Blogging with the Devils

Basketball may be Johnny Coy’s first love, but there’s a good chance it won’t be his only passion when he comes to ASU, as expected.

Incoming Arizona State freshman Johnny Coy is coming to town this summer to begin July classes. Or so it appears.

In addition to his record-setting feats in basketball at Benton High School in Missouri, the 6-foot-7 Coy is an accomplished baseball product.

He didn’t play summer baseball, but after a high school season in which he hit .655 with 13 home runs, 52 RBI and 19 stolen bases, Coy was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the seventh round (226 overall) of last week’s Major League Baseball amateur draft.

Last year’s 226th pick received a signing bonus of $123,000, and the Phillies will likely have to up that ante significantly to pull Coy away from his ASU commitment.

The odds are Coy will come to college.

But here’s another twist:

Johnny’s older brother, Dickie, said the family received a call from ASU baseball coach Pat Murphy on Monday offering Johnny a spot on the ASU baseball team next season, a decision instigated in-part by basketball coach Herb Sendek.

Obviously, playing time on the diamond is no guarantee, and schedules would still have to be worked out in the winter months when the two sports conflict. But Dickie Coy said it could happen.

“That’s the type of coach we’ve signed with,” Dickie Coy said of Sendek. “I don’t know if Johnny would ever give up basketball, but this way, we could get an opportunity to know exactly how good he could be (at baseball).”

Stay tuned.

According to ASUDevils.com, Alex Stepheson is visiting ASU this week. The North Carolina transfer wants to come back west to be closer to family. He averaged 4.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore, and is a solid defender.

Whether he ends up at ASU, UCLA, Stanford or California, he wouldn’t be eligible until 2009-10.

A point guard and three-year captain at San Diego in the late 1990s, Lamont Smith is house-hunting in the East Valley after two years in St. Louis, six years at St. Mary’s and a year at Santa Clara. 

Lamont Smith sells college basketball programs to high schoolers, not housing.

Smith was pegged by Arizona State coach Herb Sendek after Mark Phelps got his first head coaching job at Drake.

For now, Smith is living out of a hotel near campus while he and his wife, Kim, peruse the Chandler/Tempe real estate market for a home.

“It’s mostly my wife,” he said. “I’m a guy. We’re not too picky.” 

He’s also shuttling back and forth between Phoenix and the Bay Area to tie up loose ends and see friends before the recruiting roads are paved in July. 

Smith was the top assistant at Santa Clara last season, and was at St. Mary’s under Randy Bennett for six years after the two worked together at St. Louis under current Washington coach Lorenzo Romar.

Bennett brought Smith out west in 2001 and took over a Gaels team that was 2-27 with an RPI of 363 the year before.

“Not to mention we walked into a facility with no money and had to be creative to get what we wanted to get accomplished,” Smith said. “It was how to be creative and make things work without resources.”

They did, as four years later the Gaels had a school-record 25 wins and were back in the NCAA tournament.

By then, mutual friends had introduced Smith and Sendek. Smith interviewed at ASU 2 1/2 years ago to be an assistant, a job which eventually went to Dedrique Taylor. Smith stayed in touch and heard Sendek had interest again this spring.

This time, no interview was necessary.

“He wanted to have a well-rounded coach, not just a recruiter or X-and-O guy,” Smith said.

He hasn’t met Eric Boateng and only had phone conversations with incoming freshman Johnny Coy. Since coaches are prohibited from working with players this time of year, Smith hasn’t seen any Sun Devils play, but he knows ASU isn’t St. Mary’s circa 2001.

Tuesday was the official groundbreaking ceremony for Arizona State basketball’s Weatherup Center, which will be located between the soccer stadium and the band’s practice field.

The roughly $20 million facility for both hoops teams will house two practice courts (where both the men and women plan to do the vast majority of practices and shootarounds), locker rooms, video rooms, weight rooms, coaches’ offices, etc.

ASU plans to move lock, stock and barrel into this home in April 2009, and is short approximately $5 million in funding, a remarkably small figure given the school’s historic struggles to raise money for previous projects.

ASU will be the sixth Pac-10 school to have a second hoops facility.

The scheduling strains put on basketball and volleyball practice times (volleyball practice will stay at Wells Fargo Arena) will disappear with this facility, since separate courts and facilites mean Herb Sendek’s and Charli Turner Thorne’s teams can practice any time they want.

Remember two years ago, when the Sun Devils had to practice at the Glendale YMCA?  Try selling that during a recruiting visit.

(Last season was an improvement: The Student Recreation Center on campus).

