National expectations for success have been a rare occurrence for the Arizona State basketball program. For the first time since James Harden was on campus, the Sun Devils found themselves ranked in the Associated Press’ Preseason Poll – coming in at a Pac-12 best 18th. As head coach Bobby Hurley and the Sun Devils approach the season-opener in less than two weeks; Hurley and senior guard Remy Martin participated in the Pac-12’s virtual media day Thursday morning. Here are five takeaways.
Martin return sets up both short-term and long-term success
Some of the excitement surrounding Arizona State’s potential to challenge for Pac-12 superiority tempered in late March after Martin opted to declare for the NBA Draft. An unprecedented draft process – for a draft which will finally occur next week – caused problems for Martin in getting the necessary workouts and experience to feel comfortable with his standing.
“I think it was just the best decision for Remy Martin,” the senior guard explained of his decision to return after a junior season which saw him average 19.1 points per game en route to All-Pac-12 First Team honors. “Through the pandemic I didn’t get to have the full experience that I wanted to working out with teams. The safety net of being able to come back to Tempe, that’s probably one of the best fallbacks you could ever have.
Martin was named a Preseason First Team All-American by the AP voters Wednesday. In doing so, Martin joined Ike Diogu – who was named a Preseason All-American prior to the 2003-04 season – as the second Sun Devil ever to be tabbed a Preseason All-American.
“It was such a hard decision to leave,” Martin said, “but now that I’m here, it was probably one of the best decisions for me, and I’m happy to be here.”
In regard to improvement, Martin mentioned his shooting percentage as a particular area of interest. An uptick in that category – where he shot 33.5 percent from beyond the arc as a junior – could spell greater interest from NBA teams following this season.
“I make some tough shots, but I want to make smarter decisions and make the easy play,” Martin told reporters Thursday of his goals heading into the 2020-21 season. “Less turnovers. Be a better and more complete basketball player.
“Winning takes care of all.”
A senior season return for Martin solidifies a backcourt that has the talent to be one of the most productive in the country. Martin and senior guard Alonzo Verge provide veteran experience to go along with five-star freshman prospect Joshua Christopher – who enters Tempe as the highest rated recruit in program history.
“Remy knows that he’s got guys on the floor that can make plays and can make shots,” Hurley said. “I love the evolution of the way he and Alonzo Verge played together the second half of last season. I would imagine that that’s going to continue to develop, and now we’re adding other guys, so he’s going to have to orchestrate a little more, distribute, keep everyone involved.”
Five-star freshmen impressing early in practice
Hanging in the rafters of Desert Financial Arena is James Harden’s famous No. 13 jersey. With the approval of the Sun Devil great, the No. 13 will return to the court for Arizona State this season. Just that honor by itself is indicative of the belief the program holds of Christopher’s ability to produce in what many anticipate to be his lone season in Tempe.
“We did take it to a different level in our recruiting with our ability to secure the commitments of Marcus Bagley and Josh Christopher,” Hurley said. “They’ve just had a great attitude, a great approach to our workouts. They are very competitive kids.
“You can see that they want to be great, and it’s really lifted our overall workouts having those two guys.”
Freshman forward Marcus Bagley is another five-star prospect expected to make significant contributions in his first season in Tempe. Martin compared the energy Bagley provides to that of former Sun Devil Zylan Cheatham, with the added benefit of an ability to stretch the floor with a smooth jumper.
“Those two individuals are some of the best freshmen that I’ve ever played with,” said Martin, when asked what he’s seen from his younger peers in practices leading up to the season’s beginning. “Their grit, their desire to win, their desire to play basketball is at an all-time high.”
“When you have people who love to play basketball and love to win; that’s when it’s fun.”
Defense remains key to fulfilling contender status
Despite being ranked the highest of any team in the conference in the opening AP poll, Thursday’s release of the Preseason Pac-12 poll had Arizona State ranked second behind UCLA. The Sun Devils received five first-place votes, less than UCLA (9) and Oregon (7). Mentioned in some circles as a preseason dark horse Final Four contender, Martin said the national expectations shouldn’t change how the program conducts itself.
“I’ve been through everything. I’ve been through freshman year to all the way now and been on both sides now,” Martin explained. “What I can tell you is that mindset does not change. I’m still the same person. No matter if we’re ranked number one or ranked 100, it doesn’t matter. I’ve been through both.
“Being on both sides really doesn’t change much; it just gives you a better perspective of [the fact that] things can change in a blink of an eye. Our main objective is just to get better every single day.”
