By Megan Riesner, SDA Communications Student Assistant
Three Sun Devils scored in double figures as the Arizona State men's basketball team cruised to an 88-70 victory in their season opener over Portland State Friday evening at Wells Fargo Arena.
"I am pleased to get the first game under our belt, get out there and compete against someone else," said second-year head coach Bobby Hurley. "I think we are a work in progress. We are still finding ourselves and guys are getting accustomed to playing some different positions so we are going to keep working towards improvement day to day. I thought our job on the backboard was encouraging today. I know that they are not the biggest team either, but I liked how we competed particularly in the first half. I think we did well defensively minus towards the end when they got away from us with scoring some threes. Overall, I am happy with our first effort."
Torian Graham, who followed Hurley from Buffalo but was required to sit out last season due to transfer rules, scored 23 points (19 in the first half) and added six rebounds. Tra Holder notched 23 and Shannon Evans II had 19 in his Sun Devil debut.
"I prepared very well this week and all the weeks and years before this," Graham said. "I was ready for it. I am grateful for Coach Hurley having faith in me and bringing me back."
The Sun Devils outscored the Vikings 44-30 in the first half, shooting 48.6% (18-of-37) from the field and 28.6% (4-for-14) from beyond the arc.
ASU held the Vikings to 32.3% (10-of-31) from the field and 20.0% (3-of-15) from the arc in the first half.
Portland State led early for almost six minutes, but ASU started making shots and Obi Oleka controlled the boards as he ended with 13 rebounds.
The Sun Devils now host Cal Poly on Sunday (Nov. 13) at 7: p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena before heading to Orlando for the Tire Pros Invitational. The Cal Poly game will be televised on Pac-12 Network. The Mustangs, who returns nine letter winners from last year's team, fell at Purdue Friday to open their season..
TRA HOLDER 8 20 SCORING GAMES
26 at UCLA (1/9/16)
24 vs. #8 Arizona (1/3/16)
23 vs. Portland State (11/11/16)
23 vs. CSU-Bakersfield (12/28/15)
22 vs. North Carolina State (11/23/15)
21 at USC (1/7/16)
20 vs. #23 USC (2/12/16)
20 vs. Washington State (1/16/16)
COACH HURLEY POSTGAME QUOTES
Coach how was it to get that kind of production out of your backcourt?
It's what I've been watching for several months. We didn't make some layups early which I think would have given us even more confidence on offense with shots we would usually make. I know we have the ability to score and you know Torian was obviously terrific today shooting the ball and gave us a real spark in the first half and that's who he's been for a while. And you know Shannon, I think he's gonna play a lot better. He picked it up some in the second half. You know he would probably agree that it wasn't his best. So there were number of guys that kinda fit into that category. I thought Tra was very good tonight getting into the lane. You know they switched a lot of things so we have to rely at that point on our point guards. Trying to break down a bigger player and we did that pretty effectively.
Do you like Torian better of the bench?
Yeah he's been great. He hasn't been disappointed by not starting. He's certainly one of our best players and he's embraced the role for right now and we'll see how that goes throughout the year. But his minutes are going to be there if he continues to do the things that he's doing at both ends of the court. He's a very good defender too. Good perimeter defender and he's rebounding. He's doing a lot of things well besides just scoring.
What's it like seeing the maturity of Torian?
"I'm proud of Torian and he came to us at Buffalo and he was sitting out, and you know he's made a lot of changes. Very small changes but he's taking it very seriously. He's using all of his abilities, he's been very coachable and he knows what's at stake. And it's nice when it clicks for a guy that's but the work in like he's put the work in. I think that there's more ahead for him."
What didn't you like tonight?
I didn't like our turnovers. They were different. We have been better at moving the ball and having more assisted baskets. 11 assists on 33 field goals is a little bit lower then I'd like. We had a couple stretches where we shot quick and didn't get back on defense. I thought we gave up too many points in the paint especially in the second half. I liked that we held them in the 30's. That was a positive. I thought Ramon's minutes were positive from the five spot. Just to come in and you know, seven points four rebounds. He just does all the things we need him to do.
