May 9, 2007
2007-2008 ASU Men's Basketball Roster
2006-2007 ASU Men's Basketball Final Statistics
SUN DEVIL DATA: The Arizona State men's basketball team (8-22; 2-16 in Pac-10) under first-year coach Herb Sendek played without its top two scorers from 2005-2006 on short notice in arguably the nation's toughest league and battled all year long, especially in the second half of league play. ASU had three freshmen play 87.3 minutes per game and the trio combined for Pac-10 leading 69 starts, while honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection Jeff Pendergraph, just a sophomore, led the team in scoring (12.1 points per game) and rebounding (9.1), as his rebounding average matches the second-best mark by a Sun Devil in the past 26 seasons. ASU improved throughout the year as in the second half of the Pac-10 season, its scoring margin was less than a three-pointer (-2.5 per game). ASU is scheduled to return its top four scorers and its sixth-leading scorer, freshman point guard Derek Glasser, started in 21 games and averaged 32.2 minutes in Pac-10 contests. ASU will return six lettermen and five players who started more than half the games played last year.
DECENT LATE SEASON NOTE: ASU won two of its final five, beating #22 USC 68-58 on Feb. 18 in Tempe and then winning 42-41 at California on March 3 in the regular season finale, matching the best defensive performance in ASU's 522-game Pac-10 history (ASU beat Washington 53-41 on Jan. 31, 1991) and the best in a Pac-10 road game. It marked ASU's third straight win at Haas Pavilion as freshman Derek Glasser hit the game-winning three-pointer with 13 seconds left.
INTRIGUING SECOND HALF OF PAC-10: In the final nine regular season games (second half of Pac-10) ASU was outscored by just 22 points and its seven losses were by one, three, four (twice), five, six and ten points. It all started vs. Washington on Feb. 1, when ASU fell behind 44-21 at the half but then outscored the Huskies 40-22 in the second half and held UW to just 5-of-21 (.238) from the floor...in those nine games, ASU outscored its opponents 281-227 (31.2 to 25.7) in the second half and held them to 70-of-203 (.344) from the field and 18-of-76 (.236) from the three-point stripe...ASU forced 72 second-half turnovers in the nine games and committed just 54...the Sun Devils held Cal on March 3 to just 5-of-18 (.278) shooting and 16 points in the second half...ASU outscored USC 47-32 in the second half on Feb. 18...ASU outscored eventual Pac-10 Tournament champion and Elite Eight participant Oregon 30-22 in the second half and held it to just 6-of-21 (.286) shooting...ASU outscored Washington State 23-12 on Feb. 3 and held it to 4-of-20 (.200) from the floor...14 of ASU's final 15 games were decided by 10 points or less, including each its final 10 games.
"THIS" CLOSE: ASU was in 14 games decided by five points or less, the most by an ASU squad in 23 years, since the 1982-83 had 17 of 33 games of five points. Fifteen of ASU's games were two-possession games (six points or less). ASU was in 21 games of 10 points or less, which led the Pac-10 and was in just nine games of 11+ point final margins, fewest in the loop. After losing five straight games by 20 total points (including three games against ranked teams), ASU posted a 68-58 win over No. 22 USC on Feb. 18, its first win over a ranked team since March 20, 2003. ASU outscored USC 47-32 in the second half as it shot 12-of-21 (.571) from the field and made nine straight free throws late. The win was Herb Sendek's 30th against a ranked team as ASU matched a season-low set just two nights earlier with nine turnovers.
D IS GOOD ENOUGH: The Sun Devils finished third in Pac-10 games in scoring defense at 61.7 points per game, and the other six teams in the top seven were NCAA Tournament squads. And it is not just a result of slowing the game down, as ASU ranked fourth in field goal percentage defense (.437) in league games, despite blocking just 23 shots in the 18 league games (ninth in the loop). ASU gave up just 61.8 points per game overall, the fourth-best mark in ASU history and the lowest since the 1949-50 squad gave up 59.8.
EXAMPLES OF THE D: ASU held Oregon, who averaged 75.9 ppg., to a season-low 55 points on Feb. 8 in Eugene and held Washington State, who averaging 66.9 points, to its second lowest point total on the season in a 48-47 loss on Feb. 3. On Feb. 25 against Arizona, ASU held the Pac-10's top scoring team (78.0) to 61 points. The 61 points was the fewest by UA against ASU since a 53-52 ASU win on Jan. 5, 1995. ASU held Cal (69.5 ppg.) to 41 points on Mar. 3, the fewest by the Golden Bears since a 59-37 loss to Washington State on Jan. 14, 1988.
PAC-10 MINUTES PER GAME: ASU had three players rank among the top-10 last year in Pac-10 play in minutes per game, as Derek Glasser (32.2), Christian Polk (30.2) and Jerren Shipp (29.3) all played plenty in the 18 league games. Here is a look at the top-10 freshmen minutes per game leaders in the 18 Pac-10 regular season games last year and also a look at the freshmen minutes per game by each team in the league play.
