With Pac-10 play upon us, there’s no time like the present to jump on the Sun Devil hoops bandwagon. If you haven’t been following along at home, here’s the CliffsNotes version of what you’ve missed in Herb Sendek’s first two seasons.

At Echo from the Buttes we understand that Arizona State is first and foremost a football school. We also understand that it wasn’t long ago – ok, it’s been about two years – that Sun Devil hoops was unbearable to watch.

But with a Top 20 ranking, the Pac-10 season approaching, and two first-round NBA Draft Picks on the roster, we believe it’s time for those not yet on the bandwagon to catch up on what they’ve missed and jump onboard.

Two years of hoops under Herb Sendek. Here’s the CliffsNotes:

• ASU loses 22 games in Sendek’s first season—five more than predecessor Rob Evans lost in his final season. The tally includes 15-straight conference defeats during which ASU fails to score 50 points four times.
• In Year One, Sendek ditches his preferred Princeton-style offense and man-to-man defense. The moves works out and the Sun Devils never go back.
• Sendek also smartly hires a high school coach as an assistant and awards an under-recruited LA point guard a scholarship. The assistant, Scott Pera, and the point guard, Derek Glasser, happen to be good buddies with James Harden, one of the country’s top prospects.
• In Year Two, Harden arrives in Tempe, averages 18 points per game and leads the Sun Devils to the cusp of the NCAA Tournament. ASU becomes only the second team in Pac-10 history to lose 20+ games one season and win 20+ games the next.
• Following Year Two, Harden and Jeff Pendergraph forego the NBA Draft to make another tourney run. They return to find the Pac-10’s powers depleted to the point that UCLA coach Ben Howland predicts a four- to five-loss champ.

The end result? Since Sendek’s first season when the team lost 22 games, the Sun Devils are 32-14 – including 10-5 in games decided by 10 or fewer points. Entering Pac-10 play this weekend, they’re ranked 17th in the country and enjoying their best start in 34 years.

It’s time to get on the bandwagon.

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