Defensively where do you see room for improvement?
We just have to be very active. We have to be relentless in how we move. To compensate for not having an ideal size in the front court at times with certain lineups. And if we commit to doing that then we can create some chaos out there. Tipped balls, steals and pushing the basketball. If we do defend then we're very dangerous to guard because we're putting a lot of weapons on the court, a lot of guys that can score and a lot of guys that can get up and down the floors. So that's just something we're going to be getting after our players about is being physical and rebounding and giving the max effort at being scrappy on defense.
Do you like the shot selection tonight?
I give my players freedom. I don't think we shot it as well as we're capable of shooting it. Obviously Torian helped those numbers. For Shannon he was as excited to play as maybe I've ever been to coach a game and I can get pretty excited and enthusiastic over there. I know that he'll make shots at a higher rate then he did. I think Kodi will and Tra with the three didn't really connect today with that. All those guys are very capable and I think those numbers can improve. I mean there could be games where we have 20 threes in a game depending on how teams want to guard us. If they wanna spread out then we'll just attack them off the dribble with Tra and Shannon and Kodi and those guys. And if they want to pack it in and protect the paint then we're gonna make people pay with the three.
Think 20 (threes) would be a school record...
It wouldn't shock me. 88 (points) today. I thought we were just okay on offense. Just okay. And with the turnovers and a few missed free throws. Not many but a couple from guys that I would expect to make. The layups early could have been a lot more points.
PLAYER QUOTES
When you guys were down 8-2 was that just first game jitters?
TRA HOLDER: I think we missed a lot of shots at the beginning that we usually make. The ball just wasn't falling for us, but I think as the game went on we started to make those shots. I think we all stayed confident and realized we could get back in the game.
For your first game how do you guys think you played overall?
TH: There were some stretches we played well and some we didn't play well, but I think that's just part of the first game and having so many newcomers. It is going to get better as the season goes and we're going to start off stronger next game and improve as a team.
Shannon you've shown a lot of energy out there with a couple of three point celebrations do you have those prepared?
SHANNON EVANS: I think I only celebrated twice, I only made like two (laughing). The first was I finally made one but it just happens it's in the moment. The air guitar, Obi (Oleka) started it and it just took over.
Was there a lot of nervous energy from you just being the first game in a long time?
SE: Definitely. A lot of butterflies before the game, hyped up ready to go, but I have guys like Tra (Holder) and Kodi (Justice) guys like that have my back so I can play kind of freely.
Has Torian (Graham) shot that well in practice?
SE: Yes. Everday. To you guys it is like "wow" but to us that's Torian.
What has he (Graham) shared with you guys about his journey?
SE: I know his story, he had a rough life growing up so nights like this I just wish him the best and I'm happy for him. If you know someone's story and know what they've been through in their life when the have success, you feel great for them.
He didn't play a whole lot tonight, but Bobby (Hurley) said that he is seeing encouraging signs from Jethro what have you guys seen from him in practice?
SE: When he first got here he was kind of a headache (laughing) I would say, but every day he gets better and better. It's crazy the improvements he's made already. The sky is the limit for that kid.
Can you explain what you mean by he was a headache?
SE: He was just all over the place. He hadn't really played organized basketball in so long so he was all over the place. Guys like Tra and Kodi are leading him, so I feel like he'll be fine.
Did you see that improvement in the block where he stared the guy down?
SE: He does stuff like that in practice all the time. He'll block a shot and look at them, he's 18 years old he's a big kid. People see him 6'10 and 260 but he's in real life he's a kid. I live with him, all he does is joke all day. He's literally a little kid, like my little brother.
TH:: Little big brother.
SE: Yea little big brother, little huge brother.
How important is he (Jethro) given the fact that you guys are so guard heavy right now is his development?
SE: It's very important. The sooner we get him in there to protect the rim the better we'll be, but playing with guards we will be fine because we are really feisty. We can get in there get rebounds and dive on the floor, so I feel like we will be fine either way, but Jethro really can help.
