• Slug: Sports-ASU basketball, 1,100 words
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By JOSHUA CLARK
Cronkite News

TEMPE — Kodi Justice probably won’t be asked to guard opposing team’s power forwards when the Arizona State men’s basketball team opens up its season Nov. 10.

The Sun Devils struggled through last season with depth issues, with just six or seven players appearing in some games, leading to guard Justice infamously defending opponents like former Oregon standout and current Golden State Warriors power forward Jordan Bell.

“It was hard,” Justice said. “We were just trying to take it week by week and not trying to think what’s the next step because we only had like five or six guys. … If there was certain weeks we had to pull back from practice or if we had to go as hard as we could, that’s kind of how we took it.”

The result was the second consecutive losing season to begin coach Bobby Hurley’s career at ASU, with the team winning just 15 games each in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017.

Hurley has addressed those depth issues with a strong recruiting class combined with key players who redshirted last season becoming eligible.

Hurley may have begun his ASU career two seasons ago, but the argument can be made that fans will see the first team actually built by Hurley when the 2017-2018 season kicks off against Idaho State.

Kimani Lawrence, Remy Martin and Romello White headline a crowd of six newcomers to the team that also includes Ohio State transfer Mickey Mitchell.

They join the senior trio of Justice, Shannon Evans and Tra Holder in an attempt to be the first Sun Devils team to reach the tournament since 2014.  

Adjusting to so many new face will take time. The Sun Devils opened their exhibition season Oct. 26 with an unexpectedly close double-overtime win over Northern State, a Division II school from Aberdeen, South Dakota. They visit San Diego Wednesday for their second preseason game.

Still, the added talent has already had positive effects on the roster.

“I think our roster has improved and we’re seeing the impact of having a deeper team in our practice today,” Hurley said. “It was very competitive. The transfers are adding a different element just like I imagined they would in terms of elevating the level of what I’m seeing out on the floor.”

Justice says the newcomers have brought a competitive edge that has been missing from past teams.

“We’re competing every time we step on the court,” Justice said. “You could say the last couple years you knew who was going to be the best player on the court. Now, if you don’t bring your A game every single day you’re going to run the entire day because you’re going to lose. …There’s a lot of good players out there. The newcomers are extremely talented and us seniors and returners have put in a lot of work so we’ve gotten better.”

The biggest difference this year will be the front court.

Obinna Oleka was the only true big to get consistent playing time, and at 6-feet-8, could still be considered an undersized center.

Romello White and Vitaliy Shibel will be back after sitting out last season, and Hurley added 6-10 junior college product De’Quon Lake in this year’s recruiting class. In 2016-2017, the team’s front court was non-existent, but this year it will potentially be one of the most well-rounded groups in the Pac-12.

“We couldn’t ask for anything else,” Justice said. “Mello plays really hard, he bangs down low. We have a stretch that can shoot in Vitaliy, you have Ramon who can finish around the basket, De’Quon can block shots. You just have versatility everywhere from the big positions, and that’s not even adding Mickey and Kimani who can play three and four, too.”

White in particular has stood out among the big men.

The former four-star recruit redshirted last year due to academic eligibility issues but is expected to play this season, and Hurley is expecting big things from him.

“I think one of the great things that Romello does is that he just competes, and he’s very rugged,” Hurley said. “Some guys might be big and strong but they don’t like contact, they shy away from contact. Romello doesn’t. He enjoys physical play, and he’s got good instincts and footwork. You can throw it to him and he’s got a good feel for what to do.”

Outside of the retooled front court, freshmen Martin and Lawrence will add depth at the point and wing positions, allowing ASU to run small ball with skilled ball-handlers at every position on the floor.

“They’re just different combinations that we can use,” Hurley said. “We played small ball throughout the entire game last year and we can do that some this year because I think we’ve added strength to the guard position.”

Lawrence, the highest-ranked ASU recruit since Jahii Carson committed in 2011, according to ESPN, is a do-it-all small forward with the height and wingspan to guard any player on the floor then get back on the offensive side and exploit a mismatch.

Martin is already among the fastest players in college basketball and has impressed from Day One.

“Oh, man! He’s so fast, I hate guarding him him,” Holder mused. “No, he’s great. You wouldn’t even know that he’s a freshman. Just how vocal he is and how he plays, so I’m just proud another L.A. guy is out here doing work.”

What is for certain is this team will look a lot different than Sun Devils fans are used to, but the question remains if Hurley has done enough to turn the program into a tournament-bound team.

His recruiting skills are attracting attention as he recently landed five-star shooting guard Luguentz Dort. The Sun Devils will also have San Diego State transfer Zylan Cheatham, who recently won the Mill Madness dunk contest, eligible in 2018.

“There’s a lot of steps in that process, there’s a lot you have to do in the non-conference and in league play,” Hurley said. “I do feel that with the guards and particularly what I’ve seen out of Romello White, relative to what I can compare it to is my second year at Buffalo, (when) I felt like I had that type of team that could compete against high majors or really anyone that was on our schedule. I got a feeling that that’s the kind of team I have right now.

“We’re still young at some positions and inexperienced to a degree in the front court but I think that these guys will get better and better. … That’s ultimately the goal but in the meantime it’s just us trying to improve as a team here everyday in practice.”