No, there won’t be individual plasma-screen TVs at every locker. Sendek and Turner Thorne had a lot of input in this building, but those tricked-out extras aren’t their style. 

Speaking of scheduling, before the ceremony, Sendek held a casual luncheon with some East Valley media, and among the array of topics and small-talk was his nonconference schedule.

None of this (outside perhaps the Anaheim Classic to begin the season) is set in stone, but here are a few likely nonconference opponents:

The Anaheim tournament currently has ASU, Wake Forest, Texas-El Paso, Baylor, Providence, Cal State Fullerton and UNC-Charlotte on the docket (Arkansas has been wishy-washy on a commitment).

The Sun Devils will play Brigham Young in Glendale as part of the Stadium Shootout on Dec. 20 (Louisville and Minnesota will play the other game). It’s basically a rehearsal showcase in preparation for the 2009 NCAA Tournament regional which will be held at University of Phoenix Stadium.

(By the way, how about the 6 million webs you can weave between Sendek, Louisville coach Rick Pitino and former Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, now at Minnesota). 

If the regional goes smoothly, ASU will have basically made its case to host a Final Four in Glendale, as soon as 2012.

The Sun Devils also host Nebraska, face Pepperdine and start a two-year series with San Diego State.

How Sendek fills in the remaining few spots remains to be seen, but it won’t be easy.

It’s almost time. College basketball players not graduating have until April 27 to declare for the NBA draft, but those who don’t sign with an agent have until 10 days before this summer’s draft to withdraw and return to school.

This won’t affect Arizona State directly since James Harden is returning and Jeff Pendergraph said Monday he’s returning to ASU for his senior season, a wise decision.

What could help most is the league’s attrition. Take a look at this season’s all-Pac 10 teams and their status (as of Tuesday evening):

First Team: Ryan Anderson, California (declared without agent), Harden (returning to school), Brook Lopez, Stanford (signed with an agent), Kevin Love, UCLA (declared and about to sign an agent), O.J. Mayo, Southern California (signed with an agent).

Second Team: Jerryd Bayless, Arizona (signed with an agent), Jon Brockman, Washington (returning to school), Darren Collison, UCLA (undecided), Maarty Leunen, Oregon (graduated), Kyle Weaver, Washington State (graduated).

Third Team: Chase Budinger, Arizona (declared without agent), Taj Gibson, USC (returning to school), Derrick Low, Washington State (graduated), Pendergraph (returning to school), Russell Westbrook (declared without agent).

The Pac-10 may not be quite as remarkable next season, but that list has ASU looking good.

In the bigger picture, for every Harden and Pendergraph, however, are a lot more guys on the other side: Mayo, Love, Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, Eric Gordon, etc. They’re (more) ready for the NBA and have every right to take advantage of the payday coming.

Here’s a recent column by Gene Wojciechowski at ESPN.com, and while it’s nothing that hasn’t been spouted off about for years and years, it’s that time of year to get back on the pulpit.

Seems as though Arizona State basketball assistants keep getting plucked for other jobs, and that’s not a bad thing.

Archie Miller left after one season with ASU for Ohio State, and today it’s longtime assistant Mark Phelps, who’s headed to Drake.

Here’s Sean Keeler’s take from today’s Des Moines (Iowa) Register, and it’s impressive, in this day and age, that there was no rumor mill or message board mongering in either Tempe or Des Moines. Not a whisper of Phelps’ name was mentioned as a candidate in the past week.

Basically, Phelps’ hiring to replace the departed Keno Davis was pretty shocking in both time zones. The ASU connection helped (Drake athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb was a former associate AD in Tempe), but Phelps sealed this job with two terrific interviews, one via phone and the other in person.

Introduced as the new Drake basketball coach on Monday, former Arizona State assistant Mark Phelps called it a “precious opportunity,” but it was a long time coming for the 12-year assistant to Herb Sendek. (Des Moines Register photo) 

Phelps’ departure means ASU coach Herb Sendek has a spot to fill on his staff for a second consecutive summer.

Greg Hansen of the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson has already mentioned ASU radio analyst Russ Pennell as a possible Lute Olson assistant once Kevin O’Neill officially departs, and no doubt Sendek’s thought the same at ASU.

Pennell was a former assistant under Rob Evans, an AAU coach who knows the high school and AAU scene as well as anyone. He has an excellent relationship with Sendek (Ty Abbott, anyone?) and, given a better opportunity, can coach.

Friendship and high-pressure coaching don’t always mix, so one question is whether Sendek and Pennell would take the chance on mixing the two.

Whether he’s coaching or doing radio, Pennell’s one the Sun Devils don’t want to lose.

