Analysis: New blood and deep range helping Sun Devils despite turnovers

(Photo courtesy: ASU Athletics)

While Arizona State has continued to take care of business this season by extending its record to 3-0 after Friday night’s 88-60 win against Idaho State, there is still a lot of room for improvement.

All offseason ASU coach Herb Sendek had been preaching about the need to limit turnovers during games this season.

So far, ASU has 38 turnovers during the first three games, with an increase of turnovers every game.

Against University of Maryland, Baltimore County, ASU had 11 turnovers, against Miami of Ohio ASU had 13 and then against Idaho State last night, the Sun Devils tallied 14 turnovers.

Luckily for the Sun Devils, ASU was able to capitalize against Idaho State’s 14 turnovers, winning the points off turnovers battle 22-16.

Still, Sendek was not pleased with his squad’s performance calling the turnovers unnecessary. Against inferior opponents, ASU should be able to dominate in all aspects of the game throughout the entire game. So far this season, the Sun Devils have gotten off to slow starts, most clearly seen in the game against Idaho State last night.

With 11:22 left in the first half, the teams were tied up at 15-15 going into the second media timeout. The game had been back and forth up to that point, with neither team looking like a high-caliber squad.

Then, ASU finally started to take advantage of Idaho State’s zone defense with three different players nailing three three-pointers in the span of two minutes and 11 seconds.

Despite this change in momentum and a 9-0 ASU run, Sendek didn’t attribute it to any change in game plan.

“I don’t think we made any real adjustment, we just continued to grind,” Sendek said. “We were able to string together some additional stops and I think they started the game shooting the basketball exceptionally well, maybe even a couple tough shots against us. But it was more a matter of staying with what we were doing and continuing to grind.”

ASU has had the hot hand when it comes to three-pointers, hitting 37 of 83 three-pointers this season. 10 different ASU players have made at least one three-pointer so far and leading the charge is senior Penn State transfer Jermaine Marshall with 10 three pointers off of 22 attempts.

Marshall continues to be an asset for the Sun Devils, averaging 18 points per game through the first three games of the season. His 18-point average makes him the second-highest scorer on the team behind sophomore point guard Jahii Carson’s 18.7 points per game average.

This 1-2 threat by Carson and Marshall is exactly what Sendek discussed in the offseason in relation to depth in the backcourt.

With the loss of Carrick Felix to the NBA, the Sun Devils needed to find a catalyst to spark their offense alongside Carson. So far, Marshall seems to be the closest fit for the job.

In addition to Marshall, the newcomers continued to stand out.  Junior college transfer Shaquielle McKissic had nine points on four of seven shooting and seven rebounds on Friday night. McKissic brings a spark to the ASU team, but many are still waiting for the player who had a 33-point performance in the Maroon and Gold game to shine again.

Young players have also had an impact on both sides of the ball so far. Freshman guard Chance Murray is averaging seven points in 17.3 minutes. Murray is on seven of 15 shooting, four of seven from behind the arc and has grabbed 12 rebounds.

Freshman guard Egor Koulechov had an impressive showing last night with nine points, four steals and two assists.

Sendek said he sees the team playing 10 players if not more this season in certain situations and that is attributed mostly to the performance and emergence of these young players.

“Once again tonight, our young guys really helped us,” Sendek said. “(Freshman guard) Calaen (Robinson) got hot at the end of the Miami (of Ohio) game. Today, Egor was all over the court, played with a lot of energy. Had a good game. Chance is giving us great minutes so I’m excited about that core group of young guys.”

This bit of trust from the staff for their early-season lets players like Carson take a step back and make plays and impact the game beyond scoring. While Carson still is playing an average of 29 minutes thus far, Carson averaged 37.2 minutes last year.

These early-season blowout wins for ASU will not only help get experience in for the younger and newer players, but also help the veterans, like Carson, stay well-rested and continue to improve all aspects of their game.

You can reach this author via email sjpell@asu.edu and on twitter @sammyjade18

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