Oct. 16, 1997
Quick Take on ASU
THE STRENGTHS: Jeremy Veal might be one of the best players in the nation, as he posted some of the league's best numbers in scoring (18.7/4th) and assists (4.7/T-5th). He has played both the wing and the point guard in his 90-game career, and look for much of the same this year. Sophomore Eddie House earned Pac-10 All-Freshman honors last year and posted impressive numbers. The ASU backcourt, with Veal, House, Ahlon Lewis, Reggie Hester and Jason Patton will compete with many of the teams in the loop. ASU led the league in turnover margin (+5.2), was tied for the team league in assists (17.8) and was second in the league in steals (10.0).
THE CONCERNS: A thin and untested frontcourt, as the offseason injuries to Okeme Oziwo in a late-August car crash weakened an already-thin frontcourt. ASU will now have only nine healthy scholarship players, and only Jeremy Veal has more than one year in a Sun Devil uniform. The Sun Devils finished last in the league in 1996-97 in rebound margin (-7.2), field goal percentage (42.5) and rebounds per game (34.7), and those numbers need to improve.
THE STYLE: On offense: Fast-paced, guard-oriented, plenty of treys. On defense: Man-to-man, pressure, trapping. ASU probably won't press as much as Sun Devil fans have witnessed in the past few years with a lack of depth. ASU +5.2 turnover margin led the league for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
THE ANGLE: ASU is trying to bounce back from a tough 10-20 season which saw them finish last in the Pac-10, going 2-16, including 0-9 on the road. Just three seasons ago (1994-95), ASU posted its best season in 20 years when it went 24-9 and reached the Sweet Sixteen.
THE COACH: Don Newman enters his season as interim coach after being named to the position Sept. 22. Newman coached five seasons at Cal State Sacramento, leading the program from Divsion II status to the Division I level. He also had an assistant coaching stint at Washington State, where he coached under Kelvin Sampson. A 1987 graduate of Idaho, Newman finished his bachelor's degree eight years after his college eligibility expired as he bounced around the National Football League, the Canadian Football League, the National Basketball Association and the Continental Basketball Assocation before going back to school.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Jeremy Veal averaged 18.7 points per game last year, and he is one of the top players in the loop and the nation. Eddie House posted a promising freshman season while Mike Batiste enters his first full season of Division I play. All three earned honors in the league, with Veal earning All-Pac-10- honors, House Pac-10 All-Freshman honors and Mike Batiste Pac-10 All-Newcomer honors.
THE CAPTAINS: Don Newman named Ahlon Lewis and Jeremy Veal co-captains for the 1997-98 season.
THE LOSSES: ASU lost an inside presence as Rodger Farrington averaged 4.19 blocks per game last year to set a Pac-10 record. Quincy Brewer, a five-year swingman who played four positions, graduated last May. Farrington averaged 9.5 points and 7.1 rebounds, while Brewer played in just 14 games after hurting his hand in December. Brewer averaged 13.5 points and 5.8 boards per game. Gee Gervin transferred (6.9 points per game, while Okeme Oziwo, who sat out last year with stress fractures, most likely will sit out all of this year after suffering major injuries in a car crash in late August. Lamar Richardson (2.9 ppg and 2.6 rpg) also used up his eligibility.
THE REVIEW: The Sun Devils were 10-20 and 2-16 in the Pac-10 last year. Just two seasons ago, Arizona State went 24-9 in 1994-95, its most wins since 1980-81, en route to the Sweet Sixteen. The Sun Devils were 12-6 in the Pac-10, good enough for third in the loop.
THE SCHEDULE: ASU plays in the Chase Preseason NIT and also makes a non-conference trip to the Myriad Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., to take on Oklahoma State. Boston University, La Salle and Eastern Michigan are in the Tribune Classic, while ASU opens its Pac-10 season on Jan. 3 vs. USC.