PAC-10 FRESHMEN 2006-2007 MINUTES PER GAME (Pac-10 Regular Season Games) 1. Josh Tarver, OSU, 34.8 2. Chase Budinger, Arizona, 33.9 3. Ryan Anderson, California, 33.8 3. Taj Gibson, USC, 33.8 5. Derek Glasser, ASU, 32.2 6. Tajuan Porter, Oregon, 31.7 7. Spencer Hawes, Washington, 31.3 8. Christian Polk, ASU, 30.2 9. Jerren Shipp, ASU, 29.3 10. Brook Lopez, Stanford, 26.8
PAC-10 FRESHMEN 2006-2007 MINUTES PER GAME BY TEAM (Pac-10 Regular Season Games) 1. Arizona State (4 freshmen), 96.0 2. Washington (4), 89.3 3. California (4), 81.4 4. USC (6), 80.9 5. Stanford (5), 69.4 6. Oregon State (5), 68.1 7. Arizona (3), 56.3 8. Oregon (2), 41.0 9. UCLA (4), 21.0 10. Washington State (1), 15.2
NCAA NOTE: Prior to this year, Herb Sendek took NC State to the past five NCAA Tournaments (2002-2006). To compare it to the Pac-10, only three schools (and one current Pac-10 coach) can match that in the 29 seasons since ASU and Arizona joined the league in 1978-79. Arizona (currently 22), UCLA (14 straight from 1989-2002) and Stanford (11 straight from 1995-2005) have had NCAA Tournaments streaks of more than five, but none of the other seven Pac-10 schools have gone to more than three straight NCAAs since the league expanded to 10 teams in 1978-79. In fact, California (2001-2003), Oregon State (1980-82 and 1988-90) and Washington (1984-86 and 2004-06) are the only schools to have made three straight appearances in that time frame.
NO SOPHOMORE JINX: Jeff Pendergraph, a 2006 Pac-10 All-Freshmen selection and 2007 Pac-10 Honorable Mention pick, averaged 11.0 points and 9.6 boards in the final 10 games (12.3 ppg. and 9.3 rpg. in final 24), had eight double-doubles (13 in career) and 11 games of double-digit rebounds. He finished second in the Pac-10 in field goal percentage (.553), rebounding (8.9), offensive rebounding (3.33) and fourth in minutes (35.50) in league games. He ranked second in overall games in rebounding (9.1) and second in field goal percentage (.551) and led the league in offensive boards (3.93). He was perfect in eight field goals at Washington St. (Jan. 4) and grabbed 19 boards at Oregon (Feb. 8) and vs. Colgate (Dec. 19), the most by a Sun Devil since Mike Batiste had 20 vs. Wagner on Nov. 19, 1997). In his past 37 games dating to Feb. 4 of 2006, he is averaging 12.7 ppg. and 8.8 rpg. He has a chance to lead ASU in rebounding for the third straight season, something only Ike Diogu (2002-05) and Al Nealey (1957-60) have accomplished.
DEPARTURES: The team Herb Sendek took over in April of 2006 changed dramatically in the summer when seniors-to-be and starters Kevin Kruger and Bryson Krueger departed. Kevin, who led UNLV to the 2007 Sweet Sixteen and was named the Mountain West Conference Tournament MVP, averaged 15.0 ppg. in 2005-06 for ASU and played an ASU record 39.0 minutes per game. He played 87 games and scored 912 points in his three-year ASU career, and was the only player ranked in eight Pac-10 categories. Bryson averaged 12.3 points and shot 40.7 percent (88-of-216) from the three-point stripe and started 45 games in career. The other reason ASU's freshmen had to play so many minutes is the departure of six others in the past three years who would have been on this squad. Wilfried Fameni (now at 2007 NCAA Tournament participant VCU), Chris Low, Tron Smith (St. Mary's) and Keith Wooden (now at 2007 NCAA Tournament participant North Texas) were freshmen in 2003-2004 who have transferred while 2004-2005 freshmen Craig Austin and Tim Pierce (San Jose St.) left the program after one year.
100-POINTS: No ASU opponent has scored 100 points in Wells Fargo Arena since Feb. 27, 1988, when third-ranked Arizona topped ASU 101-73, a span of the past 319 home games.
SO WITH THOSE GUYS LEAVING: Three true freshmen combined to average 87.3 minutes, all above the 27-minute mark, and made 69 starts...point guard Derek Glasser averaged 32.2 minutes in conference play, the third-most by a Sun Devil freshman in ASU's 29-year Pac-10 history...Christian Polk, with 64 three-pointers, fell two three balls short of the ASU freshmen record set by Ron Riley in 1992-93 of 66. Jerren Shipp (36 and eighth) and Derek Glasser (34 and ninth) also are among the top 10 ASU freshmen three ball shooters...Polk's 26 starts tied for sixth-best among ASU freshmen...Glasser finished 17 assists shy of the Sun Devil record for assists by a freshmen of 114 set by Bobby Thompson in 1983-84. Eddie House is second on the list with 108 in 1996-97...Polk's 12.0 points per game mark is seventh on the ASU freshmen list...Derek Glasser finished 16-of-32 (.500) from the three-point stripe in the final nine games after starting year 18-of-69 (.261)...here is a list of the top dozen Sun Devil freshmen in Pac-10 minutes per game:
ASU PAC-10 FRESHMEN MINUTES PER GAME (1978-79 to 2006-07) RK. Player, Season MPG Note 1. Byron Scott, 1979-80 34.2 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year 2. Ike Diogu, 2002-03 33.3 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year 3. Derek Glasser, 2006-07 32.2 28-36 (.778) FTs in Pac-10 play 4. Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91 32.1 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year 5. Steve Beck, 1983-84 31.4 Pac-10 All-Freshmen Team 6. Christian Polk, 2006-07 30.2 19-22 (.864) FTs in Pac-10 play 7. Bobby Thompson, 1983-84 29.9 ASU career assist leader with 454 8. Brian Camper, 1989-90 29.2 Averaged 27.3 minutes overall 9. Eddie House, 1996-97 29.1 Pac-10 All-Freshmen Team 10. Jerren Shipp, 2006-07 28.9 6.8 points per game in Pac-10 11. Jeff Pendergraph, 2005-06 28.6 Pac-10 All-Freshmen Team 12. Mario Bennett, 1991-92 28.0 Pac-10 All-Freshmen Team
GREAT STARTS: No Sun Devil freshmen scored more points than Jerren Shipp or Christian Polk in the first game of their career. Here is a look at the top-five ASU freshmen debuts:
FRESHMEN SUN DEVILS IN FIRST GAME OF CAREER 23-Jerren Shipp vs. NAU, Nov. 13, 2006 22-Christian Polk vs. NAU, Nov. 13, 2006 18-Jamal Faulkner vs. Kansas, Nov. 23, 1990 18-Eric Holloway vs. U.S. Intl., Nov. 29, 1983 17-Eddie House vs. Jacksonville, Nov. 22, 1996
FROSH ON THE CHARTS: A look at Christian Polk on ASU's freshmen 20-point game list:
ASU FRESHMEN 20-POINT GAMES Ike Diogu, 2002-03, 12 Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91, 7 Steve Beck, 1983-84, 5 Christian Polk, 2006-07, 4 Eddie House, 1996-97, 3 Ron Riley, 1992-93, 3 Byron Scott, 1979-80,3 Gary Jackson, 1972-73, 3
BEATING THE BEST: A look at Herb Sendek's wins over the top coaches in NCAA history, as Bob Knight leads the list with 890 wins but Sendek has topped five of the top 13.