It’s never too early to look ahead, is it?

Arizona State hosts the 2009 West Regional of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, with three games at University of Phoenix Stadium between March 26 and 28.

Tickets are $167 and available to the general public. Applications will be accepted until May 15. Fans can now apply for tickets online.

Tickets will be assigned according to the order that applications are received. If the demand for tickets exceeds supply, a random drawing will be held to select ticket recipients.

Applicants will be notified in June if they were selected and will be delivered in mid-February 2009. Those not selected to receive ticket will be given refunds.

Another Final Four. Another circus.

Sure enough, one week of expected and bizarre activity has already transformed the Pac-10 next winter. Hard to believe since it’s April, but no other conference has (so far) gone through such upheavel.

Most of this basketball hurricane has past but there are a few unknowns still waiting to be answered.  Most speculation won’t end until June 16, the last day underclassmen can withdraw their name from the NBA lottery (unless they’ve hired an agent).

Take a look at what the league lost in the past week, and it’s easy to see why Andy Katz has ASU ranked No. 15 — second in the Pac-10 — heading into next season. We know how little merit this stuff has today, but it’s not far-fetched.

Mixed messages keep coming out of Westwood about the fate of UCLA’s Kevin Love, Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook.

At least one of the three will leave, and probably two.  The sophomore Westbrook appears most likely to stay another year, but his draft stock was enhanced by a strong showing in the NCAA tournament, while Collison’s inconsistency on offense didn’t help his cause.

Terrific all-around point guard Darren Collison didn’t fare too well offensively in the NCAA tournament. If it potentially costs him a spot in the NBA lottery (top 14), he may return to UCLA. 

Then there’s Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Alfred Aboya, both of whom are currently juniors but are on pace to leave school early if they so choose.

The Bruins have a pair of excellent backcourt recruits coming in, but they’re still going to take a hit.

Stanford 7-footers Brook and Robin Lopez are leaving early for the NBA, and Anthony Goods may jump as well. Three days later, Pac-10 Coach of the Year Trent Johnson bolted for Louisiana State and doubled his salary. The Cardinal administration has egg on its face for letting one of the better coaches (even if he was rigid and a mercurial personality) leave when all it had to do was offer Johnson a formal contract extension that was circulating for months. Get ready for more rumblings of Randy Bennett (St. Mary’s), Mark Fox (Nevada) and Mark Few (Gonzaga).

The Cardinal could have re-hired Mike Montgomery (though that wasn’t likely even with all his success and ties to the school), but California signed him the week before to replace the fired Ben Braun. The Bears have underachieved for the past few years, and it could get worse if sophomore Ryan Anderson decides to go pro.

Anderson was the Pac-10 leading scorer and third-leading rebounder, but a string of solid NBA workouts and a new coach at Cal may sway him to greener pastures. 

Washington State retains coach Tony Bennett after flirtations with Indiana and LSU, but loses three of its top four players: Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver, and Robbie Cowgill.

O.J. Mayo is gone from USC (shocking absolutely nobody). If Daniel Hackett, Davon Jefferson and Taj Gibson all return, the Trojans will be very good. It’s a group to watch as NBA draft deadline approaches.

Oregon loses its three leading scorers.

Jerryd Bayless is leaving Arizona. Chase Budinger might (he was oh-so-wise to not sign with an agent), and though All-American Brandon Jennings is coming in, duplicating Bayless’ production is an unreasonable expectation.

The Wildcats still lack depth but if they return to a running style under Lute Olson, they could be interesting with a return to good health.

Hard to blame Jerryd Bayless for making the jump, given the likelihood he’ll be a top-five draft pick. Given how big a recruit he was (and being a local kid), does he leave a legacy behind after one season? 

Poor Oregon State can’t find anyone willing to take on the Corvallis reclamation project, while California needed three days to make a big splash and really crank up the Bay area rivalry.

Former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery is back in the Pac-10 having accepted the Cal job. Montgomery put Stanford back on the basketball map in nearly two decades with the Cardinal. He went to 12 NCAA tournaments in 18 seasons before he left for the NBA in 2004.

The Cardinal hired his former assistant, Trent Johnson, this season’s Pac-10 Coach of the Year. Montgomery was a disaster with the Golden State Warriors and was back at Stanford this year as a TV analyst and working in the athletic department.

He’s back in the Pac. Mike Montgomery jumps the Bay from Stanford to California. Can’t wait to circle the Cal at Stanford date on next winter’s calendar.

Now he jumps across the Bay to Berkeley, much to the delight of Cal and the scorn of Stanford. Montgomery is a terrific coach, knows the Bay area and the Pac-10 as well as anyone.

