seen.

Do you know what the wildest part about this video is? Horne is the first one to go to Fogg and try to drill into his head what he did wrong. When the stroke of luck occurs and UAB misses the front end of the one-and-one, I actually thought the horrible foul was going to work out for them. Boy, was I wrong.

After Horne intentionally fouled the UAB Blazer and essentially lost the game for Arizona, I found myself puzzled, amused, yet at the same time a little sad. How can this happen in Pac-10 college basketball? These kids are attending a college that, by all stats and measures, is a decent public school. How can they not put 2 and 2 together, and know that the game is tied? Forgivable once, yes. But TWICE? No.

Poor coaching, poor basketball smarts, poor everything. Arizona has two directions which it can go at this point: Straight into the toilet, or right to the top. If this moment can somehow bring the team together, and they can grow despite the adversity they face from the disgusted fanbase and the ever-growing odds, they could put on an improbable, Disney-style run into March Madness.

But really? No. This was the nail that sealed shut the coffin that holds the remnants of basketball glory in Tucson.

As for the Sun Devils, they weren't that great looking on Tuesday, either. But we pulled out a road win against a decent team, and now we are better equipped to deal with Pepperdine on Sunday.

House of Sparky - one of the top 100 college sports blogs!

2008-11-20T05:45:30Z

House of Sparky - one of the top 100 college sports blogs!

The crew over at learning XL, a site dedicated to top 100 lists on various subjects like networks for change, sites for scholars, and search engines for writers, has posted a great list of their top 100 college sports blogs. Lo and behold, House of Sparky clocks in under one of the top school blogs. Thanks for the love!

Men's Basketball Moves to 2-0

2008-11-20T02:11:07Z

It might not have been a pretty win, but it was a win nonetheless. A team's first road game of the season is never easy, and the game against the Aztecs of San Diego State proved to be no different. The Sun Devils started out looking sluggish and lethargic while falling behind early. As coach Sendek put it "We took a punch right between the eyes and then we took a number of body blows." The difference in this one was that the team wasn't afraid to stand up and fight back.

Even a virus can't stop James Harden from leading the Sun Devils to victory by netting 18 points and hitting a key three-pointer to give the Devils a lead they never looked back on. Harden and Kuksiks combined for nearly half the Sun Devils points and Abbott contributed another 13 points. Pendergraph struggled with fouls all game as he seemed somewhat overmatched. The Devils need him to pick up his game in order for them to fight their way through the season. ASU has 5 days off before they play their next game against Pepperdine(1-2) in Tempe on the 23rd @ 2:00 MT.

Arizona and ASU: Two Schools Going In Opposite Directions

2008-11-18T23:02:00Z

Historically, Arizona has held the perch of college basketball greatness in the southwestern desert. No other school in the region could hold a candle to the consistency of the Wildcat basketball program,a team that has made the NCAA tournament in each of the last 24 seasons.

Unfortunately for UA fans (and no one else), their long-awaited collapse is finally at hand. In an ironic twist, it just so happens that right at the same time, the Sun Devil basketball program is on a meteoric rise to stardom. The timing is so antagonizingly perfect that it must be chronicled.

Jerryd Bayless, in much greener pastures.

In the meantime, the 2008 college football season began with Arizona finally appearing to be as good as advertised. Starting off with a 4-1 record, when a Sun Devil fan looked at the recent standings and saw their beloved ASU squad standing at 2-6, it felt as though the world was ending in Tempe, with calls for Rudy Carpenter to be benched, and Offensive Coordinator Rich Olson to be fired.

But now, as we take a gander at the standings, we see ASU has won 2 in a row, and is now 4-6 with two games left to play. Their schedule is at home vs. UCLA, and on the road to Tucson to take on the Wildcats in the season finale. Arizona, on the other hand, has gone 2-3 since their 4-1 start, and is now 6-4 and has two home games to close out the season, against Oregon State and ASU.

Oregon State is not to be taken lightly, and I believe they will take care of business against UA, making them 6-5. UCLA is a poor team, and ASU should beat them at home. That would make ASU 5-6.

That would ensure that it was down to the Territorial Cup game to decide the fate of UA and ASU in the bowl season. Would ASU resurrect their season and go to a bowl? Or would UA return the favor and keep ASU out of the postseason?

