ASU Basketball: Three Sun Devils take home All-Conference accolades

Arizona State had three members of its team awarded Pac-12 honors on Monday. Redshirt senior Zylan Cheatham, sophomore guard Remy Martin, and freshman guard Luguentz Dort all received awards.

Martin led the team in assists this year, and his 27 points at Arizona led the Devils to a big victory down South.

It was a special moment for him, and he could have easily made a bid for the first team along Cheatham.

“I have always been overlooked,” said Martin of missing first team. “I know other people are a little bit more frustrated than me, but it’s okay. My game shows for itself and as long as I am a point guard, we are judged for our wins and our record. As long as my team is winning, I don’t care.”

Cheatham, the outspoken Phoenix native, also spoke highly of the honor. He averaged a double-double throughout the season.

He was named to the Pac-12 First Team and was an All-Defensive Selection.

“It’s a blessing. I put in a lot of work for it,” Cheatham said. “We kind of sweep some of those types of accomplishments under the rug because we train ourselves to be competitive and we pretty much want to look past it, or we expect more of ourselves. In this instance, I am really appreciative of it and it just kind of shows the impact I have had on this team and the blessings that I have been able to accomplish.”

Rounding out the trio was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in Dort, who led the team in scoring as a freshman. He scored 16.5 a night, and his early season non-conference performances wowed many people. Specifically, his opening night outburst with 28 points caught the eye of many.

He followed that up with a 25-point performance against McNeese State, and another 33-point show later on in Las Vegas against Utah State. In conference play, Dort fell upon some hard times, but his one constant was his defense, as he led the team in steals. Furthermore, his ball pressure wreaked havoc.

Dort made the Pac-12 Second Team, the All-Defensive Team, and was a part of the All-Freshman team in addition to his Freshman of the Year award. He was the only rookie to be on the first or second team.

It is these kinds of efforts and achievements that has put Dort in the eyes of NBA scouts. The scary part is he still has more room to enhance his game on the court.

“I don’t think I was expecting that,” said Dort of his achievements. “I was just trying to come here and have an impact and then when I saw that this morning, I was very grateful...When I saw it, I didn’t expect to be the only freshman. I felt like other freshman proved themselves this year to be on the second team. I was just happy and I was proud of myself.”

Indeed, all three Sun Devils can be proud of what they have done as they try and make a run into the postseason.