by Connor Pelton, SDA Communications Student Intern
Smiling because it won't be long until Nov. 10 is here! pic.twitter.com/8LC2JqmIut
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) September 13, 2017
"The one thing I can promise is that our practices are going to be battles this year."
The date is set. The Madness returns to Mill next month! pic.twitter.com/gfzZzaWlW0
— Sun Devil Athletics (@TheSunDevils) September 18, 2017
That was Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley back in May, meeting with some assembled media inside of Wells Fargo Arena.
Thanks to a tour of Europe earlier this summer, Hurley was able to see those words come to fruition early. The Sun Devils hit the practice court in early-July, just one of the many benefits that come with taking the foreign trips that are allowed by the NCAA once every four years.
??First practice for Europe! pic.twitter.com/wG55xLrTxA
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) July 10, 2017
And once they hit the floor, it didn't take long to see that this team is the deepest Hurley has had in his three years at the helm in Tempe. Even if some of those players have to sit out this year due to the NCAA's transfer rules.
"It makes you wish they would change that rule for this year so we can have all those guys out there together during games," Hurley says. "It's going to be great though as we graduate some key players to know we have three guys of that caliber waiting in the wings for next season."
Great ??????Family Hike Today! pic.twitter.com/gkjb8N0N5k
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) September 3, 2017
Those three guys are former Kansas forward Carlton Bragg, San Diego State transfer and Phoenix-native Zylan Cheatham and former Cleveland State guard Rob Edwards. While they may not be eligible for regular season games in the 2017-18 campaign, their talent has only increased the level of competition that the rest of the Sun Devils have to face day in and day out at practice.
Bragg (6-9) and Cheatham (6-8) provide big bodies with a bevy of post moves to boot, something the small Arizona State roster missed a year ago. And in the crowded backcourt, Edwards has already stood out to the coaching staff thanks to his ability to get to the rim and score.
"We have a lot of special talent," says senior guard Kodi Justice. "Practices are fun because we're so versatile. We have guys who can bang, guys who can stretch and plenty of shooters."
Devilish devotion: Why Kodi Justice chose loyalty to Arizona State over grad transfer https://t.co/fgNjxUyC4L
— Michael DeCourcy (@tsnmike) August 28, 2017
Justice is one of three senior guards on the roster, playing alongside Tra Holder and Shannon Evans II in their final season as a Sun Devil. And with six newcomers (two of which were ranked in ESPN's top-100) across the roster who will play in game competition, Hurley is faced with one of the better problems a coach can have.
"It is just harder to stand out in our gym now," Hurley says. "It was easier for guys like Shannon and Tra to be more dominant at past practices, but now we have a volume of high-level players. There have been days when you don't want to stop practice because of how hard guys are competing."
The tough practices have paid off so far.
Arizona State went 3-0 on its European vacation/business trip, topping professional teams from Italy, France and Spain. They now look to keep that momentum going through offseason workouts in preparation for November's regular season opener.
He knows one speed: fast. Say hello to @1Remy_Martin1 pic.twitter.com/TqXHObU9ww
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) August 7, 2017
With the high level of play already seen in practice, the transition to real games should be that much easier.