Sam (Cunliffe) was in foul trouble tonight what did you think of him?
SE: It was his first college game. Sam is another player that is going to be great. He is going to be really good, 6-7, can really shoot it, can guard the four, he can put it on the floor, he is going to be really good. As soon as we get him and Jethro on the same page they can be great.
TH: One thing I've seen out of Sam is a freshman as highly talented as him might put their head down because they had a bad game or not as good of a game as he wanted, but he had positive spirits and he knows he is going to get his time and the next game is in two days. I've been trying to encourage him and he's a good player and it's going to show.
TORIAN GRAHAM
It has been a long time coming and to play the way you did is that better than expected?
I would say better than I expected, but I just first want to thank the Lord and Coach Hurley for just giving me the opportunities, just having faith in me, bringing me back, I can never thank him enough. I prepared very well this week and all the weeks and the years before this so I handled the situation well.
Was your last game in Florida at junior college?
Yes sir..2014...March 8th.
Were you nervous at all?
I wouldn't say nervous, but when I first get in I just want to touch the ball and get it out of the way and than from their it's just get into a flow.
You haven't played a real game in so long what is that like?
Very exciting, I feel like I was put on this earth to play basketball, so when basketball was taken away, I feel like part of my life was taken, but now I'm back home and it feels good.
Do you mind coming off the bench?
Not at all, whatever Coach Hurley's decision is for us to win, I just like to win. Honestly just help the team out to win
When was the last time you've come off the bench?
This is my first time coming off of the bench.
Do you feel less pressure coming off the bench?
It doesn't matter honestly. Coming off the bench I can see how the flow of the game is going and I like being a spark off the bench and will continue doing it and giving the extra boost.
You said during the exhibition match you are always looking to improve, what do you think you could have improved tonight?
Rebound more. I had two turnovers, so limiting my turnovers and just trying to get my teammates involved and get more assists.
Three Sun Devils scored in double figures as the Arizona State men's basketball team cruised to an 88-70 victory in their season opener over Portland State Friday evening at Wells Fargo Arena.
"I am pleased to get the first game under our belt, get out there and compete against someone else," said second-year head coach Bobby Hurley. "I think we are a work in progress. We are still finding ourselves and guys are getting accustomed to playing some different positions so we are going to keep working towards improvement day to day. I thought our job on the backboard was encouraging today. I know that they are not the biggest team either, but I liked how we competed particularly in the first half. I think we did well defensively minus towards the end when they got away from us with scoring some threes. Overall, I am happy with our first effort."
Torian Graham, who followed Hurley from Buffalo but was required to sit out last season due to transfer rules, scored 23 points (19 in the first half) and added six rebounds. Tra Holder notched 23 and Shannon Evans II had 19 in his Sun Devil debut.
ASU POINTS OFF BENCH (2004-05-PRES)
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) November 12, 2016
31-@SlamStevo 2/10/05 at UCLA
24-S. Goodman 12/20/14 vs Lehigh
23-@Torian_Graham 11/11/16 vs Portland St
"I prepared very well this week and all the weeks and years before this," Graham said. "I was ready for it. I am grateful for Coach Hurley having faith in me and bringing me back."
The Sun Devils outscored the Vikings 44-30 in the first half, shooting 48.6% (18-of-37) from the field and 28.6% (4-for-14) from beyond the arc.
ASU held the Vikings to 32.3% (10-of-31) from the field and 20.0% (3-of-15) from the arc in the first half.
Portland State led early for almost six minutes, but ASU started making shots and Obi Oleka controlled the boards as he ended with 13 rebounds.
The Sun Devils now host Cal Poly on Sunday (Nov. 13) at 7: p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena before heading to Orlando for the Tire Pros Invitational. The Cal Poly game will be televised on Pac-12 Network. The Mustangs, who returns nine letter winners from last year's team, fell at Purdue Friday to open their season..
