Arizona State, a Thorne in Our Side

Each week, leading up to the opening of the Pac 10 season, I will write an article on each Pac10 team excluding Stanford. The big time fans here know all about our team. I'll update any recent story on schools I've already written about. Then when the Pac 10 season starts, I'll do a weekly article on that week and how each school did, and what might happen in the current week. I'm excited about this and hope you will enjoy.

This Week: Arizona State

Our first article is on Arizona State, a Thorne in our side for several years now. ASU is known for both their very physical play and Charli's ice hockey style substitution patterns. She often subs 4 or even 5 players at a time.

The key to their play is strong post play and this year the Center position belongs to 6-6 soph Kirsten Thompson. Kirsten was a McDonald's All-American and saw plenty of action last year behind the graduated and outstanding Kristen Kovesdy. The huge question is can Thompson play D and rebound like Kovesdy. Last year Thompson scored 5 points per game and had 2 rebounds per game while playing 10 minutes per game. This year she will play 25 or so minutes per game.

Forwards will be Sr Emily Westerberg who scored 11 per game with 5 rebounds per game, and strong Sr Aubree Johnson who was at 6 points and almost 5 rebounds per game. Westerberg is a fine athlete who was second in assists. She can run and slash and shot 35% from 3. Johnson is more of a defensive player/rebounder, who shared time with the graduated Amy Denson.

Back up posts/forwards will be younger players, soph and incoming frosh. The best of these could be 6-2 frosh, Kayli Murphy. Charli's biggest challenge will be getting the back up post players up to speed for Pac 10 play, and developing Thompson as she did Kovesdy.

The strength of the team will be the Guard position, a reversal for a team that last year used their solid posts to out rebound the opposition by 6.5 boards per game.

Incoming frosh dynamo Dymond Simon will make an immediate impact. A McDonald's All-American and a 5-5 bundle of energy and extreme quickness. Soph Briann January returns as the Starting PG, to be challenged by Dymond. Briann didn't shoot well last year, 34%, 22% from 3, but was tough in the clutch and did lead the team in assists. Given the hockey style substitutions, these two could play the same amount of time.

At the 2 Guard are two players who should shoot much better than last season. Sr Jill Noe, who I believe could have 2 years left, returns after an uneven season. But remember Jill has missed a lot of time with serious knee injuries. I suspect this year she will shoot and play like the younger Noe we saw several years ago. One time Stanford possibility, Soph Danielle Orsillo also returns as Noe's back up. Noe scored 8 points per game last year, Orsillo 7. Also returning is Jr Reagan Pariseau, who was the top 3 point shooter last year at 35.5%, scoring 5 points per game.

Given 5 very good Guards, and a lack of established depth in the front court, Charli may often play 3 guards at the same time. They could well run more than before, and certainly establish a fine "kick out for 3" game that we know so well.

Recruiting: ASU has only one commitment, versatile 6-1 wing, forward, Stephanie Wilber from the state of Washington. Wilber is an outstanding slasher, 3 point shooter, ranked about 80th in the nation. Two big post players have transferred in, 6-3 Lauren Lacey from Minn, and 6-3 Sybil Dosty from Tenn. Both should be outstanding post players, and each will sit out this season, then have 2 years left to play.