Should ASU and UA both finish 6-6, ASU would actually be 5-4 in conference play, with UA being 4-5. ASU would go to a superior bowl, and have another year of bragging rights over the boys down south.

In the end, there is nothing sweeter than beating Arizona. ASU has gotten particularly used to the feeling, winning the last 3 football matches and sweeping the men's basketball series last year. Inevitably, it can only continue, as UA scrambles to save their basketball program from the depths of mediocrity and at the same time maintain a professional atmosphere in a football program led by a bumbling coach, Mike Stoops.

You will see this face again soon.

Poll

Will ASU and UA both finish 6-6?

ASU Alum Dustin Pedroia Wins AL MVP!

2008-11-18T20:30:55Z

ASU Alum Dustin Pedroia Wins AL MVP!

Pedroia, the pride of ASU, has become the first 2B to win the award in over 50 years. The little man led a depleted Boston squad (no Manny after the trade, Ortiz injured...) deep into the playoffs, and within a game of the World Series.

He beat out Justin Morneau of the twins by 60 points in the voting.

His 2008 MVP stat line:

157 games played
653 At-Bats
118 runs
213 hits
54 doubles
2 triples
17 home runs
83 runs batted in
50 walks
52 strike-outs
20 stolen bases
1 caught stealing
.326 average
.376 on-base percentage
.493 slugging percentage
.869 on-base plus slugging

C.W.'s note: This guy was a beast at 2B. It's difficult to say that anyone else held more value for their team in the American League this past season.

ASU Basketball? So hot right now.

2008-11-18T20:26:42Z

ESPN.com has a 2008 hot and NOT article up right now, and it had an interesting little tid bit in there...

HOT? Yeah. ASU NOT? U of A. who else?

Arizona State: The program is so rising so quickly, its former radio analyst is now the head coach at Arizona. Bah-dump-bump. But seriously folks, Herb Sendek engineered the nation's best turnaround last season (from eight wins to 21) and with James Harden leading a pack of five returners, the Sun Devils are as hot as their desert address.

Arizona: Lute Olson left, came back, left, came back and left for good. We think. Nic Wise rolled his ankle; an attack of teamwide leg cramps cut short an exhibition game; and the new head coach, Russ Pennell, spent last year talking about games rather than coaching them. Honestly, Susan Lucci needs to get on the bench of this soap opera. Chase Budinger and Wise have an awful lot of melodrama to overcome to keep the Wildcats' string of 24 consecutive NCAA bids alive.

That is what I am talking about. Eat it up future recruits. Tempe is the place to be.

Game Recap: ASU 31 - WASU 0, 4-6 Now

2008-11-17T16:51:00Z

So, homecoming day win over Washington State, everything is good right? Sort of.

Would have liked to see much more of a beat down. We were the second lowest scoring Pac-10 team against WASU (UCLA put up 28 against them) while every other Pac-10 squad scored over 50 against them! Stanford beat them 58-0, Arizona won 59-28, USC won 69-0, Oregon won 63-14, Cal won 66-3... You get the idea.

I like the shut out - first one since 1996 against #1 Nebraska..but they were also shut out by Stanford 58-0, who we beat 41-17. Take that how you will, I have no idea what it means.

Penalties, again, were a HUGE problem. 10 for 104 yards. Ridiculous, that over a field length's worth of penalties. Not sure how you fix that other than to coach the players up much more than they have been.

Some good things - defense, obviously. A shut out is always good. Doing it like this is even better. Aside from the penalties, the defense held WASU to 130 total yards. 7 yards rushing on 24 carries is amazing. We got to the quarterbacks, we have an interception and a fumble recovery. Defense is a definite strong point on this team.

The running game looked good, for once. Taking out Rudy's "carries" we ran 32 times for 150 yards. Everyone got in on the action. Keegan Herring looked pretty bad in the first half, while DeWitty looked solid (6 per carry). The second half belonged to Nance and Bass who ran 16 times for 82 yards. Nance also had 23 yards receiving.

The passing game was eh. Rudy was 17/25 for 213 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs. Mistake free. Big play free. Stud of the day was Kyle Williams, who had 2 receptions for 72 yards and 2 TDs. Everyone else had less than 40 yards receiving. Kerry Taylor had a td. Best thing that can be said is that 11 different players had receptions. Mike Jones disappeared.

