Zylan Cheatham stepped into the post game press conference. Game ball in hands. Large smile on face.
"It's surreal," said Cheatham. "To get that back home in front of my home fans at the tail end of my college career, it is unbelievable I don't think it has really hit me yet."
The hometown kid made ASU history, notching the program's second triple-double ever and left the floor to 10,085 fans inside Wells Fargo Arena chanting his name.
"For them to acknowledge me and chant my name like that, I haven't had that in forever," said Cheatham. "It's just unbelievable… unbelievable."
His 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assist-performance led the Sun Devils past Texas Southern, 83-70, and are now 7-0 for the second consecutive season and second time in the last 38 seasons.
BEST STARTS IN ASU HISTORY
12-0/2017-18 (Bobby Hurley)
9-0/1974-75 (Ned Wulk)
7-0/2018-19 (Bobby Hurley)
7-0/1980-81 (Ned Wulk)
The Devils (7-0) never trailed against the Tigers (3-5). Romello White got ASU on the board first and dominated the painted area all night long.
White easily played his best game of the season, earning him his seventh-career double-double with team highs in points (19) rebounds (14). The sophomore scored 14 and grabbed 10 rebounds in the first half and forced the 7-foot-2 center Trayvon Reed to commit two fouls.
"It felt so good," said White. " I felt like offensively I've been in a slump and haven't been doing what I was doing last year but defensively I'm still playing well, so coming out and getting started early felt amazing. So, once I started, I knew I wasn't going to let up."
ROMELLO WHITE DOUBLE-DOUBLES (7)
19/14 vs. Texas Southern (Dec. 1, 2018)
13/11 vs. California (Mar. 1, 2018)
10/14 at Washington (Feb. 1, 2018)
10/11 at Colorado (Jan. 4, 2018)
16/13 vs. USF (Dec. 2, 2017)
14/11 vs. UC Irvine (Nov. 19, 2017)
16/15 vs. San Diego State (Nov. 14, 2017)
For a fifth straight game, ASU had a different leading scorer and multiple players in double figures. It's becoming a theme for this versatile bunch.
Taeshon Cherry had another solid game shooting, scoring 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting. The freshman bounced back from a first half injury scare, hitting the first bucket out of the locker room and had a sequence of a made three, a rebound and a block that alleviated the concern on his knee.
As a team, Arizona State shot 55.4 percent from the field, grabbed 48 rebounds and scored 44 points in the paint. Kimani Lawrence (14) and Luguentz Dort (18) were the others in double-figures as the Sun Devils take their 20 consecutive non-conference regular season winning streak to the Staples Center on Sat., Dec. 1, to take on No. 5 Nevada at 9 p.m. PT.
The matchup can be viewed on ESPN2 and heard on ESPN Radio 620 AM.
"Our schedule is going to get exciting from this point until Christmas, so I think the guys are very enthusiastic about that, said Hurley."
Bobby Hurley Quotes
On team's performance
Great team effort. I'm proud of how we did battle... we had a lot of adversity in the first half with foul trouble and as everyone knows we were down 3 key players... so the way guys stepped up and fought through this game... This game was played at a much faster up and down tempo than our last game, and most of our games this year, so it was great to see that we were able to be in that type of shape with a limited rotation and still be able to handle those minutes."
On Romello White's big night
"I thought Romello White was terrific in the first half...he was there when we needed that presence inside. He's one of the guys that will wear an opponent down because he is so physical, yet he's still got good mobility. He did some really great things and he's been a great guy to coach."
On Zylan Cheatham's athleticism
"I thought when we were preparing to play him a few years ago that I was very concerned about his versatility as a player and the different things he could do... so as I have had him in practice for over a year and have the chance to watch him get rebound, lead the fast break, make good decisions and also be a finisher on the fast break, you get excited about the possibilities of the different ways you can use his talents. He can attack from the perimeter, he can attack inside, and he's very unselfish as he's showed the last two games. I'm amazed and feel very blessed and fortunate to be able to coach a guy like Zylan Cheatham tonight... again almost identical to our last game with his overall impact on so many areas of the basketball game. When you have a triple-double, it's pretty special."
