At least after a pair of exhibition games, a barely known big man could allow ASU's other big man have the big season the Sun Devils need to get back to the Big Dance.
Let me explain.
Freshman center Keith Wooden is what the Sun Devil hoops team didn't have last year: someone who can take the pressure off star forward Ike Diogu.
Wooden finished the game with numbers that could be mistaken for Diogu's, scoring 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting while adding seven rebounds. But maybe more important, his presence at the post opened up Diogu's game.
With Wooden down low, Diogu was able to mix his relentless low-post game with a good chunk of outside play to the tune of 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting.
Diogu was only a freshman last year, but it didn't lake long for opponents to realize that no one in the country could guard him one-on-one. And since the Sun Devils had no other force in the paint, coach Rob Evans had little choice but to leave his prized player down low, where Diogu would get swarmed with double and triple teams.
With Diogu hanging around the perimeter, teams can't throw two or three guys on him. And Monday's results demonstrate how much better Diogu is when he's not being smothered on every possession.
"Me and Ike, we have fun together," Wooden said. "He's a good role model. He makes my job a lot easier."
Diogu's 27 points and 10 rebounds in only 24 minutes should say enough - those are player-of-the-year-like statistics. Granted, the opponent was a group of foreigners named Ratiopharm Ulm, but if Wooden can sustain his strong play when the Pac-10 season comes rolling around, then Diogu will be close to unstoppable.
And while Wooden clearly showed how valuable he is when Diogu is on the floor, his impact when Diogu isn't playing could be more important.
Diogu found himself in foul trouble early against Ratiopharm and was taken out less than six minutes into the game. Last year, Evans would have had to insert Tommy Smith or Chris Osborne to replace him. Smith's game had less consistency than lottery numbers, while Osborne never played enough to find consistency.
With Wooden to stick down low, Evans won't have to be as worried as he was last season if Diogu gets into foul trouble or simply needs a breather.
"If teams start focusing on me," Diogu said, "[Wooden] is going to have a real big game."
Reach the reporter at andrew.bernick@asu.edu.
