As football season heats up for a Sun Devils team that appears bowl-bound, basketball fast approaches at ASU.
The Sun Devils men open this Friday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena against Montana State in a Veteran's Day matinee.
But first, the latest news on the saga of ineligible guard Jahii Carson is that there is no news -- Carson, a freshman, remains unable to do anything with the team while the matter remains unresolved.
Looking back on last weekend's exhibition win over Grand Canyon, coach Herb Sendek said it took the Devils a few minutes after tipoff to settle down and play team basketball. ASU went on to win 89-69.
Point guard Chris Colvin, a sophomore transfer, scored 15 points with seven assists as the Devils did what they like to do, push the ball quickly in transition on offense and establish the tempo.
"Two things he did really effectively for us," Sendek said of Colvin, "he pushed tempo and helped ignite our transition game and secondly, he really got in the paint for us. He breaks defenses down off the dribble and creates shots for himself and others."
Colvin and Keala King on the floor together give the Devils two players who can handle the ball and create scoring opportunities. King played his best in the first half and finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and showed he is an improved outside shooter.
"When you add Trent Lockett to that mix, it gives us even another guy," Sendek said. "Both Chris and Keala are obviously charged with playing point guard for us but they can also play together. As a coach you love guys who can do different things, who are multifaceted. It allows you to play different combinations and I don't know that you can ever have too many guys that can handle the ball well."