ASU sophomore forward Kyle Cain and junior guard Chris Colvin may be returning to the court this weekend, but the men’s basketball team has a laundry list of problems.
Although coach Herb Sendek received a two-year contract extension this season, the persistent problems on the court are likely causing an unbearable amount of frustration.
The Sun Devils (5-10, 1-2 Pac-12) are currently No. 8 in the Pac-12 standings and have struggled to find sustained success since the departures of James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph after the 2008-09 season.
Under the leadership of Derek Glasser, ASU was able to post a respectable 22-11 record in the 2009-10 season. However, the heavily favored Sun Devils fell in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament to Stanford. The team continued its postseason collapse as it lost to Jacksonville State in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament.
The 2010-11 season was equally disappointing. ASU finished last in the Pac-10 and lost to Oregon in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament.
The Sun Devils do not look poised to return to the postseason this season, leaving many wondering what has changed since the beginning of the Sendek era.
The most glaring difference between Sendek’s early and latter teams is the absence of a true leader. Harden, Pendergraph and Glasser were all leaders, and no one has filled the void left by these players.
Keala King, who was the heir apparent to Derek Glasser, has been dismissed from the team for “unacceptable conduct.” While King’s dismissal is not the only problem on this team, it is a microcosm of the current culture of the Sun Devils basketball program.
In addition to the lack of leadership, one must question the character of the players recruited by the coaching staff.
Sendek often preaches discipline on the court, but recent recruits do not seem as disciplined in other aspects of their lives.
The NCAA ruled freshman guard Jahii Carson, a highly touted recruit from Mesa High School, ineligible earlier this season. Carson’s grades were not high enough to compete at the Division I level, showing a lack of discipline in the classroom.
Prior to the team’s trip to Los Angeles, junior guard Colvin was suspended for the second time in a month due to “conduct detrimental to any team.” Cain and King were also suspended.
If ASU hopes to revitalize its basketball program, these mistakes must be eliminated.
“I hope (Colvin and Cain) are receptive and prepared to meet our standards and expectations moving forward,” Sendek said. “We moved forward. We took action and now we’re on to the next chapter.”
Junior guards Trent Lockett and Carrick Felix led the short-handed Sun Devils to a victory over USC Thursday in the first game following the suspensions. Lockett has been making strides and has admitted that he is trying to become the leader the Sun Devils so desperately need.
Lockett’s attempts to bring together as one were seen after ASU’s loss to UCLA on Jan. 7 when he tweeted, “Tough one tonight, but we battled as a team and couldn’t be more proud of the guys in our locker room. #everysingleperson.”
That type of character, accountability and leadership needs to be placed at the forefront of Sendek and the ASU men’s basketball program’s list of priorities.
Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