TRA HOLDER 8 20 SCORING GAMES
26 at UCLA (1/9/16)
24 vs. #8 Arizona (1/3/16)
23 vs. Portland State (11/11/16)
23 vs. CSU-Bakersfield (12/28/15)
22 vs. North Carolina State (11/23/15)
21 at USC (1/7/16)
20 vs. #23 USC (2/12/16)
20 vs. Washington State (1/16/16)
COACH HURLEY POSTGAME QUOTES
Coach how was it to get that kind of production out of your backcourt?
It's what I've been watching for several months. We didn't make some layups early which I think would have given us even more confidence on offense with shots we would usually make. I know we have the ability to score and you know Torian was obviously terrific today shooting the ball and gave us a real spark in the first half and that's who he's been for a while. And you know Shannon, I think he's gonna play a lot better. He picked it up some in the second half. You know he would probably agree that it wasn't his best. So there were number of guys that kinda fit into that category. I thought Tra was very good tonight getting into the lane. You know they switched a lot of things so we have to rely at that point on our point guards. Trying to break down a bigger player and we did that pretty effectively.
Do you like Torian better of the bench?
Yeah he's been great. He hasn't been disappointed by not starting. He's certainly one of our best players and he's embraced the role for right now and we'll see how that goes throughout the year. But his minutes are going to be there if he continues to do the things that he's doing at both ends of the court. He's a very good defender too. Good perimeter defender and he's rebounding. He's doing a lot of things well besides just scoring.
What's it like seeing the maturity of Torian?
"I'm proud of Torian and he came to us at Buffalo and he was sitting out, and you know he's made a lot of changes. Very small changes but he's taking it very seriously. He's using all of his abilities, he's been very coachable and he knows what's at stake. And it's nice when it clicks for a guy that's but the work in like he's put the work in. I think that there's more ahead for him."
What didn't you like tonight?
I didn't like our turnovers. They were different. We have been better at moving the ball and having more assisted baskets. 11 assists on 33 field goals is a little bit lower then I'd like. We had a couple stretches where we shot quick and didn't get back on defense. I thought we gave up too many points in the paint especially in the second half. I liked that we held them in the 30's. That was a positive. I thought Ramon's minutes were positive from the five spot. Just to come in and you know, seven points four rebounds. He just does all the things we need him to do.
Defensively where do you see room for improvement?
We just have to be very active. We have to be relentless in how we move. To compensate for not having an ideal size in the front court at times with certain lineups. And if we commit to doing that then we can create some chaos out there. Tipped balls, steals and pushing the basketball. If we do defend then we're very dangerous to guard because we're putting a lot of weapons on the court, a lot of guys that can score and a lot of guys that can get up and down the floors. So that's just something we're going to be getting after our players about is being physical and rebounding and giving the max effort at being scrappy on defense.
Do you like the shot selection tonight?
I give my players freedom. I don't think we shot it as well as we're capable of shooting it. Obviously Torian helped those numbers. For Shannon he was as excited to play as maybe I've ever been to coach a game and I can get pretty excited and enthusiastic over there. I know that he'll make shots at a higher rate then he did. I think Kodi will and Tra with the three didn't really connect today with that. All those guys are very capable and I think those numbers can improve. I mean there could be games where we have 20 threes in a game depending on how teams want to guard us. If they wanna spread out then we'll just attack them off the dribble with Tra and Shannon and Kodi and those guys. And if they want to pack it in and protect the paint then we're gonna make people pay with the three.
Think 20 (threes) would be a school record...
It wouldn't shock me. 88 (points) today. I thought we were just okay on offense. Just okay. And with the turnovers and a few missed free throws. Not many but a couple from guys that I would expect to make. The layups early could have been a lot more points.
PLAYER QUOTES
When you guys were down 8-2 was that just first game jitters?
TRA HOLDER: I think we missed a lot of shots at the beginning that we usually make. The ball just wasn't falling for us, but I think as the game went on we started to make those shots. I think we all stayed confident and realized we could get back in the game.
For your first game how do you guys think you played overall?