Think that rivalry has just been taken up a notch?

Final Four week is when the shaking and baking begins, as the college basketball world flocks to San Antonio for much more than the games (although with the four No. 1 seeds there for the first time in history, that should be good enough).

Coaches, athletic directors, job mongers and the like will all be there, hob-knobbing and job-talking for the next six days.

The Pac-10, however, didn’t wait to get started.

Lute Olson is back at Arizona after his season-long sabbatical to deal with his divorce. What happens with Kevin O’Neill, who’s suddenly no longer in line to be Olson’s eventual replacement after being named as such last fall?

At Olson’s press conference today in Tucscon, he said O’Neill – who has another year in his contract — is out as his top assistant, which ended a brief tenure of confusion, muddled answers, and, thus, even more confusion. 

Lute said he’d like to coach until at least 2011, when his contract expires, and can’t hire another top assistant until O’Neill (who’s on vacation) officially leaves his post. 

A tanned, rested and relaxed  Lute Olson went through a mixed bag of questions in Tucson on Tuesday. More questions about his staff and roster won’t be answered for at least a few more weeks. (Xavier Gallegos/Tucson Citizen)

Even though the Wildcats had a “down” year by their standards (19-15 overall, 8-10 Pac-10), injuries and contrasting styles between O’Neill and Olson make it difficult for other schools to evaluate O’Neill and his abilities based on this season. 

But those gray areas alone will make it tough for O’Neill to land a major conference head coaching job (forget about the Pac-10) or go back to being an NBA assistant.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats bring in All-American high schooler Brandon Jennings to a team that could return up to four starters.

Emphasis on “could.”

Chase Budinger would be foolish to leave school for the NBA.

Jerryd Bayless? Not so much. He’s already projected to be an NBA lottery pick, which could be more tempting than Olson’s fast-paced style and ‘Cats roster continuity.

His decision is the big one, and may not come until after he gets more input on his projected place in the NBA world.

About 1,500 miles north, Washington State coach Tony Bennett briefly flirted with Indiana about its marquee opening before Pullman pulled him back in with a sweetened deal for him, his assistants and the facilities.

It’s impressive for Wazzu, considering Bennett’s coaching ability and the lure of places larger than Pullman. Still, it’s probably a good (non)-move for Bennett, since Indiana will lose D.J. White, freshman Eric Gordon is likely gone to the pros, and interim coach Dan Dakich booted two other starters off the team for missing meetings.

If Indiana had to shed its squeaky-clean image in the name of hiring Kelvin Sampson, the Hoosiers aren’t the salivating draw they once were.

Or so we thought. Marquette coach Tom Crean is set to become Indiana’s new coach, a huge loss for the perennial NCAA tournament school from Milwaukee, and major injection of interest toward the sagging Big Ten (Crean was an assistant under Tom Izzo at Michigan State).

There’s a juicy opening at California with Ben Braun fired after 12 seasons. He’s had a few underachieving teams (including this year’s 17-16, 6-12 squad which had plenty of talent), but he’s also had multiple years implode because of injuries.

Having dealt with him multiple times when I covered the Mid-American Conference, Braun, already entrenched at Cal by then, was always accessible and gave thoughtful answers.

California gave coach Ben Braun a thumbs down last week. Classy and thoughtful he was, but it wasn’t enough to offset his underachieving Bears in recent years. 

It might have been his downfall in this case. Braun was very much a “players” coach, but the Bears were awful defensively and often struggled down the stretch in games when physical and mental toughness are needed.

The Bears made only one NCAA tournament appearance in the past five years, and it wasn’t because they lacked quality players.

Former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery doesn’t appear to want the job. Neither did Tony Bennett.

St. Mary’s coach Randy Bennett might, and should be a top choice given the way he’s turned around the Gaels in five years.

Oregon State might turn up the heat to persuade Bennett to be the next up-and-comer to try and resurrect Corvallis.

Then there’s the wonderment of whether O.J. Mayo and Davon Jefferson will return to USC, and what that might mean for coach Tim Floyd, who has the Louisiana State job vacancy swirling around him because of his family ties to the Bayou.

Rumors are flowing, which is also what the Final Four is for.

Arizona State fans are invited to the men’s basketball banquet on April 17 at the Phoenix Country Club (2901 North Seventh Street; basically Seventh Street and Thomas Avenue).

Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner and program beginning at 6 p.m.

It’s $50 per person with tables of available for $500.

For more information, contact Sun Devil Club associate director Bridget Arenson at 480-727-7709 or bridget.arenson@asu.edu