1. Bob Knight, Texas Tech, 890 2. Dean Smith, UNC, 879 3. Adolph Rupp, Kentucky, 876 4. Jim Phelan, Mt. St. Mary's, 830 (Coach Sendek defeated once) 5. Eddie Sutton, OSU, 798 6. Lefty Driesell, Ga. State, 786 7. Lute Olson, Arizona, 780 (Coach Sendek defeated once) 8. Lou Henson, NMSU, 779 9. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke, 775 (Coach Sendek defeated three times) 10. Henry Iba, OSU, 764 11. Ed Diddle, W. Kentucky, 759 12. Jim Calhoun, UCONN, 750 (Coach Sendek defeated once) 13. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse, 748 (Coach Sendek defeated once) 14. Phog Allen, Kansas, 746 15. John Chaney, Temple, 741 (Coach Sendek defeated once)
BIG WINS: Herb Sendek's teams have won eight games (two in NCAA Tournament) against teams coached by six of the 15-member 740-win club. On March 20, 2005, NC State topped defending champion UCONN and Jim Calhoun 65-62 for the latest victory over a 700-win club member. A look at those eight wins:
| 740+-Win Coach | Date | Score | Site |
| Lute Olson, Arizona | March 16, 1995 | Miami (Ohio) 71, #15 Arizona 62 | Dayton, Ohio |
| Mike Krzyzewski, Duke | March 7, 1997 | NC State 66, #7 Duke 60 | Greensboro, N.C. |
| Jim Boeheim, Syracuse | Dec. 8, 2001 | NC State 82, #9 Syracuse 68 | Syracuse, N.Y. |
| John Chaney, Temple | Jan. 26, 2002 | NC State 80, Temple 61 | Raleigh, N.C. |
| Jim Phelan, Mt. St. Mary's | Nov. 22, 2002 | NC State 84, Mt. St. Mary's 60 | Raleigh, N.C. |
| Mike Krzyzewski, Duke | Jan. 22, 2003 | NC State 80, #3 Duke 71 | Raleigh, N.C. |
| Mike Krzyzewski, Duke | Feb. 15, 2004 | NC State 78, #1 Duke 74 | Raleigh, N.C. |
| Jim Calhoun, UCONN | March 20, 2005 | NC State 65, #13 UCONN | Worcester, Mass. |
ROAD NOTE: In 2005-2006, ASU was the only Pac-10 team to have more road wins (three) than home wins (two) in Pac-10 play. UA (2006-07) and ASU (2005-06) are the only Pac-10 teams to do that in the past three seasons. Only nine teams have done that in the past 15 seasons in the Pac-10.
DEJA VU: As Coach Sendek and his staff went through Pac-10 play with seven teams ranked in the AP poll at some point during a season for the first time, every team posting a winning non-conference mark for just the second time (only time since 1988-89) and six teams making the NCAA Tournament for the second time in history, this was nothing new. In his first year at NC State (1996-1997), the ACC had six of its nine teams ranked at some time during the year and four teams reach the top 10. The highlight of that season for Sendek is when his team beat #7 Clemson on Feb. 1, won at #4 Wake Forest on Feb. 17, and then beat #7 Duke (March 7) and #22 Maryland (March 8) in the ACC Tournament. That squad won seven of its final nine games en route to a NIT appearance.
CLOSE GAME FODDER: If you break down several of ASU's close losses this year, it becomes even more apparent just how close the Sun Devils stayed in the game. Here is a look at some late-game scores in some ASU close losses and note the Sun Devils were within a few buckets late of beating NCAA Tournament teams Xavier, Oregon, UCLA and Washington State.