On reaching 20 consecutive non-conference wins
"Every year is different, it just happened to work out this way for whatever reason. We are trying to improve, we're focused on that. Our schedule is going to get exciting from this point until Christmas, so I think the guys are very enthusiastic about that."
Texas Southern Head Coach Johnny Jones Quotes
Where do you think this one got away from you guys?
I thought they just did a great job. They made plays, hit some timely shots, and we tried to keep them out of the lane, but it was difficult for us playing in the first half without the big man (Trayvon Reed). He's a very important piece for us and we tried to keep it in striking distance, which we did. In the second half we really cut into the lead, but at the same time he (Reed) was back in foul trouble and guards were not getting feet set and getting good looks, so shots didn't go down. We wound up shooting thirty-something percent for the game, but we got that to forty something in the second half, but we've got to do a much better job against a team like this who have some power scorers. They made some plays down the stretch that really hurt us.
On Zylan Cheatham's triple double performance…
He's just a tough player. We knew he'd be a tough matchup for us. He's big, strong, active, very lively and he plays with a motor. When guys are like that and things are happing it is a really good night for them and I think he really impacted the game in a positive way against us. He sees the floor and he's patient. When you can stretch it a little bit and make shots it certainly makes you very effective.
What was going right when you made that run in the first half?
We were making shots, which of course is important for us. We were able to spread the ball around and make extra passes. Anytime we can set our feet and get good looks, good things happen for us. We just didn't do enough of it and we have to keep going as a team and get better.
"It's surreal," said Cheatham. "To get that back home in front of my home fans at the tail end of my college career, it is unbelievable I don't think it has really hit me yet."
The hometown kid made ASU history, notching the program's second triple-double ever and left the floor to 10,085 fans inside Wells Fargo Arena chanting his name.
"For them to acknowledge me and chant my name like that, I haven't had that in forever," said Cheatham. "It's just unbelievable… unbelievable."
His 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assist-performance led the Sun Devils past Texas Southern, 83-70, and are now 7-0 for the second consecutive season and second time in the last 38 seasons.
That moment when the @NCAAStats career assist leader flips the game ball behind his back to you after the second career triple-double in school history. @1KingZ4 pic.twitter.com/9Dgv0Q5FHO
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) December 2, 2018
LONGEST REGULAR SEASON PAC-12 OUT OF CONFERENCE WIN STREAKS (1996-PRESENT)
39, Arizona, 12/20/11-12/19/14
26, Stanford, 11/11/99-11/24/01
24, Washington, 12/5/04-12/4/06
23, USC, 12/3/15-11/22/17
21, Washington State, 12/5/06-11/29/08
20, Arizona State, 12/17/16-present
BEST STARTS IN ASU HISTORY
12-0/2017-18 (Bobby Hurley)
9-0/1974-75 (Ned Wulk)
7-0/2018-19 (Bobby Hurley)
7-0/1980-81 (Ned Wulk)
The Devils (7-0) never trailed against the Tigers (3-5). Romello White got ASU on the board first and dominated the painted area all night long.
White easily played his best game of the season, earning him his seventh-career double-double with team highs in points (19) rebounds (14). The sophomore scored 14 and grabbed 10 rebounds in the first half and forced the 7-foot-2 center Trayvon Reed to commit two fouls.
"It felt so good," said White. " I felt like offensively I've been in a slump and haven't been doing what I was doing last year but defensively I'm still playing well, so coming out and getting started early felt amazing. So, once I started, I knew I wasn't going to let up."
ROMELLO WHITE DOUBLE-DOUBLES (7)
19/14 vs. Texas Southern (Dec. 1, 2018)
13/11 vs. California (Mar. 1, 2018)
10/14 at Washington (Feb. 1, 2018)
10/11 at Colorado (Jan. 4, 2018)
16/13 vs. USF (Dec. 2, 2017)
14/11 vs. UC Irvine (Nov. 19, 2017)
16/15 vs. San Diego State (Nov. 14, 2017)
For a fifth straight game, ASU had a different leading scorer and multiple players in double figures. It's becoming a theme for this versatile bunch.
