There’s no question that ASU coach Shawn Charles knows what it takes to be a successful collegiate wrestler.
A two-time national finalist at 126 lbs. and the first Sun Devil grappler to earn four All-American nods, Charles’ accomplishments on the mat speak for themselves. He doesn’t have too shabby of a coaching résumé, either, as the Tucson native has worked with 39 D-I All-Americans and three NCAA title winners across 20 years and four different conferences.
The question is, are the Sun Devils, who competed in the stud-stacked Cliff Keen Invitational over the weekend, on track to being able to compete with the top dogs in the Pac-12 and the nation during the grueling, pressure-packed months of January, February and championship March?
Not yet, according to the seasoned second-year coach.
“There is some frustration with some individuals,” Charles admitted. “Because we know that the ability to be good is there, but for whatever reason, we haven’t been able to pull that out of them.”
The Sun Devils didn’t live up to their expectations once again during Friday and Saturday’s competition at the Las Vegas Convention Center, as redshirt junior Levi Cooper, who took sixth at heavyweight, was the only ASU wrestler to place in the tournament.
Cooper, ranked sixth nationally and the No. 1 seed in the event, also walked away disappointed with his results after posting an 0-3 record on Saturday — proof that even ASU’s All-American still needs to polish up his technique in practice.
“The last few days, we’ve learned a lot about our athletes — some strengths and some weaknesses, some areas of concentration that we really need to focus on when we get back into the wrestling room,” Charles said.
Despite the letdown, Charles managed to find some upside in his top-ranked wrestler’s rough Saturday as well as the team’s 21st place finish out of 34 teams in the field.
“As the head coach I’m not satisfied with our end results, as far our team placing or our individual placing,” Charles said. “But I’m really happy that I got to see our guys compete in such a tough tournament so I can get them prepared for the future.”
The ASU coach was also optimistic about the performance of true freshman Jacob Graham, who posted a 2-2 record at 174 lbs. after being stripped of his redshirt just last week in the wake of the Sun Devils’ recent slew of injuries.
“The kid gave us everything he had,” Charles said. “He wrestled the number three kid in the country and ended up putting him on his back … He fought hard the whole time he was out there, and that’s what we’re looking for. Now when we go back in the wrestling room, there’s some things that we can work on with Jacob to ensure that in the future he’ll be able to beat guys like that (No. 3 guy).”
As usual, Charles stressed that ASU doesn’t place too much stock in either a good or bad showing at an early season event, such as the Cliff Keen Invitational. In the end, everything is a stepping-stone to the all-important national championship meet on March 15-17 in St Louis.
“Again, for me, this is just all preparation for the Pac-12s and the NCAA Tournament,” Charles said. “We need to make sure that we take these losses and learn from them.”
ASU’s next scheduled appearance is Dec. 18 in the Silver State once again, this time inside the Reno Event Center for the Reno Tournament of Champions.
Reach the reporter at kjnewma2@asu.edu
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