ASU Sports Report

ASU baseball continues to be the benchmark in college baseball.  Once again the Sun Devils have put up 40 wins in a season.  This is the fifth time in the past six years that they have done so.  They are now 40-9 on the season and in the perfect position to pick up a regional or super regional home series to make the road to Omaha run through Tempe. 

Has this team met your expectations this year?  Its hard to say no, but they were the pre-season #1. 

With the likes of Josh Satow on the hill and the bats of Brett Wallace and Jason Kipnes its hard to imagine this team not making a run.  If you had to pick out a weakness it would have to be the bullpen. 

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Tags: Arizona State, ASU, Baseball, Sun Devils, Tempe

Arizona State big man Jeff Pendergraph will return for his senior season.  Good news for the Sun Devils who would have been lacking depth on the blocks without him next season.  This also is good news for Pendergraph, who is not quite ready for the NBA, in my opinion. 

Pendergraph is 6′9 and one of two big bodies on the roster from last season.  He averaged just over 12 points a game along with 6 rebounds. 

In order to move up his stock for next year’s draft he will have to learn how to stay out of foul trouble, pass out of the double team, and continue to develop low post moves. 

With Pendergraph coming back, that gives ASU two post players with experience (Jeff and Eric Boateng) and a new local recruit. (Taylor Rohde)  This team should have more depth than a year ago.  Richard Kuksiks and the other new recruit, Johnny Coy, also have some size to help on the blocks.  

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Tags: Arizona State, ASU, Eric Boateng, Jeff Pendergraph, Johnny Coy, NBA, Richard Kuksiks, Sun Devils, Taylor Rohde

Arizona State assistant Mark Phelps is the next head coach for Drake.  Phelps was an assistant to Herb Sendek for 12 years.  (2 years - ASU, 10 years - NC State) 

Drake should have a good team coming off of an early exit in the NCAA Tournament this season.  It sounds like a great situation for a new coach to step into.  Leaving a budding program like Arizona State must have been a tough decision, but taking over a NCAA Tournament team has to be a dream situation. 

My question is who steps in as the new assistant?  Can they pull in an assistant with some ties to big time recruits like before?  (James Harden) 

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Tags: Arizona State, ASU, Basketball, Drake, Herb Sendek, James Harden, Mark Phelps, NC State, Sun Devils

Here is the upcoming 2008 schedule for ASU Football.

Aug. 30 - NAU
Sept. 6 - STANFORD
Sept. 13 - UNLV
Sept. 20 - GEORGIA
Sept. 27 - OFF
Oct. 4 - at Cal
Oct. 11 - at USC
Oct. 18 - OFF
Oct. 25 - OREGON
Nov. 1 - at Oregon State
Nov. 8 - at Washington
Nov. 15 - WASHINGTON STATE
Nov. 22 - OFF
Nov. 28 - UCLA
Dec. 6 - at Arizona

It looks to me like 10 wins is the benchmark for this season.  The two games against Georgia and USC are the one that will make this season a special one or an average one.  If we can manage one win out of the two, we will be looking at a BCS game and possibly a shot at the National Championship with two wins.  

As for the rest of the schedule, getting the 10 previously mentioned wins won’t be a stroll on the beach, but they are under the ”should win” category.  UCLA, Oregon, Cal, and Arizona are going to be tough games, but we should definitely be the favorites.   The rest of the games we should be able to roll over the opponents and show the improvements in team speed and toughness. 

I can’t wait for August!  Everyone get your tickets yet? 

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I was checking out some other Pac-10 blogs and ran into one for U of A.  The latest post was a great one.  Worst Moments in Arizona Basketball…it went on to number the 10 worst moments, but just #10 is the one that caught my attention.  

10. Arizona swept by ASU in the ‘08 season Need I say anything more.

Dear U of A fans,

That is exactly right, nothing more needs to be said.  ASU had their number last season and there is no sense staying in denial.  Next time you open your mouths about basketball, keep in mind #10 listed above.  Until you beat ASU ever again, go ahead and sit on your hands and close your mouths until you are spoken to. 

