TEMPE, Ariz. -- Expectations for Arizona State are not exactly high in Bobby Hurleys second season. Despite having what could be one of the conferences best backcourts, the Sun Devils were picked to finish 11th in the Pac-12.Hurley doesnt want to hear it.Buffalo was picked to be among the worst teams in the Mid-American Conference in Hurleys second season there and the Bulls went on to win the conference, earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament.Despite the Sun Devils shortcomings this season, Hurley sees no reason to set the bar low in Tempe.I think were as good as anybody, Hurley said. Thats going to put some pressure on my guys to live up to that. But I think theyre more than capable.Hurleys first season got off to a fantastic start, with Arizona State entering Pac-12 play at 10-3 after wins over Creighton and UNLV. The Sun Devils fell flat in conference, finishing 5-13 and 15-17 overall.A big issue last season was that Hurley wanted the Sun Devils to push the pace, but he had a roster full of recruits from the previous coach, Herb Sendek.This season, Hurley has more of his players on the team, so the pace should pick up.Orchestrating it will be what should be one of the Pac-12s -- if not the nations -- top backcourts.Junior Tra Holder has already established himself as one of the conferences best guards in two seasons at Arizona State and Hurley has been impressed with his leadership during the offseason. Holder averaged 14.2 points and 3.7 assists in 2015-16.Joining Holder will be Shannon Evans, a transfer who sat out last season after following Hurley from Buffalo.The 6-foot-1 junior averaged 15.4 points and 4.6 points as a sophomore with the Bulls and Hurley says adding him will be like having a McDonalds All-American join the team.Hes like a volcano thats building up for him. That guys got so much passion and energy and it was all bottled up last year, Hurley said. He did it on the practice floor and helped Tra get ready to play just by how good he was on the practice court, but the kid wants to play so bad. I think Im going to have to calm him down the first few games especially because hes going to be so amped to play.A few more things to look for from the Sun Devils in 2016-17:FRONTCOURT DEPTH: Guard play and perimeter scoring will be Arizona States obvious strength. The obvious weakness: Frontcourt depth. The Sun Devils lost seniors Willie Atwood and Eric Jacobsen and Savon Goodman opted to transfer, leaving the Sun Devils thin on the front line. Versatile Obinna Oleka is back, but the rest of the frontcourt will be filled with young, inexperienced players. Romello White, a 6-8 freshman, was expected to provide a lift, but did not meet academic requirements and will sit out as an academic redshirt. Another freshman, 6-9 Vitaliy Shibel, tore his ACL and will not play this season.OLEKAS ROLE: A junior college transfer, Oleka was Arizona States most versatile player last season, able to shoot from the perimeter or mix it up on the inside. The 6-7 senior can play both forward positions, allowing Hurley to mix and match his lineup depending on what the teams needs. Oleka averaged 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds last season, numbers that will likely increase this season as the Sun Devils rely on him more.CUNLIFFE ARRIVES: Hurley has hit the recruiting trail hard in a short time at ASU, landing a top-25 class last year. The marquee player in that group is guard Sam Cunliffe, the Sun Devils highest-rated recruit since James Harden in 2007. A solid 6-7, Cunliffe can get to the rim and elevate over smaller plays to get his jump shot off. Fellow freshmen Jethro Tshisumpa from Congo and Spaniard Ramon Villa also will likely see plenty of playing time, particularly with Arizona States lack of frontcourt depth.JUSTICE RETURNS: Kodi Justice, a key player in Arizona States guard rotation, should play an even bigger role this season. The 6-5 junior can play both guard positions and provides an instant energy boost when he enters the game. Justice made a team-high 60 3-pointers last season while averaging 7.9 points per game.Trevor Story Jersey . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Wholesale Rockies Jerseys . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/ . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Todd Helton Jersey . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Michael Cuddyer Jersey . The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem.Eoin Morgan says he has yet to decide whether he will lead the England one-day side to Bangladesh at the end of this month.Morgan was the first of Englands two captains - Alastair Cook being the other - to speak publicly about the trip since it was confirmed it would go ahead, following a security inspection led by the ECBs head of security Reg Dickason.It has been reported that Morgan is one of the players with the most significant doubts about undertaking the tour. However he claimed, despite being captain, he does not see his decision as being influential on other players who may be wavering. Absolutely not. It is a completely individual thing, he said. The decision any individual makes within the side is the right one and everybody will stand by whoever wants to go or not, and I think that is very important.I think when so much information is thrown at you within two months of a terrorist attack, you need to digest everything and be settled within yourself so you can go there and concentrate on cricket.As with other players who have commented on the tour, Morgan said the on-going one-day series against Pakistan has made it difficult to consider the Bangladesh situation.The one-day squad was due to be announced on September 9, two days after the T20 at Old Trafford, but it has now been pushed back into the following week in order to give the players some breathing space after the international season finishes. Morgan indicated that he expected players positions - including his own - to be clear within a couple of days of the T20.Conversationss continue to go on between the players and Dickason, as well as Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, who last week said he believed it was 100% safe for the tour to go ahead following the ECB delegations visit and hoped there would not be any absentees.ddddddddddddI would say in a short space of time it is a difficult one, but we have certainly been given the time by the ECB which helps, Morgan said. We have not had a great deal of downtime. I think we will take as much time as we need to make a decision and to feel comfortable and to feel safe.If wed had time off or no cricket between the meeting and now, I cant say I would be any closer to the decision, but I would have had more time to digest everything and let everything settle.If Morgan did withdraw from the tour, England would need a stand-in captain. Jos Buttler, who captained England against Pakistan in the second T20 in the UAE when Morgan was rested, is the vice-captain of the one-day side and could be in line to lead.There is an expectation that some players who appear across all three formats will be rested for the one-day series. Joe Root, who has played 32 international matches since January 1 this year - the second most in the world - would head that list while Moeen Ali and, despite his truncated season, Ben Stokes are also in line for a break. Stokes will be crucial to Englands chances across the seven Tests against Bangladesh and India. ' ' '