Nov. 13, 2006 Northern Arizona--56-56, 5:42 (75-71) Dec. 16, 2006 @Xavier--Xavier 61, ASU 56, 6:06 (76-58) Dec. 30, 2006 California--ASU 52, Cal 49, 3:05 (66-62, OT) Jan. 6, 2007 @#24 Washington--UW 50, ASU 44, 5:04 (63-54) Jan. 11, 2007 #15 Oregon--UO 58, ASU 55, :57 (60-55) Jan. 13, 2007 Oregon State--OSU 54, ASU 50, 3:34 (67-58) Jan. 18, 2007 @#3 UCLA--UCLA 52, ASU 46, 5:19 (60-50) Feb. 1, 2007 Washington--UW 61, ASU 58, 1:14 (66-61) Feb. 3, 2007 #18 Washington St.--WSU 46, ASU 44, 2:06 (48-47) Feb. 10, 2007 @Oregon State--OSU 56, ASU 55, :59 (59-55) Feb. 15, 2007 #5 UCLA--51-51, 5:27 (67-61)
FRESHMEN STARTERS: ASU's three true freshmen made 69 starts in 2006-2007, as Christian Polk (26), Jerren Shipp (22) and Derek Glasser (21) were regulars during pregame introductions. The 69 starts was the most in the Pac-10, ahead of Washington (68) and USC (65). Stanford (49), Cal (48), Arizona and Oregon State (43 including redshirt freshman Josh Tarver's 32 starts), Oregon (33), Washington State (4) and UCLA (1) complete the league's 423 freshmen starts.
A GOOD NOTE UNTIL THE END OF JUNE: Herb Sendek, Lorenzo Romar and Jim Calhoun are the only three coaches who have had a NBA first-round draft pick in the past two seasons. Under Coach Sendek, Julius Hodge was the 20th pick of the Denver Nuggets in 2005 while Cedric Simmons was the 15th pick of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets in 2006.
WHO IS THE BIG GUY IN THE TIE ON THE BENCH?: Herb Sendek's first recruit at Arizona State was Duke transfer Eric Boateng, a 6-10 former McDonald's All-American who attended high school in Delaware. He was one of 12 McDonald's All-Americans in the Pac-10 in 2006-2007, but is just the fourth to appear on an ASU roster, joining Jamal Faulkner (1989), Chris Sandle (1984) and Byron Scott (1979). He will have three years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2007-08. Next season ASU will have two McDonald's All-Americans on the team as James Harden, a fall of 2006 signee, earned the honor for 2006-2007. Harden is ranked as the 11th-best player in the nation according to Rivals.com.
MANY WINS, MANY PLACES: When it comes time to play away from Tempe, Herb Sendek has a good map. In his career, Coach Sendek has won 259 games in 21 states, plus two wins in Puerto Rico and one in Washington D.C. North Carolina (153) and Ohio (51) lead the way as he was the head coach in both states, and he also has posted wins in Florida and Arizona (seven each), Michigan (six), South Carolina and Virginia (five each), Georgia and Indiana (four each), Massachusetts (three), California, Texas and Maryland (two each). One-win states are Alabama, Utah, New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Nevada, Kentucky and Illinois.
OFF THE COURT: The men's hoops team notched a 2.88 grade point in the fall of 2006 and its team cumulative GPA is 2.83, its highest in the past six years. The four freshmen combined for a 3.33 GPA and 90 percent of the team had at least a 2.5. George Odufuwa led the way with a 3.5, and three current Sun Devils already have their degrees. Serge Angounou (B.A. in Spanish) graduated in May of 2006 as did Robby Alridge (B.A. in sociology) while Allen Morill earned his B.I.S. degree in December. That trio joins Jonathan Howard (B.S., Management, 2006), Jeremy Veal (B.S.W., Social Work, 2006), Curtis Millage (B.I.S., Education and Family Studies, 2006), Kevin Kruger (B.S., Justice Studies, 2006), Jason Braxton (B.I.S, Business and Psychology, 2005), Jamie Andrisevic (B.S., Finance, 2004) and Kenny Crandall (B.I.S., Business and Communications, 2004) as ASU men's basketball graduates in the past three years.
THE HEAD COACH: Herb Sendek finished his 14th season as a head coach and has averaged 18.7 wins per season. He led the Wolfpack to five straight NCAA appearances from 2002-06 and is now 262-180 (.592) in 14 seasons and was 191-132 (.591) at NC State. The 44-year-old (born Feb. 22, 1963) Pittsburgh, Pa., native is the second-youngest coach in the Pac-10 behind only first-year coach Tony Bennett of WSU, yet his 254 career wins and six NCAA Tournament wins entering the 2006-07 were fourth in the league. Only Duke posted more ACC wins (regular season and ACC Tournament) than NC State's 53 victories from 2002-2006. Coach Sendek also led NC State to five 20-win seasons in his final seven years. Another overlooked note is his 10-year stay at NC State. To compare it to the Pac-10, since the league expanded to 10 teams in 1978-79, only five coaches have coached at their schools for at least 10 years: Lute Olson (currently 24 at Arizona), Ralph Miller (19 at Oregon State), Mike Montgomery (18 at Stanford), Ben Braun (11 at California) and Ernie Kent (10 at Oregon).
THE COACHING FAMILY: Herb Sendek has six former assistants who are currently Division I head coaches. Here's the list: Jim Christian, Kent State, Miami Assistant (1994-96); Charlie Coles, Miami (Ohio), Miami Assistant (1994-96); Larry Hunter, Western Carolina, NC State Assistant (2001-05); Ron Hunter, IUPUI, Miami Assistant (1993-94); Thad Matta, Ohio State, Miami Assistant (1994-95) and Sean Miller, Xavier, Miami (1994-96) and NC State Assistant (1996-2000). Coles, Miller and Matta all led their teams to the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
MORE FRESHMEN NUMBERS: ASU's four true freshmen averaged 92.1 minutes per game (23.0 per player), second-most among a class in ASU history. In 1999-2000, ASU had six freshmen average 96.8 minutes per game (16.1 minutes per freshmen). In 1983-84, six freshmen combined for 88 minutes per game (14.7 per Sun Devil), while in 1990-91 ASU's four freshmen averaged 80.6 minutes (20.2 per player)...when Jerren Shipp (23) and Christian Polk (22) each scored 20 points against NAU on Nov. 13, it marked only the second time in ASU history two freshmen scored 20 points. The other time was last season when Jeff Pendergraph and Sylvester Seay each scored 21 points vs. Oregon on Feb. 11, 2006...against Iowa on Nov. 25, ASU started three freshmen (Shipp, Polk and Derek Glasser) for the first time since Feb. 12, 2000, when Kyle Dodd, Shawn Redhage and Tommy Smith did the trick in an 81-67 win at Washington. It was just the second time in 15 seasons three freshmen started for ASU.
