ASU basketball undergoing a transformation

TEMPE, Ariz. - ASU basketball tips off this week and will look completely different this season to its fans from the players on the court to the balance of scoring on the team.

"We're working to make the transition from a group of individuals to a force of one, to a team and that's the challenge we have right now," said coach Herb Sendek on the Doug and Wolf show Tuesday morning.

ASU lost star players James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph to the NBA and will be looking for returning players to fill their void.

"Those guys are gone, but this is a chapter in ASU basketball where we got to move forward and can't dwell on the past. Obviously, guys have got to step up," said junior guard Jamelle McMillan.

ASU's offense will be looking for contributions from the entire team.

"Our offense is much more equal opportunity. We're going to have to probably have more balance. Our scoring can come from a number of different players," said Sendek.

Sendek cautioned that the team is still a little raw and in the process of coming together.

"We've made some progress, but we have a tremendous amount of work still ahead of us. We need additional time to kind of reconfigure ourselves," said Sendek.

Still, the team will be relying on senior guard Derek Glasser to lead the team back to the NCAA tournament.

Sendek is happy with the progression Glasser has made from a freshman to a senior.

"His progress has been terrific," said Sendek.

However, the success of the team will depend on the new players and how fast they can contribute on the court.

Sendek is optimistic about the incoming freshman class and their potential long-term.

"Those guys have a chance to be a good group, but they're still at the beginning stage of the learning curve," said Sendek.

Specifically, Sendek believes that freshmen Trent Lockett, Demetrius Walker and Ruslan Pateev will make immediate contributions on the court.

As a result of the team's young make-up, Sendek isn't focusing on slotting players into roles, but on developing the fundamentals of basketball in his players.

"We're going to have to really be good at the basic fundamentals and work hard to make each other better. At this point of the season, we better be good at all those things that everybody can do," said Sendek.

Sendek said that it's important to establish a system that suits the players you have instead of establishing a concrete system from year to year.

"We always want to take inventory of who we have and then put them in the best possible position to be successful," said Sendek.

Sendek seems most worried about the defense of the Sun Devils.

"We're still a group that's learning to play with sustained intensity and tenacity. We don't have a handle on that," said Sendek.

McMillan also stressed the importance of rebounding.

"We're a smaller team. We have to rebound from all five positions in order to win. If you control the glass, then you pretty much control the game," said McMillan.

ASU basketball tips off on Friday night against Western Illinois at Wells Fargo Arena.