ASU Basketball: Hurley, players discuss Pac-12 Tournament, all-conference honorees
By Trevor Booth
Ahead of this week’s Pac-12 Tournament, ASU basketball received word of its all-conference honorees for the 2018-19 season.
Arizona State’s Pac-12 season was its best under Bobby Hurley and in the last eight seasons alone. On Monday, the Sun Devils were rewarded for it.
Three ASU players (Zylan Cheatham, Remy Martin and Luguentz Dort) were named to All-Pac-12 teams for only the third time in program history. Cheatham qualified for the First Team while Dort and Martin were Second Team honorees.
Dort and Cheatham also made the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team, complementing Washington’s Matisse Thybulle, Oregon State’s Kylor Kelley and Oregon’s Kenny Wooten. Carrick Felix (2013) and Jordan Bachynski (2014) were the only other Sun Devils on the team in its 12-year history.
“I take a lot of pride in that,” Hurley said. “Those are great things.”
Like many award announcements, this season’s didn’t come without controversy. Martin – who led the Pac-12 in assists per game (6.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.2) in conference games – did not qualify for the First Team. Colorado’s McKinley Wright IV got the nod instead.
Many ASU fans and pundits felt the decision was a snub. Martin, however, took things more lightly.
“I always got overlooked,” he said. “I’m used to it. I know other people are a little bit more frustrated than me. As long as my team is winning, I don’t care.”
Two hours after Monday’s media availability, the Pac-12 declared Dort as the conference’s Freshman of the Year. He became the fifth ASU freshman to earn the award and the first since Jahii Carson in 2012-13.
Dort was also the only freshman to be named to either of the All-Pac-12 Teams and Defensive Team.
“At first, I was just trying to come here and have an impact,” Dort said. “When I started playing, it was just happening.”
After making a splash in the awards, ASU will now turn its attention to Thursday’s Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinal. The Sun Devils will face either No. 7 UCLA or No. 10 Stanford, looking to solidify their spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Let’s take a look at what else stood out in today’s availability session.