Dexter Davis now has 9 sacks and has been named to the Hendricks watch list, so that is pretty cool. Nixon has 4 ints, and has become a good cover linebacker.

Team won. Bye week before UCLA at home on the 28th.

EDIT: To temper too much joy, these last two wins have come against ESPN's top two BOTTOM 10 teams.

1. Washington 0-8 "How the West Was Won": The winless Huskies need to discover how a team from the West can win at least one

2. Washington State 1-8 "Code of the West": In the 2008 season, the code is losing -- and the Cougars are definitely following that code.

BCS Bowl Projections: November 16, 2008

2008-11-17T02:43:04Z

UPDATE: You can find the new BCS Bowl Projections, as of November 24th, right here at House of Sparky.

Last week, I did my first BCS bowls projections. This week, after some interesting games were played on Saturday, I have decided to update my projections.

Without further ado, here are your House of Sparky-Sanctioned BCS Bowl Games! As a side note, allow me to point out the BCS rules: the BCS rotates its at-large selections by year. "January 2009 games: Fiesta, Sugar, Orange" is the rotation for this round. Also, read this interesting nugget:

5. After completion of the selection process as described in Paragraph Nos. 1-4, the conferences and Notre Dame may, but are not required to, adjust the pairings taking into consideration the following:

  A. whether the same team will be playing in the same bowl game for two consecutive years;
  B. whether two teams that played against one another in the regular season will be paired against one another in a bowl game;
  C. whether the same two teams will play against each other in a bowl game for two consecutive years; and
  D. whether alternative pairings may have greater or lesser appeal to college football fans as measured by expected ticket sales for the bowls and by expected television interest, and the consequent financial impact on Fox and the bowls.

The pairings may not be altered by removing the Big 10 Champion or Pac-10 champion from the Rose Bowl.

So, even though Oregon State has already played (and lost) to Penn State, they will still meet again in the Rose Bowl if things go according to plan.

Bowl Game	Participants	Winner
Orange Bowl	Miami (FL) Hurricanes vs. Boise State Broncos	Boise
Rose Bowl	Oregon St. Beavers vs. Penn St. Nittany Lions	PSU
Fiesta Bowl	Texas Longhorns vs. USC Trojans	Texas
Sugar Bowl	Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Cincinnati Bearcats	Bama
BCS Championship	Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Florida Gators	Tech

North Carolina is currently 3-3 in ACC conference play. Their schedule, however, is favorable, with games against 4-6 NC State and 4-6 Duke to close out the season. The driver's seat is held by both Maryland and Miami (FL), who are both 4-2 in the ACC.

Maryland has a tough finish ahead, playing Florida State (7-3, 4-3 ACC) and Boston College (7-3, 3-3 ACC), two teams with decent records and shots at the conference crown. All three of these teams are in the ACC Atlantic, and the winner of that section will play the winner of the ACC Coastal on December 6 to decide who will host the Orange Bowl.

Georgia Tech, at 4-3 in the ACC, has only one ACC game left: vs. Miami (FL). If they win, they are going to the ACC Championship unless UNC wins out, and then due to UNC's 28-7 victory over GT on November 8, UNC will go to Tampa for the ACC Championship Game.

The story gets even more convoluted when we look at Virginia Tech. 3-3 in the ACC thus far, they have already beaten UNC and GT but lost to Miami (FL). Should they beat Duke and Virginia, they will be 5-3 in the conference.

Long story short, I anticipate Miami (FL) and Florida State in the ACC Championship game.

As for the selection of Cincinnati to the Sugar Bowl, they don't want another SEC vs. WAC competition. Since they have priority over the Orange bowl this year, you can bet they will select the only other option, the Big East Champion Cincinnati Bearcats.

Should Utah go undefeated, they will take away Boise State's at-large berth. I don't know if they can beat BYU though, as this remains to be seen. I don't want to live in a world where a 12-0 Boise State team plays in some non-BCS bowl (like in 2004).

Live Blogging As The Cougars Invade Tempe: WSU @ ASU, 3:30 PM MST

2008-11-15T19:59:55Z

This afternoon on a warm, sunny day in Tempe, Washington State takes the field against the Sun Devils in a battle of conference bottom-feeders. At 1-9, Wazzu is awful. At 3-6, ASU is not much better. I expect ASU to take care of business, but still.

