It's time to start rallying around Sun Devil sports.
And yes, I know it's only July, but you can't start too early this year.
Forget the 1996 Rose Bowl and that Barry Bonds played here. That's the past.
The future is now and it is starting to look very bright for ASU.
To start off, Sun Devil basketball pulled off a huge coup last week when prep sensation Tron Smith announced his intent to play right here in Tempe.
That's right. One of the best and brightest on the West Coast has verbally committed to play for the Sun Devils a year from now.
Smith's announcement, which had been rumored for months, gives coach Rob Evans and the entire hoops squad something to play for this year and goes a long way to legitimizing ASU's chances of another NCAA bid.
But Smith is still a year away. There is plenty of talent on campus this fall to make any sports nut go crazy.
Take the women's soccer program. In just its seventh year, the Sun Devils have the opportunity to become the next big thing on campus.
With Coach Ray Leone signing the fourth-best incoming class in the country (as rated by Soccer America), Sun Devils fans will have a new place to go on Sunday afternoons this fall.
Highly-touted incoming freshmen Manya Makoski, Stephanie Ebner and Brittany Cooper join a soccer club that already boasts Nordic Cup member Amy LePeilbet, Stephanie Peel and Patrice Feulner.
For the uninitiated, last year's soccer squad just missed out on a post-season berth and with the majority of that team still intact, 2002 looks very good for soccer fans.
ASU football kicks off its 2002 season with a marquee-match up against Nebraska. The last time ASU played Nebraska the Sun Devils went to the Rose Bowl.
And while no one expects an unbeaten season out of the Sun Devils this time around, the 2002 Sun Devils boast speedsters out of the backfield this season who are going to be hard to beat.
Running backs Hakim Hill and Cornell Canidate as well as junior back Mike Williams will anchor an offense that ranked 24th in the nation last year in points scored.
Women's basketball kicks off its 2002 season with games against Georgia and Notre Dame in late November before the defending Pac-10 Champions launch into conference play in late December.
While some may see this year as a rebuilding year for coach Charli Turner Thorne's program, consider this: ASU has posted 20 or more wins the past two seasons, a feat that hasn't been accomplished for over 20 years.
This year also marks the last for volleyball coach Patti Snyder-Park and while volleyball doesn't always get the recognition it deserves, Snyder-Park will be difficult to replace.
In 14 years at ASU, Snyder-Park has 201 victories, two Pac-10 Coach of the Year awards and six trips to the NCAA tournament to display.
So get out your maroon and gold, rehearse the fight song and get ready for a fall season chock full of Sun Devil sports success.
Reach the reporter at al.stevens@asu.edu