TH: There were some stretches we played well and some we didn't play well, but I think that's just part of the first game and having so many newcomers. It is going to get better as the season goes and we're going to start off stronger next game and improve as a team.
Shannon you've shown a lot of energy out there with a couple of three point celebrations do you have those prepared?
SHANNON EVANS: I think I only celebrated twice, I only made like two (laughing). The first was I finally made one but it just happens it's in the moment. The air guitar, Obi (Oleka) started it and it just took over.
Was there a lot of nervous energy from you just being the first game in a long time?
SE: Definitely. A lot of butterflies before the game, hyped up ready to go, but I have guys like Tra (Holder) and Kodi (Justice) guys like that have my back so I can play kind of freely.
Has Torian (Graham) shot that well in practice?
SE: Yes. Everday. To you guys it is like "wow" but to us that's Torian.
What has he (Graham) shared with you guys about his journey?
SE: I know his story, he had a rough life growing up so nights like this I just wish him the best and I'm happy for him. If you know someone's story and know what they've been through in their life when the have success, you feel great for them.
He didn't play a whole lot tonight, but Bobby (Hurley) said that he is seeing encouraging signs from Jethro what have you guys seen from him in practice?
SE: When he first got here he was kind of a headache (laughing) I would say, but every day he gets better and better. It's crazy the improvements he's made already. The sky is the limit for that kid.
Can you explain what you mean by he was a headache?
SE: He was just all over the place. He hadn't really played organized basketball in so long so he was all over the place. Guys like Tra and Kodi are leading him, so I feel like he'll be fine.
Did you see that improvement in the block where he stared the guy down?
SE: He does stuff like that in practice all the time. He'll block a shot and look at them, he's 18 years old he's a big kid. People see him 6'10 and 260 but he's in real life he's a kid. I live with him, all he does is joke all day. He's literally a little kid, like my little brother.
TH:: Little big brother.
SE: Yea little big brother, little huge brother.
How important is he (Jethro) given the fact that you guys are so guard heavy right now is his development?
SE: It's very important. The sooner we get him in there to protect the rim the better we'll be, but playing with guards we will be fine because we are really feisty. We can get in there get rebounds and dive on the floor, so I feel like we will be fine either way, but Jethro really can help.
Sam (Cunliffe) was in foul trouble tonight what did you think of him?
SE: It was his first college game. Sam is another player that is going to be great. He is going to be really good, 6-7, can really shoot it, can guard the four, he can put it on the floor, he is going to be really good. As soon as we get him and Jethro on the same page they can be great.
TH: One thing I've seen out of Sam is a freshman as highly talented as him might put their head down because they had a bad game or not as good of a game as he wanted, but he had positive spirits and he knows he is going to get his time and the next game is in two days. I've been trying to encourage him and he's a good player and it's going to show.
TORIAN GRAHAM
It has been a long time coming and to play the way you did is that better than expected?
I would say better than I expected, but I just first want to thank the Lord and Coach Hurley for just giving me the opportunities, just having faith in me, bringing me back, I can never thank him enough. I prepared very well this week and all the weeks and the years before this so I handled the situation well.
Was your last game in Florida at junior college?
Yes sir..2014...March 8th.
Were you nervous at all?
I wouldn't say nervous, but when I first get in I just want to touch the ball and get it out of the way and than from their it's just get into a flow.
You haven't played a real game in so long what is that like?
Very exciting, I feel like I was put on this earth to play basketball, so when basketball was taken away, I feel like part of my life was taken, but now I'm back home and it feels good.
Do you mind coming off the bench?
Not at all, whatever Coach Hurley's decision is for us to win, I just like to win. Honestly just help the team out to win
When was the last time you've come off the bench?
This is my first time coming off of the bench.
Do you feel less pressure coming off the bench?
It doesn't matter honestly. Coming off the bench I can see how the flow of the game is going and I like being a spark off the bench and will continue doing it and giving the extra boost.
You said during the exhibition match you are always looking to improve, what do you think you could have improved tonight?
Rebound more. I had two turnovers, so limiting my turnovers and just trying to get my teammates involved and get more assists.