ROMELLO WHITE TOP SCORING TILTS
25 vs. Northern Arizona (Nov. 17, 2017)
22 vs. St. John's at STAPLES (Dec. 8, 2017)
21 at Washington State (Feb. 4, 2018)
19 vs. Texas Southern (Dec. 1, 2018)
19 at Stanford (Jan. 17, 2018)
19 vs. Kansas State in LV (Nov. 23, 2017)
"We're so talented as a unit, once we put it altogether, clean up the little mistakes, and get our timing right, I think it's going to be a show," said Cheatham.
Taeshon Cherry had another solid game shooting, scoring 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting. The freshman bounced back from a first half injury scare, hitting the first bucket out of the locker room and had a sequence of a made three, a rebound and a block that alleviated the concern on his knee.
Sparky surged on a 7-0 run with just under five minutes to play, energizing Wells Fargo Arena and securing a victory heading into the heart of non-conference play. The Sun Devils led by seven or more the entire second half.Cherry pull-up 3? THAT'S ALSO BBQ CHICKEN ??
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) December 2, 2018
Devils 63 | Tigers 52 pic.twitter.com/1DoU2KeeRv
As a team, Arizona State shot 55.4 percent from the field, grabbed 48 rebounds and scored 44 points in the paint. Kimani Lawrence (14) and Luguentz Dort (18) were the others in double-figures as the Sun Devils take their 20 consecutive non-conference regular season winning streak to the Staples Center on Sat., Dec. 1, to take on No. 5 Nevada at 9 p.m. PT.
The matchup can be viewed on ESPN2 and heard on ESPN Radio 620 AM.
"Our schedule is going to get exciting from this point until Christmas, so I think the guys are very enthusiastic about that, said Hurley."
Bobby Hurley Quotes
On team's performance
Great team effort. I'm proud of how we did battle... we had a lot of adversity in the first half with foul trouble and as everyone knows we were down 3 key players... so the way guys stepped up and fought through this game... This game was played at a much faster up and down tempo than our last game, and most of our games this year, so it was great to see that we were able to be in that type of shape with a limited rotation and still be able to handle those minutes."
On Romello White's big night
"I thought Romello White was terrific in the first half...he was there when we needed that presence inside. He's one of the guys that will wear an opponent down because he is so physical, yet he's still got good mobility. He did some really great things and he's been a great guy to coach."
On Zylan Cheatham's athleticism
"I thought when we were preparing to play him a few years ago that I was very concerned about his versatility as a player and the different things he could do... so as I have had him in practice for over a year and have the chance to watch him get rebound, lead the fast break, make good decisions and also be a finisher on the fast break, you get excited about the possibilities of the different ways you can use his talents. He can attack from the perimeter, he can attack inside, and he's very unselfish as he's showed the last two games. I'm amazed and feel very blessed and fortunate to be able to coach a guy like Zylan Cheatham tonight... again almost identical to our last game with his overall impact on so many areas of the basketball game. When you have a triple-double, it's pretty special."
On reaching 20 consecutive non-conference wins
"Every year is different, it just happened to work out this way for whatever reason. We are trying to improve, we're focused on that. Our schedule is going to get exciting from this point until Christmas, so I think the guys are very enthusiastic about that."
Texas Southern Head Coach Johnny Jones Quotes
Where do you think this one got away from you guys?
I thought they just did a great job. They made plays, hit some timely shots, and we tried to keep them out of the lane, but it was difficult for us playing in the first half without the big man (Trayvon Reed). He's a very important piece for us and we tried to keep it in striking distance, which we did. In the second half we really cut into the lead, but at the same time he (Reed) was back in foul trouble and guards were not getting feet set and getting good looks, so shots didn't go down. We wound up shooting thirty-something percent for the game, but we got that to forty something in the second half, but we've got to do a much better job against a team like this who have some power scorers. They made some plays down the stretch that really hurt us.
On Zylan Cheatham's triple double performance…
He's just a tough player. We knew he'd be a tough matchup for us. He's big, strong, active, very lively and he plays with a motor. When guys are like that and things are happing it is a really good night for them and I think he really impacted the game in a positive way against us. He sees the floor and he's patient. When you can stretch it a little bit and make shots it certainly makes you very effective.
What was going right when you made that run in the first half?
We were making shots, which of course is important for us. We were able to spread the ball around and make extra passes. Anytime we can set our feet and get good looks, good things happen for us. We just didn't do enough of it and we have to keep going as a team and get better.