Sun Devils Closing Out Rough Season See Hope On The Horizon With Carson And Hawkins
ASU seniors Abbott, Kuksiks and McMillan lead ASU to 20-point victory over Oregon. In-coming point guard Jahii Carson finishes Mesa High career with 58-point game.
Sun Devils Closing Out Rough Season See Hope On The Horizon With Carson And Hawkins
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about 2 years ago Update 0 comments
Jahii Carson Drops 58 Points In Final Prep Game, ASU Coach Sendek Can't Wait
The Arizona State Sun Devil basketball team is one game away from ending another disappointing season. With one game left on the schedule they are guaranteed to finish last in the PAC-10 and at best six games under .500. The team has dealt with some key injuries this season but overall just didn't have the talent to compete.
That might change next season with the arrival of Jahii Carson from Mesa High School. The 5-11 point guard is ranked eighth nationally at his position. He's an extremely fast scoring guard as evidenced by his performance in the 5A-I semi-finals where he went 25-38 and scored 58 out of his team's total 82 points. Unfortunately, his team lost to Brophy who now advances to the state finals.
Carson originally committed to Oregon State in 2009 but switched to his hometown Sun Devils last May. His new coach, ASU's Herb Sendek, commented on Carson's performance after last night's win over the Oregon Ducks.
"That's an amazing number. I know how important it was for him to win the state championship but you score 58 points, that's staggering," Sendek said.
"My college coach is here, Coach Maloney from Carnegie Mellon, and I don't think I had 58 points in my career for him."
Carson will join shooting guard Corey Hawkins in the ASU back court next season. Hawkins, son of former NBA shooter Hersey Hawkins, broke the Arizona high school scoring record previously held by Mike Bibby as a senior at Goodyear Estrella Foothills.
Next season's Carson - Hawkins backcourt pairing should allow Sendek to open up the offense and play at a faster, more fan-friendly pace. That, and more importantly winning, might put this team back on the Arizona sports map.
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Sun Devil Seniors Key Three Point Barrage As ASU Wins 73-53 Over Oregon
With only two games left in their Sun Devil careers, the three ASU seniors- Ty Abbott, Rihards Kuksiks, and Jamelle McMillan- came up big on Thursday night against Oregon. Abbott and Kuksiks had 22 apiece while McMillan pumped in 11 points in addition to 6 assists. The three combined to make all 16 of ASU's three-pointers as ASU rolled Oregon 73-53.
ASU started off well as Abbott hit three early three-pointers to set the tone. From there, Kuksiks and Abbott led the first half charge as they stroked three after three. ASU led 38-26 at halftime.
Things got considerably closer in the second half as the Ducks cut the Sun Devil lead to six points with 8:52 left in the game, placing ASU in a scenario that it had seen too many times this season.
As Abbott said after the game, "It's kind of been our story the whole year. We...get out, play well in the beginning. Then, you know, we had that time in the middle that we had today. Usually we don't come back from those lulls...but it felt good to finally weather the storm a little bit and pull one out."
Weather the storm they did. Abbott, Kuksiks, and McMillan knocked in eight more three-pointers in the second half to key a 16-3 run that effectively put the game away. The script couldn't have been written any better for the three seniors, who were the three highest Sun Devil scorers on the night.
Asked about his seniors, head coach Herb Sendek had this to say, "I was really proud of our three seniors. I thought each of them really contributed a great deal and played an outstanding game for us... To see them have a night like tonight, on their last home weekend... really makes us all feel good."
The Sun Devils will play their final game of the regular season on Saturday against the Oregon State Beavers. It will definitely be an unforgettable night for the seniors, who plan to enjoy the moment and play with intensity. As Abbott put it, "If it's gonna be your last one, you might as well win it."
