Consistency drives ASU’s veterans to achieve Hurley's expectations
Over the course of the basketball off-season, Arizona State has been no stranger to the transfer portal and the constant circulation of players in all of college sports. In ASU’s case, they welcome a plethora of seven transfers, making up for the departure of six players via the transfer portal. The Sun Devils also added two freshmen players.
With nine newcomers on the roster, head coach Bobby Hurley, similar to last year, has called upon his returning players to establish leadership roles. Ahead of the 2023-2024 season, guards Frankie Collins and Jamiya Neal, as well as forward Alonzo Gaffney, will be tasked with that role.
As a transfer out of Michigan last year, starting point guard Frankie Collins was one of the key players on the team and an integral part of the 23-win campaign. Collins averaged 9.7 points starting in 34 of the 35 games. Now, in his second year under Hurley, Collins has been asked to assume a guidance position not only as a veteran but also as the proverbial coach on the floor. As steady as a starter Collins was, reliability is the key to his mindset moving forward with ASU.
“I think it’s just being consistent,” Collins said. “Those moments where you really need to lock in and just be a good teammate or just get a bucket or get a stop, just putting my body on the line, whatever the case may be. Doing it consistently and being that leader that always steps up.”
Wednesday, Arizona State had its first official practice of the season, with the opener versus Mississippi State in Chicago just over a month away on November 8. During that session, it was very apparent that Collins was vocal during reps, along with the usual competitive banter. Collins was draining his jumpers and kept the pace going throughout the last 15 minutes of practice.
“I think I’m more consistent as being a leader,” Collins stated. “Most importantly, communicating with the guys, being another image of coach Hurley that’s on the floor. Just being that person who steps up every day and just leads, communicates, and just does the right thing for everyone else to see.
“I’m really the kind of guy, I like to hold people accountable, so I’m out there making sure we're going hard 100 percent. Sometimes coach Hurley won’t say some things, and he’ll let some things slide, so that’s where I got to come in.”
While Collins is more of the hardnosed leader, for every ‘bad cop’ there is a ‘good cop’ and returning guard-forward, Jamiya Neal is the latter. Neal, coming off an early season injury, posted an average of 4.9 points per game, appearing in 31 games while also shooting 41.7 percent from the field. He was one of the team’s standouts down the stretch, averaging 8.2 points over his final eight games. Neal may not be as outgoing as Collins leadership-wise and chooses a different path to deliver his message, believing that it’s important to make sure he and his peers are there to guide some of the younger players and/or newcomers through the vision of Hurley.
“The kind of leader I am, I just say what’s necessary,” Neal explained. “I’m not one of those guys who is just going to nit-pick or bother somebody because I like to have fun and joke around and stuff. But there’s a time and place for everything, so I feel like when it’s time to say something, I say what needs to be said. I’m the type of leader that likes to build people up; I don’t want to break anybody down.”
Aside from on the court movement of Neal, it is the off the court trials that Neal is able to use as a testament. Discussing his injury, Neal battled a lower leg injury, which caused him to miss four games in 2022-23 before getting into the mix behind a relatively deep Sun Devil Roster. Neal may not realize this, but that experience is being used as an example by the other team leader for someone who overcame adversity and bettered himself.
“I be trying to tell guys, if there is one person you guys should listen to in this locker room, it's Jamiya,” Collins remarked. “He was someone who figured it out at the end of the season when it mattered.”
“My last two years, my shooting numbers haven’t been as consistent as I’ve wanted them,” Neal stated. “I’m just trying to be a consistent shooter, consistent teammate, consistent player, consistent defender.”
Hurley is not shy about the position he’s put those two players in. Hurley's emphasis following practice was eliminating bad days on the court, and he is adamant that he is putting a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of his returning players.
“Jamiya’s never lacked confidence,” Hurley said. “I’m sure you’ll notice that when you talk to him. But he believes in himself, he’s backing it up, and he’s one of our best workers. I think Frankie has got to show great vocal leadership. He and I have to be connected. He has to be unbreakable at the point guard position. You got to be the heart and soul of the team; you got to fight. If you’re struggling a little bit on offense, you got to figure out a way to will our team to win at that position; trying to re-enforce that communication with them.”
With returners and newcomers alike, Hurley needs to instill an effective team culture. Achieving a 20-plus win season is no easy task, especially when having nine (arguably eight with Adam Miller’s eligibility status in limbo) players who were not on last year’s roster. On top of that, in the last season of the Pac-12 conference, the league seems to be more competitive than it has been in recent years. If this Sun Devils squad wants another shot at an NCAA Tournament berth, the leaders will have to be at the top of their game. Hurley noted that he has already seen encouraging signs in that regard.
“Those guys are the anchors of what we’re doing,” Hurley remarked. “Vocally, they’ve been excellent in our workouts, re-enforcing, messaging to the new players how we operate. They’ve been great leaders for us on and off the court. They’ve all taken steps; they know what playing winning basketball looks like coming off a 23-win season.
“I think they're hungry to want to do more.”
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LSU guard transfer Adam Miller, one of the most important newcomers on the team, still remains a question mark on whether he can suit up for the Sun Devils. Much like ASU football players wide receiver Jake Smith and safety Xavion Alford, Miller, who signed with Illinois out of high school, is a two-time transfer who has yet to earn his undergraduate degree and much like that pair of Sun Devils may also find himself having hos waiver paperwork being denied by the NCAA and not being eligible to play this season.
“We’re working on that, and that should be executed shortly," Hurley noted about the NCAA waiver that ASU will send regarding Miller. "Then we should know when the NCAA does decide on it.”
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