From the bottom of our hearts,

ASU Fans

P.S. How’s your football team looking this year?  HAHAHA!!!

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An 8 run 9^th inning caps off the series against Washington St. with a win.  ASU’s record has now improved to 30-4 overall and 6-3 in the Pac-10.

 It has been a little rough of a start to the Pac-10 season for the Devils after rolling over everyone to start the season.   Since the opener agaist Stanford, where they were just unpreparred, they have been back on track.  All in all, the Devils are still #3 in the nation and still looking at a National Championship run. 

The Sun Devils return home this weekend and will host Oregon State in a three-game Pac-10 series beginning Friday at Packard Stadium.

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Tags: Arizona State, ASU, Baseball, Oregon State, Pac-10, Sun Devils, Washington St.

http://asusportsreport.com/?p=60

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Since 2000, the following are the only ASU players selected in the first round of the NFL draft.   

Year - Position - Name - Pick # - Team

2003 - OLB - Terrell Suggs - #10 - Baltimore Ravens

2002 - OT - Levi Jones - #10 - Cincinnati Bengals

2001 - SS - Adam Archuleta - #20 - St. Louis Rams

2001 - TE - Todd Heap - #31 - Baltimore Ravens

2000 -DE - Eric Flowers - #26 - Buffalo Bills

This list is sure to grow by the bunches now that Dirk is out and Erickson is in.  Dennis Erickson has a nose for talent and has already begun revamping the type of athlete that the Devils go after and sign.  This first full recruiting class under the new regime has the caliber of players in it that might just be first rounders in four years.  I can already see it…The Arizona Cardinals, with the first pick in the 2012 draft…select…Gerrell Robinson from Arizona State University.  Yeah, we all know the Cards will still have the first pick in four years.

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To go along with yesterday’s post, ESPN’s Andy Katz has put up a pre-season top 25 for College Basketball next year.  Guess where he has the Devils? 

15th is higher than I thought, but deserving as of right now.  We do return all the major pieces, James Harden, from a team that should have made the tournament last season. 

Football is ranked high going into the upcoming season, baseball and softball are #1, and now add in the basketball team as another ranked program.  Isn’t it great to be a Sun Devil’s fan?

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Tags: Andy Katz, Arizona State, ASU, Baseball, Basketball, ESPN, Football, James Harden, Pre-season Rankings, Softball, Sun Devils

Who is the best team in Arizona going to be next season? 

This year it clearly was Arizona State, being that they won both head to head match ups.  (Something the NCAA selection committee must not have noticed)  Now that Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger have both declared themselves NBA bound, what does that leave for the now Mild-cats?  Don’t get me wrong, they always put a team out on the court that can compete, but the days of domination might just be over and sun in Tempe is starting to rise. 

The Sun Devils will have the whole roster back along with the star James Harden, minus two who didn’t play significant minutes, plus the addition of Johnny Coy, Taylor Rohde, and a player to be named.  Last season the Devils were missing a few puzzle pieces in an additional low post presence and a consistent outside threat.  Coy and Rohde fill both those needs. 

I look for ASU to be a top 25 team entering next season and a front-runner to contend with UCLA for the top spot in the Pac-10 Conference.  Where does that leave U of A some might ask? 

1. UCLA
2. Arizona State
3. USC
4. Arizona
5. Cal
6. Washington State
7. Oregon
8. Stanford
9. Washington
10. Oregon State

These rankings are subject to change barring anyone else declaring for the NBA.

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Tags: 08-09 Preview, Arizona, Arizona State, ASU, Cal, Chase Budinger, James Harden, Jerryd Bayless, Johnny Coy, NBA, Oregon, Oregon State, Pac-10 Rankings, Stanford, Sun Devils, Taylor Rohde, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State