ASU IN MAUI NEXT YEAR: ASU will play in the 2007 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational along with Duke, Illinois, LSU, Marquette, Oklahoma State, Princeton and host Chaminade. It will be played Nov. 19-21 at Maui's Lahaina Civic Center. ASU has played in the tournament four times. The Sun Devils played in November of 1991 (1-2), won the tournament in 1994 with wins over Texas A&M, #13 Michigan and #7 Maryland, went 1-2 in 1998 and was 2-1 in 2002. Only North Carolina (10-2), Duke (9-0), Michigan (8-3), Arizona, Kentucky, and Indiana (all 8-4) have more Maui wins than ASU, as ASU's 7-5 mark also is matched by Kansas and Villanova. Just how big of an impact did winning the Maui Invitational make in 1994? ASU went from being not ranked in the Nov. 21 Associated Press poll to No. 12 on Nov. 28, tied for the fourth-biggest jump in AP Top-25 history, and at the time it was the second-highest leap for an unranked team. Here are the others:
BIGGEST JUMP FROM NOT RANKED TO RANKED IN ONE WEEK (AP TOP-25)
4th, Kansas, Preseason to Nov. 27, 1989
8th, Arizona, Preseason to Nov. 20, 2001
10th, Notre Dame, Dec. 3 to Dec. 10, 2002
12th, North Carolina, Nov. 26 to Dec. 3, 2003
12th, Duke, Nov. 20 to Nov. 27, 1995
12th, Arizona State, Nov. 21 to Nov. 28, 1994
MINUTES PER GAME: Byron Scott set the ASU freshmen mark at 32.3 minutes per game (1979-80). Jerren Shipp (30.0), Christian Polk (29.4) and Derek Glasser (27.9) all finished in the top ten.
ASU FRESHMEN MINUTES PER GAME 1. Byron Scott, 1979-80, 32.3 2. Ike Diogu, 2002-03, 32.2 3. Jerren Shipp, 2006-07, 30.0 4. Eddie House, 1996-97, 29.5 5. Christian Polk, 2006-07, 29.4 6. Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91, 29.1 7. Johnny Nash, 1976-77, 28.6 8. Kenny Crandall, 1998-99, 28.4 9. Derek Glasser, 2006-07, 27.9
FREEBIES: Christian Polk and Derek Glasser finished among the top ASU freshmen FT shooters.
ASU FRESHMEN FREE THROW % 1. Steve Beck, 1983-84 (63-74), .851 2. Shawn Redhage, 1999-00 (59-71), .831 3. Jeremy Veal, 1994-95 (33-40), .825 4. Johnny Nash, 1976-77 (55-67), .821 5. Kevin Kruger, 2003-04 (35-44), .795 6. Christian Polk, 2006-07 (34-43), .791 7. Derek Glasser, 2006-07 (35-45), .778 8. Fat Lever, 1978-79 (28-38), .737 9. Ike Diogu, 2002-03 (180-245), .735 10. Byron Scott, 1979-80 (63-86), .733
PAC-10 FRESHMEN 3-POINTERS MADE 1. Tajuan Porter (UO), 2006-07, 110 2. Jason Kapono (UCLA), 1999-00, 82 3. Casey Jacobsen (STAN), 1999-00, 74 4. Salim Stoudamire (UA), 2001-02, 73 5. Jason Gardner (UA), 1999-00, 70 6. Mike Bibby (UA), 1996-97, 67 7. Ron Riley (ASU), 1992-93, 66 8. Christian Polk (ASU), 2006-07, 64
POINTS: Christian Polk's 12.0 ppg. mark is the seventh-best by a freshmen in ASU history.
ASU FRESHMEN POINTS PER GAME 1. Ike Diogu, 2002-03, 19.0 2. Jamal Faulkner, 1990-91, 15.4 3. Byron Scott, 1979-80, 13.6 4. Ron Riley, 1992-93, 13.0 5. Eddie House, 1996-97, 12.6 6. Mario Bennett, 1991-92,12.5 7. Christian Polk, 2006-07, 12.0
BEATING THE BEST: In the past six seasons, Herb Sendek has defeated seven of the past eight NCAA champions. The only NCAA champion his staff has not defeated in the 1999-2007 period is Florida (2006-2007). It knocked defending NCAA champion UCONN (1999 and 2004 champion) out of the 2005 NCAA Tournament and has beaten past champions Michigan State (2000), Duke (2001), Maryland (2002), Syracuse (2003) and North Carolina (2005) in the December of 2001 to March of 2005 time frame.