Keep your eyes peeled on this game thread, because I will be in the press box reporting live on the game, with insights and analysis you won't find anywhere else.

1:46 PM: I am in the press box, and just watched Jacquizz (edit: James) Rodgers explode for a touchdown against Cal to tie it at 7 in the first quarter. Down on Frank Kush Field, some kids are attempting field goals at the north end, and two undisclosed players are tossing a ball on the south end. No fans in the stadium yet, and most purple ProEm shirts are seated and waiting for the action to begin.

2:00 PM: Drinking a Coke Zero and getting a little antsy. I have to wait another hour and a half for this game?

2:16 PM: The press box is an interesting place, filled with media and scouts from the NFL. No specific teams will be divulged, but it is good to know that there are players on ASU (or, I suppose, WSU) that the professional teams think are worth looking at.

2:25 PM: The truly dedicated student fans are in the stands, with the front rows of sections 31, 32, and 33 covered in gold. Right now, I'd say there are 80-100 students in the section, sitting in the warm sun and getting more sober by the minute. Get back out into the tailgate! The field is being used by some WSU players to stretch.

2:40 PM: There is no TV broadcast of this game, and for good reason. Sun Devil Trivia: Frank Kush began his head coaching career at Arizona State in 1958.

2:48 PM: Thomas Weber is practicing his field goal attempts. He was true on all his tries from 47 yards, and now he is practicing 52 yard field goals. Weber is still in a cast from his broken arm. His first attempt was wide right. His second was a perfect kick that hit the "a" in Allstate.

2:57 PM: The wide receivers and running backs are running drills. They started with quick slant routes, trying to catch hard-thrown balls. Now they are working on over the shoulder catches. McGaha dropped a slant pass and looked furious with himself; Nance dropped one as well and didn't seem quite as upset. But that is just visual emotion, who knows how he truly feels.

3:00 PM: The stadium is still nearly empty, with only small pockets of fans currently seated. The student section is naturally the most full at this point, and I imagine that fans will filter in as the game nears closer. It is far too nice out in Lot 59 to come this WSU/ASU 35 minutes early.

3:07 PM: On my right is a TV broadcasting Minnesota @ Wisconsin, and my thoughts are with the hurt Badger on the field. Apparently, they are bringing out an ambulance and taking him to the nearest hospital. Hopefully he isn't permanently damaged. You can read the live blogging from Camp Randall at The Daily Gopher.

3:25 PM: 11 minutes to kickoff. Running with the Devils begins playing over the loudspeakers, and the tunnel is made for the team to run out of. Let the excitement build!.... The stadium is woefully underfilled, but there is a solid stream of maroon and gold coming through the turnstiles.

3:32 PM: The fireworks have fillled the air with smoke, but it is quickly dissipating. The weather conditions: clear, sunny skies, 81 degrees, humidity level 9%, Winds SE at 7 mph. In honor of homecoming, the Sun Devils are wearing old-school helmets! Recreation of the old design, worn from 1976-1979. A maroon sun with a gold ASU letting in the middle.

3:35 PM: The Sun Devils are going to receive the kickoff, driving towards the north endzone. Kyle Williams is back in the lineup for ASU today, ready to return the kick. Washington State tried some trickery immediately, trying an onside kick in a regular kickoff formation. #37 Mike Callaghan caught it and the Sun Devils start with a overthrown pass to an open Chris McGaha.

3:40 PM: The Sun Devils had an opportunity to inflict some early damage on the Cougars, and on 3rd and 8 Carpenter completed a pass to Kerry Taylor for the first down. Now at the Cougar 47, the Devils are well on their way to a score. DeWitty is currently the feature back.

3:41 PM: Rudy was sacked on consecutive plays by the Cougars. With their new 3-4 formation, I am surprised that they are able to get so much pressure on Carpenter up to this point. Weber's punt flies out the back of the end zone, and Lopina starts the drive for the Cougars at the 20. Their first play is a run by Tardy for 4 yards.