The last time Arizona State was nationally-ranked entering the season – during Harden’s sophomore season – the Sun Devils never fell out of the top 25 rankings. In order to match or surpass the success level of the 2009 Sun Devil team, Hurley understands the importance of matching the defensive execution found in conference play last season, when the Sun Devils turned over their opponents more than any team in the Pac-12.
Martin mentioned belief in a national championship run for the Sun Devils, an outcome that would be a near-perfect crescendo to him and Hurley’s time together in Tempe. In order for that to come to fruition, the ASU half-court defense will have to improve.
“I’m not making any promises on what the future looks like with regards to the season, but we are super optimistic,” Hurley noted, following another 20-win season in a shortened 2019-20 season. “Certainly, we would love for Remy to have an opportunity, Alonzo Verge, Kimani Lawrence, our seniors just with all the optimism surrounding the program this year to get us to the point where we can complete a season.”
“Guard U” makes its return in a more complete form
Success for Bobby Hurley and the Sun Devils has come in different forms in recent years. Of course, the 2017-18 season saw Arizona State become the nation's last undefeated team en route to a top 5 ranking in the country before faltering in Pac-12 play. Martin’s sophomore year was highlighted by a home upset of then-No. 1 Kansas and last season saw the Sun Devils make a strong run at a Pac-12 regular-season crown before a road sweep at the L.A. schools ended that hope.
“We’ve built a track record of producing a style of play that’s exciting, said Hurley following a three-year run where the Sun Devils led the Pac-12 in scoring with just under 80 points per game. “We can get up and down the floor. We can score the basketball. We don’t walk it up the floor. I think we have an attractive style of play, and we’ve built a legacy of bringing in high-level guards, and it’s no different this year.”
In those three seasons with Hurley and Martin as the central figures in ASU’s success, the program has created success in different styles. The “Guard U” moniker developed with Shannon Evans, Tra Holder, Kodi Justice, and a youthful version of Martin failed to meet the defensive expectations necessary to yield great season-long success.
“I love it because I feel like [this year’s team] resembles both in a sense,” Martin said of what to expect from this year’s team stylistically. “We have the ‘Guard U.’ We have the guards that can score the ball and play, and then we have … guys that are really grinding. It’s a mixture of both, and it’s kind of fun to see it unfold.”
Minutes at the guard position should be hard to come by. The addition of Portland State transfer Holland Woods – who received a waiver to play this season – and Ohio State transfer Luther Muhammad create a mix of guards that can challenge each other in practice.
“We’re a work in progress right now,” Hurley said while noting that one thing has not been a problem. “There’s plenty of things to clean up. There’s plenty of points of emphasis, that we’re focusing on so that we’re ready on the 25th, but one of those things at the moment doesn’t appear to be the ball going through the basket.
“I think that’s probably the most important thing in basketball in its simplest form, you have to be able to score. I feel very confident about our ability to do that. We’ve been known for our pace of play and getting up and down the floor, playing an aggressive style, and I think we have the athletes and the depth to play that way. That’s exciting because that’s what we’ve been trying to build toward.”
Despite challenges, Hurley still attempting to schedule a tough non-conference slate
Few and far between are non-conference matchups that don’t challenge Hurley and the Sun Devils. The signature of Hurley’s time in Tempe has been a matchup with a top 10 team, something that’s come in different settings and different playing styles. This year, Hurley has scheduled No. 2 Baylor for what is expected to be the Sun Devils season-opening matchup on Nov. 25.
“We’re going to be facing opponents right out of the gate that have really, really high-end talent,” Hurley said. “Projected to be some of the best teams in the country.”
The Scott Drew-led Baylor Bears will be the seventh top-10 ranked non-conference opponent in the sixth year of the Bobby Hurley era at Arizona State. In most cases, the Sun Devils have been competitive in those matchups, having won two of the last three tries.
“We have to go out there for whatever the abbreviated non-conference is and perform and handle our business against other leagues,” said Hurley, who emphasized the need to rack up wins prior to Pac-12 play. “That’s going to be important. I think if you would ask with truth serum to most coaches ‘would you take a top-four finish in this league this year?’ several might sign on for that.”
With scheduling restrictions and the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, setting a schedule to the level of his liking has been a challenge according to Hurley.
“We looked as soon as we got the green light to really start looking at our non-conference schedule,” Hurley said. “Trying to convince teams to come out here. We have great sunshine out here, and no one was really biting… It’s gonna be a struggle in the non-conference.”
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