| Date | Score | Opponent | NCAA Title Season |
| Dec. 8, 2001 | 82-68 | @#9 Syracuse | 2003 NCAA Champion |
| March 9, 2002 | 86-82 | vs. #2 Maryland (Charlotte) | 2002 NCAA Champion |
| March 15, 2002 | 69-58 | vs. Michigan State (Washington D.C.) | 2000 NCAA Champion |
| Jan. 22, 2003 | 80-71 | #3 Duke | 2001 NCAA Champion |
| Jan. 26, 2003 | 86-77 | North Carolina | 2005 NCAA Champion |
| Feb. 25, 2003 | 75-67 | @North Carolina (OT) | 2005 NCAA Champion |
| Feb. 15, 2004 | 78-74 | #1 Duke | 2001 NCAA Champion |
| March 20, 2005 | 65-62 | vs. #13 UCONN (Worcester) | 2004 and 1999 NCAA Champion |
FREE THROWS: In his 10 seasons at NC State, Coach Sendek's teams led the ACC four times in free throw percentage, including three straight seasons from 2002-2004. In 2004 his NC State squad led the nation and set the ACC record by shooting .799 from the charity stripe. His 2005-2006 team shot .751 (second in the ACC to Duke) and was 16th in the nation. His poorest free throw shooting team was his first year (1996-97) when they shot 64.9 percent. While at NC State, his Wolfpack squads shot 71.3 percent. ASU was 147-of-210 (.700) from the free throw line in its final 17 games and 103-of-147 (.701) in the final 11 games.
BEATING NO. 1: Twice Herb Sendek's staff have topped the nation's top-ranked team in the Associated Press poll. On Feb. 21, 1998, NC State topped North Carolina in Chapel Hill 86-72. On Feb. 15, 2004, NC State topped Duke 78-74 in Raleigh. Beating the No. 1 team within six seasons is not something that happens all the time. ASU has beaten the top-ranked team once in its history (1981), while Pac-10 schools USC, Washington, Oregon State and California also have topped the number one team twice -- in each school's history. Sendek has beaten the top team in the nation more recently than eight of the Pac-10 schools with his February of 2004 victory over Duke in Raleigh.
PAC-10 VICTORIES OVER AP NO. 1 Team No. (Years) Most Recent UCLA 10 (1965-2003) March 13, 2003 (UCLA 96, Arizona 89/Pac-10 Tournament) Arizona 4 (1987-2001) March 8, 2001 (Arizona 76, @Stanford 75) Stanford 4 (1988-2003) Jan. 30, 2003 (Stanford 82, Arizona 77) Oregon 3 (1970-2007) Jan. 6, 2007 (Oregon 68, UCLA 66) Herb Sendek 2 (1998-2004) Feb. 15, 2004 (NC State 78, Duke 74) California 2 (1960-94) Jan. 30, 1994 (Cal 85, UCLA 70 @Oakland) Oregon State 2 (1953-74) Feb. 15, 1974 (Oregon State 61, UCLA 57) USC 2 (1969-70) March 6, 1970 (USC 87, @UCLA 86) Washington 2 (1979-2004) March 6, 2004 (Washington 75, Stanford 62) Arizona State 1 (1981) March 7, 1981 (ASU 87, @Oregon State 67)
NO. 5 OF 61: The NCAA had 61 coaching changes in the spring of 2006 in Division I, the most since the beginning of 1998-99 when there were 63 and the second-most in the past 20 seasons counting the spring of 2007 season. Herb Sendek entered the year fifth on the list in terms of D-I wins with 254:
Coach, School Birthdate Total Wins/Years D-I Schools Coached Bob Huggins, Kansas St. Sept. 21, 1953 567/24 Akron, Cincinnati Kelvin Sampson, Indiana Oct. 5, 1955 456/23 Washington St., Oklahoma Bobby Cremins, Coll. Charleston July 4, 1947 454/25 Georgia Tech, App. St. Fran Dunphy, Temple Oct. 5, 1948 310/17 Penn Herb Sendek, ASU Feb. 22, 1963 254/13 Miami (Ohio), NC State
GETTING IT STARTED EARLY: Arizona State's Nov. 13 tip off vs. Northern Arizona matched the second-earliest starting date in school history. ASU opened on Nov. 10, 2000, in the NABC Classic against Tulsa and on Nov. 13, 1998, against San Jose State. To show you how much college basketball has pushed up its season, ASU did not start its 1992-93 season until Dec. 1. This past year was Herb Sendek's second-earliest starting date in his 14 seasons, topped only by his Nov. 11, 1997, win against No. #19 Georgia in East Rutherford, N.J.
ASU'S EARLIEST SEASON OPENERS Nov. 10, 2000 Tulsa 69, ASU 67 Raleigh, N.C. Nov. 13, 2006 Northern Arizona 71, ASU 67 Tempe, Ariz. Nov. 13, 1998 ASU 68, San Jose State 49 Tempe, Ariz.
COACH Herb Sendek's EARLIEST SEASON OPENERS Nov. 11, 1997 NC State 47, #19 Georgia 45 East Rutherford, N.J. Nov. 13, 2006 Northern Arizona 71, ASU 67 Tempe, Ariz. Nov. 14, 2001 NC State 95, Prairie View A&M 51 Tempe, Ariz. Nov. 14, 1998 NC State 81, MD-Eastern Shore 60 Tempe, Ariz.
NEVER AN EASY OPENER: This past season marked just the 12th time in 29 Pac-10 seasons ASU opened the season at home as it fell to NCAA Tournament participant Stanford 71-60 on Dec. 28...ASU has opened the Pac-10 with a team that eventually would make the NCAA Tournament the past five seasons and in seven of the past eight years...when Arizona won the 2005 Pac-10 title, it marked the fourth time in the previous six seasons that ASU had opened the season with an eventual Pac-10 champion, as ASU faced the eventual Pac-10 champion three straight years in its Pac-10 opener from 2000-2002, facing Stanford in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 and then opening with Oregon in 2001-2002...in 2005-06 ASU opened Pac-10 play on Dec. 29 at 2005 Pac-10 Tournament champion, then-undefeated and seventh-ranked Washington and fell 91-67, and the Huskies finished second in the league that year...the 2005-2006 season marked the sixth time in eight years ASU opened Pac-10 play on the road, and the two home games were against top-five teams as ASU fell to No. 2 Stanford on Jan. 4, 2000, in Tempe, and to fourth-ranked Arizona 93-74 on Jan. 3, 2003.