3:45 PM: The Devils blitzed 5, and Lopina was able to get it out just in time for a 30 yard passing gain. Now at the Sun Devil 44, their drive continues. Lopina just got tackled by Wooten. for a loss, and now it is 3rd and 15. They complete a 11 yard pass, but it is not enough to get a first down, or into field goal range. But with a 1-9 record, what can you do? The Cougs are going for it on 4th and 4. Lopina rolls out right and completes a pass to #85, Jeshua Anderson. First down at the 28 for the Cougs.

3:48 PM: The Cougars aren't doing anything fancy, but basic out routes are working against the Sun Devils. They are attempting to emulate USC's offensive plan against ASU, but without the team speed the Cougars are finding themselves tackled behind the line fairly frequently. On 4th down, the Cougars unsuccessfully attempt a 41-yard field goal, and the first bullet of the afternoon is avoided by ASU.

3:52 PM: Keegan Herring has checked into the game for the Sun Devils, and on his first attempt loses 3 yards. 2nd and 23, Rudy finds Pettes open and he gains a handful of yards. 3rd down and very long.

3:53 PM: More of the same mediocrity from ASU, unable to move the ball at all. Weber once again punts, but this time it is a beauty: rolls all the way to the Cougar 13.

3:57 PM: Lopina nearly throws a pick, but Nolan is unable to reel it in. That was a golden opportunity for a team with no momentum. 2nd down, RB Staden loses 3 yards, and now it is 3rd and 13. ASU shows blitz from its LOLB and MLB, but drops back into zone coverage. WSU is unable to gain any yardage on the inside slant pass, but ASU was offsides, and now it is 3rd and 8. WSU in shotgun with 2 RBs. ASU sends 5 and Lopina is sacked by Dexter Davis! Loss of 6. Punt!

4:02 PM: McGaha shakes a defender and gains a bunch of yards, down to the 32. On the next play, Herring gains 4 on the ground, and it is 2nd and 6. McGaha is the target once again, and he picks up a Sun Devil first down with a 14 yard gain. The offense looks like it is finally clicking. Here ends the first quarter. Boy, this game is moving quickly so far.

Start of 2nd Quarter

4:05 PM: The offensive cannot take advantage of field position inside the 5 yard line, and Weber is now attempting an extra-point distance field goal. It's good!

3-0 ASU

4:08 PM: There is a flag down on the return. Holding on WSU, and they now start their drive at the 14 yard line. As if they needed a longer road to the end zone. Lopina passes to Brandon Gibson for no gain. Another passing play, this time to Anderson, but they only pick up 3 yards, and it is 3rd and 7 from the 16.5 yard line. Out of the shotgun, Lopina finds Tardy, but he is one yard short of the first. WSU will punt again.

4:14 PM: Carpenter is "sacked" as he ran out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage. On 2nd and 13, he passes to Kimbrough for a 11 yard gain. 3rd and 2.

4:15 PM: Carpenter's pass incomplete to Jones. It looked like pass interference to me, as the Cougar was riding him all the way across the field. Punt time.

4:17 PM: At this point, I am going to move the commentary to the "comments" section; it will be easy for you to join the conversation with me there.

#15 ASU 1-0: 80-64 win over Mississippi Valley State

2008-11-15T16:06:17Z

Entering the season with our first preseason ranking since 1991-92 (when we immediately lost 2 of 3 in the Maui Tournament), we have a lot of work to do to live up to the ranking.

Mississippi Valley State (Southwestern Athletic Conference Champ, 17-16 2008, lost in opening round to UCLA in NCAA tournament) played us awfully hard, hit 40% of their three point attempts, closed the lead to only 9 (50-41) in the second half, and junior Shannon Behling had 18 points. But, we still won so..

On to the Sun Devils. While I would have liked to have seen a blow out, MVS was at least an NCAA tourney team (while we weren't..hmm..)

We shot 57.8% from the field. We should have attempted a lot more shots, and Sendek notes that

"We really held the ball too much," Sendek said. "The ball didn't move freely. Everybody who caught it just kind of made sure it was orange, made sure it was a sphere, and then we passed it. Our offense is going to work better when we move the ball more freely and more sharply."

This is not just lip service - it really was true, and I expect the offense to settle down into more of a groove as they work out the early seasn jitters. We shot mediocre from the line (71%), okay from three (35%) and were pretty good about not committing fouls (16).

