Dishin & Swishin 02/13/14 Podcast: Charli Turner Thorne and Arizona State prepare for big weekend with games at Stanford and Cal
The whispers were pretty loud last year. After taking a one-year sabbatical from women’s basketball, head coach Charli Turner Thorne returned to coach Arizona State last season, and the team struggled mightily. Did the program need a new direction? Was it time for a new head coach?
This season Turner Thorne has quieted the critics and answered those questions with a resounding no. The Sun Devils climbed the polls, and after a letdown in the intrastate rivalry game against Arizona last weekend, the team sits ranked 15/21 in the AP and USA Today polls and second place in the Pac-12 conference.
This weekend will be a big test for the Sun Devils, as they head into a Valentine’s Day game at Stanford, who is coming off their own upset loss, and then Sunday they face Cal in Berkeley, with second place in the conference on the line.
A mix of various classes, Arizona State is winning with a true team concept; only one player averages in double figures, and six players average between seven and ten points per game. Eight different players have been game high scorer, and they have beaten quality opponents like North Carolina, California, Syracuse and Miami already this season. Nine players have started, and nine players average over fifteen minutes per game.
The shadow of Stanford is a big one, but Arizona State does not seem to register with a lot of people despite their outstanding success. Turner Throne is the second winningest coach in Pac 12 history, and her teams have made the postseason 13 of last 14 years. They have reached the Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament, and Turner Thorne has coached USA Basketball teams to gold medals as well.
So as you look west, and see Stanford, and rising programs in Cal, Washington and Washington State, Colorado USC and UCLA, do not forget about Arizona State. The Sun Devils are back, and Charli Turner Thorne has them on the rise again.
Enjoy the podcast!