RECENT ASU PAC-10 OPENERS Dec. 28, 2006 Stanford 71, ASU 60 Tempe Stanford goes to NCAA; 18-12 Dec. 29, 2005 #7 UW 91, ASU 67 Seattle, Wash. UW ends 13-5 in Pac-10 play Jan. 2, 2005 #14 Arizona 97, ASU 79 Tucson, Ariz. Arizona wins Pac-10 at 14-4 Jan. 3, 2004 #4 Arizona 93, ASU 74 Tempe, Ariz. Arizona goes 20-10 Jan. 2, 2003 ASU 67, OSU 47 Corvallis, Ore. ASU goes 20-12 and in NCAAs Dec. 20, 2001 Oregon 103, ASU 90 Eugene, Ore. UO wins Pac-10, goes 26-9 Jan. 4, 2001 #2 Stanford 94, ASU 77 Tempe, Ariz. Stanford wins Pac-10, goes 31-3 Jan. 6, 2000 #1 Stanford 86, ASU 67 Palo Alto, Calif. Stanford wins Pac-10, goes 27-4 Jan. 2, 1999 USC 72, ASU 70 Los Angeles, Calif. USC ends ASU 6-game w/streak
ETC: Herb Sendek is now 46-10 (.821) in November games in his 14-year career and is 13-1 in season openers...Herb Sendek coached in his 14th conference tournament this March, as he is 17-14 (.548). He went 13-10 (.565) in his ten years at NC State and 4-3 (.571) in his three years at Miami (Ohio)...in first-round action, he is 11-3 (.786), as he was 8-2 in while at NC State and was 3-0 at Miami...Coach Sendek made history when his Wolfpack became the first team to knock off the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament in consecutive years when it beat second-ranked Maryland (2002) and ninth-ranked Wake Forest (2003).
YOUTH MOVEMENT: With ASU losing its top two scorers from last season in Kevin Kruger (15.0 ppg.) and Bryson Krueger (12.3 ppg.) in the middle of the summer, ASU's three true freshmen perimeter players (Christian Polk, Jerren Shipp and Derek Glasser) received quality playing time. Both Shipp and Polk started the season opener, becoming just the fifth and sixth freshmen to start a season opener in 14 seasons, joining Tron Smith and Keith Wooden (2003-2004), Ike Diogu (2002-2003) and Donnell Knight (1999-2000). It marked just the second time two Sun Devil freshmen had started an opener in the past 15 seasons.
ASU OPENING GAME FRESHMEN STARTERS, 1987-88 to 2006-07 1990-1991: Jamal Faulkner, Stevin Smith 1991-1992: Mario Bennett, Tony Ronaldson 1992-1993: Ron Riley 1999-2000: Donnell Knight 2002-2003: Ike Diogu 2003-2004: Tron Smith, Keith Wooden 2006-2007: Christian Polk, Jerren Shipp
ONE OF THE BEST: Oregon's 14-1 (.933) mark entering the Jan. 11 ASU game is the third-best record of any post-January 1 opponent in the past 15 years at Ned Wulk Court. Stanford entered games in Tempe in 2004 and 2001 at 11-0 and the other one-loss teams (Arizona in 1999 and UCLA in 1995) did not have 14 wins.
BEST OPPONENT RECORDS AFTER JAN. 1 IN WELLS FARGO ARENA/NED WULK COURT (1992-1993 to present/past 15 seasons) #4 Stanford, 11-0/100.0, Jan. 8, 2004 #2 Stanford, 11-0/100.0, Jan. 4, 2001 #15 Oregon, 14-1/.933, Jan. 11, 2007 #7 Arizona, 11-1/.917, Jan. 14, 1999 #4 UCLA, 10-1/.909, Jan. 21, 1995 #1 Arizona, 20-2/.909, Feb. 22, 2003 #8 UCLA, 17-2/.895, Feb. 17, 1994 #2 Stanford, 25-3/.893, March 11, 2000 #4 Arizona, 8-1/.889, Jan. 3, 2004 #8 Stanford, 23-3/.885, Feb. 26, 1998
IN THE NBA: Two Sun Devils made NBA rosters in 2006-07, as 2005 Lottery pick (ninth overall) and 2005 Pac-10 Player of the Year Ike Diogu (Golden State Warriors and traded to Indiana Pacers), was joined by 1999-2000 Pac-10 Player of the Year Eddie House (New Jersey Nets). Diogu became ASU's seventh first-round pick and the first since Mario Bennett went to Phoenix in 1995 (27th overall). Diogu is the highest Sun Devil drafted since Byron Scott went fourth in 1983.
QUICK NOTES: Coach Sendek has 30 wins against ranked teams in his career, including 14 wins over top-10 teams and eight over top-five teams...ASU had 23 offensive rebounds against Oregon State on Jan. 13, its most in a Pac-10 game since it had 24 at Washington on Jan. 11, 2001, in a 70-68 overtime loss...ASU had a season-low nine turnovers in back-to-back games against NCAA Tournament participants UCLA (Feb. 15) and USC (Feb. 18)...ASU topped Colgate 52-36 on Dec. 19, the fewest points by an ASU opponent since the University of Washington (St. Louis) fell to ASU 47-34 in the 1949-50 season. ASU held the Red Raiders to just 12 points at the half, the fewest haltime points by an ASU opponent since Jan. 7, 1995, when ASU was leading Old Dominion 36-12...after shooting 6-of-33 (.182) from the three-point stripe in his first three seasons, Serge Angounou was 38-of-105 (.362) from beyond the arc this year...in the past 17 seasons (1990-91 to present), ASU basketball has had 42 freshmen. Only two scored in double digits in the first seven games of their career: 2005 NBA Lottery selection Ike Diogu and Christian Polk...Oregon State finished last in the Pac-10 in free throw shooting last year, making 186-of-327 (.569) in its 18 league games, but in the two wins over ASU, it was 32-of-42 (.762). In the other 16 games, it was 154-of-285 (.540).
