Harden elevates Sun Devils' hopes
He is the cornerstone to one of Arizona State's most promising recruiting classes for men's basketball in years. But he'll let somebody else make promises. James Harden is at ASU to make shots. Harden, a much-decorated prospect from Los Angeles, met the collective media Wednesday at Wells Fargo Arena for the first time in a formal introduction to coach Herb Sendek's second season at ASU. Sendek's first team at ASU last year planted the seeds for some underdog enthusiasm with gritty play, especially with late-season victories over Southern California and California. The Sun Devils were easy to like. Now, the task is to sustain the early interest with progress that can be measured in the win column. No secret there. ASU's chances are tough to figure, mostly because of a roster that includes eight new players. But one of those eight is Harden, a McDonald's All-American who seems to hold the key to unlocking potential the Sun Devils have never seemed to fulfill. If ASU's future has a face, Harden is it. But Harden isn't seeking recognition. Not yet, anyway. Like most freshmen, he's just trying to figure out where his next class is. "I don't pay attention to it," Harden said when asked if he's been recognized on campus. "I just go about my business." A business-like Harden appears to be a good fit to Sendek's approach, which is a mix of philosophy, academics, management and attention to detail. Harden sounds like a student who Sendek has always wanted in his classroom. "Although it's a tough thing to balance, I love a combination of humility and confidence," said Sendek, who begins formal practices Friday. "I think James has a nice combination of those two attributes." The confidence is mostly exhibited on the floor. That's where Harden, a 6-foot-4 guard, is expected to provide the reliable jump shot that was hit and mostly miss last year. With a shooter like Harden, the Sun Devils might have been able to spring upsets of UCLA, Washington State, Arizona and Oregon at home. Instead, they fell to narrow losses with a zone defense and tactics that kept them close, but rarely victorious. "We played it close, giving us a chance at winning by banking it from half-court," Sendek said wryly. With Harden, however, there's a real chance that ASU can hit the late game-winner. He did in high school against the three other leading Pac-10 recruits - USC's OJ Mayo, UCLA's Kevin Love and Arizona's Jerryd Bayless. "But all the hype was in high school," said Harden, whose mom and brother are expected to move to the Valley in time for this season which opens on Nov. 19 against Illinois at the Maui Invitational. "This is different, against bigger, faster and better players. Last year's hype doesn't matter anymore."
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