Roster turnover was the story of the offseason for Arizona State. In the season-opening loss, it looked like the Sun Devils lacked cohesion and identity. They needed guiding hands to steady the ship.
It was all different in Saturday’s 63-52 win over Texas Southern. The pair of returning guards turned out to be the key to getting back on track.
Junior guards Frankie Collins and Jamiya Neal combined for 23 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists.
Collins struggled offensively in the season-opening loss to Mississippi State on Wednesday but found his rhythm in his second game.
The former Michigan transfer drilled a pair of 3-pointers down the stretch, including a step-back with a hand in his face.
“I think like any point guard that is a winning player does, when you have an opportunity to give your team a chance to win, you become a shot-maker like he was late in the game,” ASU coach Bobby Hurley said.
Hurley, a legendary former point guard, has high standards for his leading guard.
Collins has embraced his new leadership role and it began to manifest on the court.
“We have a whole new team,” he said. “You want to be great now, but you really want to be late in January, February and March, that’s when it’s winning time.”
The starting point guard established a nice rapport with senior forward Zane Meeks. Collins found Meeks on a pick-and-pop three to put the Sun Devils up nine after one of Texas Southern’s runs in the second half.
The point guard’s breakout seemed like a realization for Collins. To an extent, this is his team now. The older voices of Desmond Cambridge Jr. and Warren Washington are gone. It seemed like that had clicked.
“I just have to be that guy who steps up and as a point guard, I have to be the leader,” he said. “I have to do everything across the board and lead by example.”
His contributions, along with Neal’s, to the rebounding effort throughout the game were indicative of that new mindset. The duo found a way to lead, to step up where the team needed it.
The 15 rebounds against an athletic, frenetic team like Texas Southern were a difference maker and Hurley will certainly want to see that effort level going forward.
“With their size and athletic ability, they should be able to get to the board,” Hurley said. “It helps if we have [senior forward Alonzo Gaffney and sophomore center Shawn Phillips Jr.] challenging shots, we need those guards cracking down and getting those rebounds.”
Neal’s emergence as the two-guard for ASU started slow on Wednesday despite all the preseason hype he received in the prior weeks.
That changed against Texas Southern.
The bouncy guard showed his hops in the first half with a pair of high-flying, highlight reel jams on Texas Southern in transition.
His athleticism was a huge boost for the struggling Sun Devil offense. While the defense did not need much help, Neal’s speed was a huge advantage when Hurley deployed his full-court trap defense. He had just one steal but his effort likely helped force several of Texas Southern’s 19 turnovers.
Neal’s backcourt mate, Collins, believes the duo and fellow returner, graduate student forward Alonzo Gaffney can take this team back to where it was last year.
“We played together last year and it carried over to now… if we just continue to keep us three rolling and get the other guys involved with us, I think we’ll be fine.”
The game was not perfect, but the nature of early-season college basketball is perpetually imperfect.
The Sun Devils searched for answers against Mississippi State and found very few.
The win against Texas Southern might have provided them with a pair of much-needed answers.
Very helpful and informative. Thanks!