McDONALD'S ALL-AMERICANS IN THE LOOP: Arizona State has two McDonald's All-Americans on its roster in 2006-2007 with James Harden (2007) and Eric Boateng (2005) in uniform. Other Pac-10 teams with McDonald's All-Americans in 2006-2007 include Arizona (Jerryd Bayless in 2007, Chase Budinger in 2006 and Jawann McClellan in 2004), Stanford (Brook and Robin Lopez in 2006), UCLA (Kevin Love from 2007 and James Keefe in 2006), Washington (Spencer Hawes from 2006 and Jon Brockman in 2005), Oregon (Malik Hairston in 2004) and USC (O.J. Mayo from 2007).
NEWCOMERS IN 2007-08: Coach Herb Sendek and the ASU staff signed James Harden (Artesia High School/Lakewood, Calif.), Rihards Kuksiks (Florida Air Academy/Latvia), Jamelle McMillan (O'Dea High School/Seattle, Wash.) and Kraidon Woods (The Hill School/Pottstown, Pa.) to letters-of-intent with the Arizona State men's basketball program in the 2006 fall signing period and then followed that up with Ty Abbott (Desert Vista High School/Phoenix, Ariz.) joining the program in the spring. Scout.com has ranked the ASU class as 15th-best in the nation. Here is a snapshot of each:
*Ty Abbott originally signed with New Mexico in the fall of 2006 but was released from his NLI after Lobos made a coaching change...averaged 17.3 points per game for Phoenix's Desert Vista High School as they went 29-2 this past season.
*James Harden exploded on the 2006 summer scene and led Artesia High School in southern California to back-to-back state titles and records of 33-1 in 2005-06 and 33-2 in 2006-07...ranked as the top player in California, the fourth-best shooting guard in the nation by Rivals.com and the 11th-best player in the country overall...earned 2007 McDonald's All-American honors in late February...averaged 18.8 points, 7.7 boards and 3.5 assists in his junior season in leading Artesia to the CIF Southern Section and Division III state title, as he shot 243-of-411 (.591) from the floor and led the team with 104 steals in junior season.
*Rihards Kuksiks is a 6-6 shooter originally from Latvia and averaged 22 points for Florida Air Academy in his junior season (2005-06) for regional semifinalist and averaged 29 points per game this last season in leading team to state title...coached by Aubin Goporo.
*The 6-2 Jamelle McMillan is a point guard in the talent-rich Seattle area who led O'Dea High School to three state titles in four years...team finished 25-5 in 2006-07...averaged 13 points, five boards and eight assists in junior year for former NBA player Phil Lumpkin and played AAU ball for Friends of Hoop coached by Jim Marsh, also a former NBA player...Jamelle's father, Nate, is the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers...ranked as the top point guard on the west coast by Rivals.com and is No. 99 overall by Scout.com...Street & Smith's has him ranked as a high honorable mention All-American.
*Kraidon Woods, a 6-8 swingman, signed originally with Villanova last fall but elected to play this year at The Hill School, located in Pottstown, Pa....averaged 11.7 points and 6.1 rebounds for balanced 17-7 squad...played high school at Pocono Mountain East and led the squad to two Mountain Valley Conference titles in three years...averaged 16 points, eight boards and five blocks in 2005-06 despite missing six games with a calf injury and ended his four-year career with 1,186 points.
COACH SENDEK NOTES AND NUMBERS
POINTS: NC State's 75.8 points per game mark in the ACC in 2005-2006 would translate into a second-place offensive ranking among Pac-10 teams behind only Arizona this past year. The difference in points per game between UA and NC State in league play? One bucket. UA averaged 76.7 points last year, NC State was at 75.8 in 2005-2006.
MAKING THEM NBA READY: Herb Sendek is one of just three coaches who have had a NBA first-round draft pick in the past two seasons. Julius Hodge was the 20th pick of the Denver Nuggets in 2005 while Cedric Simmons was the 15th pick of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets in 2006.
FREE THOWS: NC State led the nation in free throw shooting (.799) in 2003-2004.
HISTORY: Herb Sendek made history when his Wolfpack became the first team to knock off the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament in consecutive years when it beat Maryland (2002) and Wake Forest (2003). Maryland was ranked second while Wake Forest was ninth.
DEFENSE: In Herb Sendek's 10 seasons, NC State led the ACC in scoring defense four times and held opponents to just 54.7 points per game in 1996-97, an ACC record.
FINAL FOURS: Herb Sendek has coached in two Final Fours, as he was on the 1987 Providence staff and 1993 Kentucky staff.
NCAA SUCCESS: Under Herb Sendek, NC State was one of only eight teams who won a NCAA Tournament game from 2004-06, joining Duke, Gonzaga, UCONN, Kentucky, Illinois, North Carolina and Boston College.
FOR THREE: NC State averaged nine three-pointers made per game in 2005-06, the best mark in the ACC and ninth-best in the nation.
YOUNG TALENT: NC State placed seven players on the All-ACC freshman team under Coach Sendek.
BIG WINS: NC State beat 10 top-10 teams in his final six seasons under Herb Sendek.