(Photo Credit: Spencer Barnes/WCSN)
Arizona State (5-2) had four different starting lineups in its first four games of the season, but has found a starting five that scored all of the team’s points against San Francisco (5-3).
The Sun Devils suffered their worst loss of the season last year against the Dons in the Bay Area, but avenged that loss with three returners on the roster in the starting lineup. Head coach Bobby Hurley has deployed the same starting five, which includes a mix of those returners and a couple of newcomers, in the last three games. This lineup shined once again on Sunday, helping the team to a 72-61 victory.
Despite last year’s loss to USF being one of the reasons the Sun Devils played in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament, Hurley did not bring up that disappointing defeat when preparing his team for this game.
“I didn’t talk much about it at all,” Hurley said. “I just tried to keep it in the present. Again, we have ten new players who didn’t have to go through that. It was just me, a few of the coaches, [junior guard] Jamiya [Neal], [junior guard] Frankie [Collins] and [graduate forward Alonzo Gaffney], so I thanked them after. I thanked the new players for helping us get a great win today with the real understanding of what we all had to go through last year.”
The new players that stepped up were junior forward Bryant Selebangue and graduate guard Jose Perez. The graduate student followed up a 24-point performance against Sam Houston State — a season-high for the West Virginia transfer — with 12 points against USF, which makes it four of his last five games in which he has scored in double figures.
Selebangue has stepped into a starting position after sophomore center Shawn Phillips Jr. and senior forward Zane Meeks sustained foot injuries in recent weeks. Even though the Tulsa transfer is only 6 feet 8 inches tall, his style of play is similar to that of a true center with his physicality in the paint. Despite a decimated frontcourt and more opportunities, the Canadian has not changed his game and knows the team needs to get healthy soon.
“I feel like my role hasn’t changed,” Selebangue said. “It’s still to come in and be that energy guy and be what the team needs me to be. With [Phillips] being out, you see it today with the fouls and how I have to play with [Gaffney’, kind of mix and match it up. We definitely need [Phillips] back up there. We need some size. He’s a great, great player.”
Selebangue and Gaffney had their hands full with junior forward Jonathan Mogbo, who finished with a double-double of 23 points and 16 rebounds. The ASU forwards only had four rebounds each, but it was the guards who led the Devils in the rebounding department.
Collins and Neal combined for 19 rebounds, with the latter notching a double-double of 15 points and 11 boards. Collins had eight boards, but it was his efficient scoring that ignited the Devils, shooting 63.6% from the field while only missing one free throw and a three. The Michigan transfer has been vocal about being a leader for this team and is starting to see the cohesion with the squad.
“I think we’re learning to play together a lot really well, because the first one was a little shaky and we were trying to find what spots and where to go, kind of messing up with our sets,” Collins said. “It was just kind of all over the place. I think now we have a better understanding after getting a couple games under our belt. Getting more comfortable. Understanding where people want their shots. Understanding how hard we have to play as a team and just playing together.”
The starting lineup carried the team as the bench provided zero points. Hurley has previously stated he has “six starters,” but one of those was a now-injured Phillips Jr. and the other was sophomore forward Kamari Lands. The absence of Phillips Jr. has been mitigated by Selebangue’s play, but Hurley understands that Lands is capable of stepping up into an important role with the team despite scoring a combined seven points in his last four games.
“It’s a matter of time for [Lands] and just like the new world we’re in,” Hurley said. “There’s an adjustment and a new environment and he had some really good games in games that have not counted on our record already, so I have seen him do it. I think he will be a guy, right now, off the bench, that will make it happen for us in that regard.”
Despite the bench players not putting any points on the board, the Sun Devils still came out with a victory against a team ranked above them in KenPom. With double-digit victories in three straight games, Hurley enjoyed how his team played on Sunday.
“Just liked our approach to defense,” Hurley said. “The quality of how we played offensively. Some of it, again, was generated how we played on defense and getting into the open court and making good plays. Just a good overall performance.”
