ASU Men’s Basketball: Backcourt crucial to offensive success

(Photo: Max Zepeda/WCSN)

TEMPE – After catching a hot hand in its victory over then-No. 20 Michigan in the Legend’s Classic in Brooklyn, New York, Arizona State Men’s Basketball returned to Tempe, hoping to retain its momentum. During the 87-62 blowout, the offense erupted, building a 32-point lead in large part due to the play in its backcourt.

“I think it was good for us,” junior guard DJ Horne said. “We’ll definitely be able to look at that, and [the win] kind of catapults us for the rest of our season. But as far as for the turnaround, we definitely enjoyed the win while we were there, got back still enjoyed it for a little bit, but we knew we had another game coming up. So, come back down to earth and get ready for this one.”

Although the 2022-23 season is young, the Sun Devils have found success with the backcourt duo of sophomore guard Frankie Collins and Horne. Collins’ ability to distribute and facilitate the offense has garnered his teammates’ respect, achieving Hurley’s idea when he added Collins via the transfer portal.

“As a shooter, you want to play guard to take a lot of pressure off you and just gives you easy shots,” Horne said. “And I feel like he’s been doing that. … I love playing with him. In the summer, Coach Hurley told me he was going to bring in a guard for that purpose, and everything’s coming into fruition.”

In ASU’s 80-49 victory over the Grambling State Tigers, Collins tallied seven assists and two turnovers. His court vision was on full display, finding Sun Devils in the right spots to make a play. In the second half, Collins penetrated the paint, attracting two defenders and opening the paint. Collins retreated to the wing, finding Horne, who used the uncluttered lane to cut to the basket for an open layup.

“Frankie really wants to find his teammates,” Hurley said. “And he’s great at finding guys. And he had six assists, I think at halftime. We had good cutting off the ball, good movement off the ball.”

Horne’s scoring showcase continued Tuesday night, scoring a game-high 15 points on 54.5 percent shooting. His damage largely took place downtown, burring three 3-pointers on 7 attempts.

Horne and Collins’ abilities complement each other well. When Horne has the hot hand, Collins can feed Horne shots. But relying on a team scoring effort – rather than one player or a hot hand – has been an important reminder for the Sun Devils.

“Just playing together, I feel like we can compete with anybody,” senior guard Devan Cambridge said. “I think we had 21, 22 assists tonight. It’s just fun basketball, and I know when we don’t move the ball, it looks real bad. So, that’s, been the emphasis.”

Collins’ true point guard ability was an important factor in his recruitment to Tempe. Last night, Collins found Horne three times, assisting on 7 of Horne’s 15 points. Hurley had high praise for Collins heading into the season, calling him the best pure guard during his tenure. Through six games, Collins has assisted on 20.9 percent of ASU’s baskets.

“That’s his main focus. Just finding everybody as a point guard,” Cambridge said. “He would rather pass the ball than score but he can do both if he has to score that night. That’s a big thing. He can make some very tough passes.”

The play in the backcourt has certainly helped the Sun Devils succeed this season, but Hurley still believes there are aspects of the game that need to improve.

“Thought our defense again was really strong and gotta clean up the rebounding a little bit,” Hurley said. “Happy to see 21 assists on 25 made field goals, and that shows unselfishness and guys moving the ball.”