ASU MBB: Don’t Expect Much More
With the thick of Pac-12 play now beginning, the ASU men’s basketball team is 9-9 after two blowout losses.
The Sun Devils aren’t going to make noise in the Pac-12, they simply aren’t. Call me a pessimist all you want, but this team isn’t built for it.
This team features an exciting backcourt, but they live and die by the three point shot. If the shots are falling, ASU can beat anybody. If the shots aren’t falling, then ASU looks like they don’t even belong in the Pac-12.
While the backcourt may be exciting, the frontcourt is not. There is very little inside presence and, because of how the team operates, there is never real opportunity for the front court to try to do some offensive damage from down-low.
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This team isn’t built to win now, this team is built to start to implement the culture that head coach Bobby Hurley wants to create. While it may not be a fun or glamorous job, someone has to do it.
Hurley has built this team around point guard Tre Holder, and who can blame him? He has been ASU’s best player for the past two seasons and he has grown into the leader that Hurley needs right now. While Holder won’t be enshrined in the ASU hall of fame, he should be remembered for stepping up when he was needed.
Hurley is on pace to lead the men’s basketball program to success in the future. While they may never win a national championship, they might become a serious contender in the years to come. With all that being said, this won’t be the season they make that leap.
This season is laying the groundwork for the future. A few strong games here and there but overall not an impressive season. If this team were to win a Pac-12 tournament game then this season would be an overwhelming success.