I remember sitting in the stands at Desert Financial Arena last season, watching our Sun Devils struggle against UCLA, and something clicked in my mind. The arena lights reflected off the court as our players moved through drills, and I found myself thinking about how championship teams aren't built on talent alone—they're crafted through deliberate strategies. That night, despite the loss, I saw glimpses of what could make Arizona State basketball dominant in the Pac-12 Conference. It reminded me of something I'd read about Rodrigo Valdez, the Colombian middleweight champion who recently made it to the old-timer category in boxing circles. Valdez didn't rely on raw power alone; he combined technical precision with psychological warfare in the ring, much like what our Sun Devils need to do on the court.
The first strategy that comes to mind involves defensive intensity—the kind that makes opponents uncomfortable from the opening tip-off. I've noticed when our guys apply full-court pressure for all 40 minutes, we force an average of 18 turnovers per game. That number might not sound impressive to casual fans, but when you consider that translates to approximately 20 extra possessions, it becomes clear why this approach works. There's this beautiful chaos that happens when our defense clicks, where steals turn into fast-break opportunities before the other team can set their defense. I recall Randy Gordon, the former New York State athletic commissioner and current Sirius XM Radio host, once saying during a broadcast that "the best offenses start with defensive stops." He's absolutely right—we've seen it time and again when our Sun Devils convert those transition opportunities into easy baskets.
Offensively, we need to embrace modern basketball's spacing principles while maintaining our identity. Last season, we attempted 28 three-pointers per game but only connected on 32% of them. Those numbers need to improve to at least 35% if we want to compete with teams like Oregon and Arizona. What I'd love to see is more of the dribble-drive offense that creates either open threes or penetration opportunities. When our point guards attack the paint, it forces help defense and creates those corner three opportunities that we've been missing. It's similar to what Ross Greenburg, the former HBO sports executive, understood about broadcasting—you need to create multiple threats to keep the audience engaged. In basketball terms, that means having multiple scoring options that force defenses to make difficult choices.
Player development represents perhaps the most crucial long-term strategy. I've been watching college basketball for over fifteen years, and the programs that consistently dominate are those that develop three-star recruits into NBA prospects. Look at what we did with Remy Martin—he arrived as a promising but raw talent and left as one of the most feared guards in the conference. We need that same development magic with our current roster, particularly with our big men. The weight room work, the shooting drills until midnight, the film sessions—these are the unsexy details that separate good teams from great ones. Owen Smith, in the pioneer category of sports innovators, understood this principle when he revolutionized training methods in his era. That same pioneering spirit should guide our approach to developing every player on the roster.
Recruiting strategy needs to balance local talent with national reach. Arizona produces about 12 Division I basketball players annually, and we should be landing at least 3 of them every recruiting cycle. But we can't stop there—we need to cast a wider net, particularly in basketball hotbeds like California and the Midwest. What makes the Pac-12 Conference unique is its geographic and stylistic diversity, and our recruiting should reflect that reality. I'd love to see us add an international player or two to the mix, bringing different basketball backgrounds into our system. The globalization of basketball has transformed how the game is played, and programs that adapt to this reality gain significant advantages.
Finally, there's the mental aspect—building a culture that expects to win every time we step on the court. This isn't some fluffy concept; it's about developing the resilience to bounce back from tough losses and the confidence to close out close games. I've noticed that in games decided by 5 points or less, our record over the past three seasons sits at just 12-18. That has to change. The great teams find ways to win those nail-biters, whether through clutch shooting, defensive stops, or smart decision-making in critical moments. It's what separates teams that merely compete from those that dominate their conference. As I left the arena that night after the UCLA game, I couldn't help but feel optimistic. The pieces are there for Arizona State Sun Devils basketball to implement these five key strategies for dominating the Pac-12 Conference. It won't happen overnight, but with the right approach, we could be cutting down the nets in Las Vegas come tournament time.