ASU Basketball: Dort and Cheatham essential in Sun Devil victory

The contributions of redshirt senior Zylan Cheatham and freshman star Luguentz Dort proved to be pivotal in ASU basketball’s second win of the season.

With the Sun Devils already up double-digits over visiting McNeese State, ASU was extending their defense the entire length of the floor.

The game would end in an eventual 80-52 victory for the Sun Devils, but the decision to press late in the already decided game did not come from ASU head coach Bobby Hurley.

The decision instead came from forward Zylan Cheatham, who was joined in the press by teammate Luguentz Dort after offering him two simple words.

Turn up.

More from Devils in Detail

• Sun Devils Primer: Game 2 vs Oklahoma State
• Sun Devil Insight: Quarterback Room
• Arizona State Spotlight: Kenny Dillingham
• Arizona State 2023 Season Opener: Off To A Good Start
• Arizona State vs USC Prediction and Promo (Expect Offensive Fireworks)

“I just told him to turn up,” Cheatham said. “Me and him were on the same page, we gave each other the look. We got four stops in a row, now let’s get six, let’s get eight, let’s be greedy in this sense and it worked out in our benefit.”

And turn up they did. The duo led the Sun Devils as Dort finished the game as the leading scorer at 25 points alongside three steals while Cheatham followed with an all-around game of 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.

The performances of both players have made something very clear in the Sun Devils 2-0 start.

What has come to fruition and will most likely become clear as day as the season moves on is that Dort possesses the ability to be a one-and-done candidate for the NBA Draft, and Cheatham will be a headache for opposing defenses.

First, the former statement explained.

In his first two games as a Sun Devil, Dort has scored 28 and 25 points, respectively, while coming away with three steals in both games. He has shown the ability to score in a variety of ways..

Some of these weapons that Dort possesses in his arsenal is the ability to shoot the 3-ball, the ability to drive with an electric first step, a post-up game and the use of an extremely impressive euro step like below.

The versatility of the freshman has proven to be key in Hurley’s trust of Dort to take possession of the ball anywhere on the court.

“If we want to throw it down to [Luguentz] down there [in the post] I would be okay with that too,” Hurley said. “Almost anywhere on the court he has it is a good place to go.”

Now, the statement about Cheatham. Through the first two games, we have seen the San Diego State transfer post up on the block, sit on the wing and even run the point when necessary.

The ability and faith in Cheatham to be able to do a variety of things is heavily recognized and used to the team’s benefit.

“Just talking to Hurley, he’s not afraid to experiment with anything,” Cheatham said. “He lets guys go. He’s seen I have that capability and that’s something he wants to take advantage of.”

While Cheatham’s ball handling and unique skill set has been on full display, he admitted the nerves in his first game had him wishing not to airball his first few shot attempts.

The reason for the nerves stems from the fact Cheatham had to sit out last season with teammate Rob Edwards due to transfer rules.

“Anytime you sit out that much time, you get so juiced up to play,” Hurley said. “Sometimes when you play, you’re rushing things a little bit too much.”

The jitters seem to be behind Cheatham,  who increased both his 12-point, nine rebound outing from game one to 16 and 12 alongside six assists in his point-forward role.

While uncertainties remain around ASU with injuries to Edwards and Remy Martin, we will know two things for sure.

The team’s success will heavily depend on both Dort and Cheatham to replicate their success from games one and two.

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.