(Photo: Zac Pacleb/WCSN)
The Arizona State men’s basketball team held their annual Maroon & Gold scrimmage in Wells Fargo Arena. With a solid crowd on hand, both teams competed well and eventually, the gold team came out on top, 63-58. That being said, head coach Herb Sendek mixed up the rosters several times throughout the scrimmage, so the result is only a byproduct of the night.
Due to the nature of the scrimmage being more of an exhibition of what the Sun Devils have been developing in the offseason, WCSN basketball reporters Zane Hopen and Kristina Vicario teamed up to give out grades to each of the players that spent time on the court on Friday night.
– WCSN basketball editor Zac Pacleb
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Willie Atwood – B-
Atwood’s position on the floor is still a question, so it is hard to tell at this point exactly what to say about his performance. The tweener-forward cleaned up a couple missed shots and passed well out of the post, but again seemed a little lost at some points on the offensive end.
Gerry Blakes – A
Blakes looked extremely confident and displayed a very versatile offensive game. Hitting three three-pointers, one of the four junior college transfers also attacked the rim relentlessly and was a big part of the gold team’s impressive ball movement throughout the night.
Savon Goodman – A+
Undisputedly the most impressive Sun Devil that took the floor, it was almost hard watching Goodman play so well tonight considering we won’t see him play until December. He seemed to get his nose in on every play, aggressively rebounding and creating second chances. To top it all off, the game’s leading scorer got to display his athleticism on consecutive breakaway dunks, as well as a dunk all over center Eric Jacobsen and guard Kodi Justice.
Tra Holder – B+
The freshman point guard came out of the gates pushing the tempo and attacking the basket very aggressively. He found a way to get into the middle of the defense virtually whenever he wanted and found his open teammates on multiple occasions. Although there were many flashes of brilliance, there were times where he went pretty quiet, and that cannot happen with his excellent playmaking ability.
Kodi Justice – B
Justice didn’t have the best shooting night in the scrimmage, but he got plenty of open looks that Sendek wants him to take. He hit two three-pointers, and we also saw some of the Pistol-Pete in him as he made some pinpoint passes, and his nice handle let him find his way into the lane.
Roosevelt Scott – B
Another member of the four junior college transfers, Scott showed off his nice handle and athleticism under the basket fighting for rebounds amongst the big men. There were times where Scott wasn’t as aggressive as some may like given his explosiveness, but he had an impressive bucket drawing the foul on top of multiple occasions where he used his length and lateral quickness to get to the rim.
Bo Barnes – B
Sun Devils fans know Barnes’ explosive capabilities, which is exactly the reason those fans were left wanting more tonight. Barnes knocked down a couple of timely threes but was an otherwise dispensable presence on the floor.
Eric Jacobsen – B-
Whether Jacobsen was recovering from a cold, or secretly took shifts awaiting the Notre Dame game at Camp Fargo all week, the center did not seem his usual self. Jacobsen started off the game looking strong on defense, but he appeared winded early in the second 16-minute half. He didn’t exhibit the high level of physicality that fans normally see, and didn’t seem to be able to get himself into a working groove tonight.
Chance Murray – A-
The speedy guard got some minutes at the point tonight, setting up some beautiful shots with cross-court assists. The guard was calm and collected while showing tremendous hustle muscling past defenders as he continually drove to the basket and banked in numerous shots.
Sai Tummala – B-
Tummala played a forgettable game of basketball tonight. He did not get too much time to really show anything of substance, but when he was out there, he was not the same forward that was seen sinking shots in practice this week.
Shaquielle McKissic – B+
McKissic’s performance was similar to Barnes’ tonight. The team leader and dunking phenomenon was lackluster until the very end of the first half, when he sank a last-second three at the buzzer. The “Shaq” fans remembered from last year came out early in the second, exhibiting his expert bird’s eye view of the rim while smashing one through the hoop.
Connor MacDougall -A
MacDougall got ample minutes and was one of the standouts of the evening. MacDougall has been learning under Jacobsen, but the freshmen seemed to outshine his mentor in the matchup. MacDougall crashed the boards all night, finagled a way to post up in any tricky defensive situation and was one of the team’s leading scorers.
Jonathan Gilling – DNP
The “Danish Dagger” sat out of the scrimmage due to a lingering foot injury that was reaggravated in practice this week.
You can reach Kristina Vicario and Zane Hopen on Twitter @KristinaV_18 and @zdubhops