As a team we were solid, but not spectacular.

Individual performances.

James Harden - pimp. 24 points (6/11 FG, 0/4 3P, 12/16 FT), 3 rebounds, 10 assist (2 to) 3 steals in 30 minutes. A solid line. Great to see Harden dishing the ball out like that because our point guards had little production tonight. Harden on being such a player:

"I guess that's how I always am," Harden said. "I'm a playmaker. I get my teammates shots. I try to create for them as much as possible. That's pretty much my game. Today, I think I did an OK job of doing that."

Yes, you did James. Our Pac-10 title hopes rest on Harden's shoulders this year, so it is good to see him responding to all these preseason 1st and 2nd team All-American nods in a strong way.

The Point Guards, Jamelle McMillan (who started) and Derek Glasser:
Since we have two point guards, both of whom play about equal time (McMillan 21 mins, Glasser 23) we will look at them as a tandem. McMillan has yet to live up to his hype (he was ranked by scouts as a 93 and a top 100 recruit. Harden was a 97) but that is alright, I expect some strides forward this year.

They did not score much and did not shoot that well, 9 points (2-5 FG, 0-3 3P, 5-6 FT) which is to be expected. McMillan shot 36% from three last year, so I dont mind seeing him put up some shots, but Glasser is absolute garbage. 31% last year, but in big games it was about 10%. (Oregon 1-7, USC 0-5, Wash St 1-5, UCLA 2-6). They had 1 combined rebound, 6 assists to 2 turnovers, and 3 steals. Not a lot of production for 44 combined minutes. That is ok, the ball was in Harden's hands most of the possessions.

Ty Abbott: 32 mins, 18 points (8-13 FG, 2-6 3P, 0/0 FT), 8 rebounds, 4 assist 1 turnover, 1 block.

Abbott had excellent efficieny on the other hand. Not quite Harden-esque, but 18 points in 32 minutes is great. He shot well, although it would be nice to see him drawing some fouls instead of relying on his outside shot so much. 8 boards is great to see out of the undersized guard. He also was economical with the ball.

Rihards Kuksiks: The 6'6 sophomore who played 4 minutes in our first 7 Pac-10 games combined last season, and then ended up starting by the end of the year, is poised for a breakout season as our starting SF/PF. The guy can shoot (37% 3P last year). He played 33 mins, shot 4-7 (4-7 from 3P, ha) and scored 12. 3 Rebs, 1 assist to 3 turnovers (eh..), and 1 steal.

If he wants to be effective as a college 3 or 4 he will need to improve his ball skills and improve his defense.

Pendergraph - the senior emotional leader only played half the game, had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and did not miss a shot. Solid, and I would like to see more of this. No more 18 foot jumpers this season Jeff.

The Bench:
Boateng played 11 mins, had 1 rebound 1 steal and did nothing else. Hope his ball handling had improved.

Shipp - 12 mins, 7 points? I will take it. Shipp has seen his playing time slowly decrease as Sendek's recruits have come in, but he still provides solid depth off the bench.

Kraidon woods - only 3 mins.

Taylor Rohde - the 6'8 225 pound Freshman recruit out of Phoenix got his college debut. Ranked as the #44 power foward in the country for 2008, and an 87 by Scouts Inc, Rohde played 12 minutes had 1 rebound, 2 assists and went scoreless. A scouting report on Rohde:

Rohde is an excellent all-around player who possesses a very good understanding of the game and is highly skilled. He has a solid looking frame with fairly long arms, a decent set of shoulders, and solid overall length. He has a great pair of hands as he can finish with either hand. Despite only being a decent athlete (doesn't have a lot of bounce) he's a solid rebounder - has very good instincts in the paint area. He's very skilled in the post - has a nice up-and-under move - and can use the glass very well on his turn-around jump shot. Defensively, he plays good position defense but lacks the quickness to guard athletic post players. Overall, Rohde is a fine basketball player, but he may struggle to score and defend against most "fours" in the Pac-10 (verbal to Arizona State).

2007 Pangos All-American Camp

Rhode will not "wow" you with athleticism, but his savvy and skills are a sight to see.

not as heralded as Coy, but ranked the same as Coy, and played in the first game... His size will be extremely valuable to the team.

Good start boys.