So for the last few hours everybody has been stewing about Bass’ Myspace.com page – and for good reason.
The truth of the matter is, Bass is not likely to be a Wildcat after his visit to Arizona State. Again though, anything can happen – not many people expected his commitment to Arizona in the first place.
Bass is telling people that he committed to Arizona and then began to have second thoughts and has yet to visit ASU. His visit to ASU in the next couple of weeks will determine a lot. If he enjoys his visit, it is most likely bye bye UA – however – if he decides Tempe is not his place to be, his commitment still lies with Arizona as it is right now.
So the situation seems to be leaning towards losing him to Tempe and everything is pointing towards the academic side.
Everyone is going to say that ASU is cheating the system to get players in to the school and get them qualified but if that were the case – players in the past such as Po’u Palelei and Jermaine Williams – certifiable stud recruits – would have likely been pushed hard to get in. As it stands now Williams is not playing much football and Palelei is still attempting to qualify.
The fact of the matter is that the players still need to work to get in, just because ASU has their vaunted “scholar baller” program in place doesn’t mean they are doing anything obscenely illegal in order to get players in.
Every team is going to have players that do not qualify. Period. Every team is going to continue to recruit the players that do not have the best chance to qualify – if the talent is there, the recruitment is going to be there.
As Rivals.com’s UA writer told me awhile back, Bass would not have been ASU and UA’s #1 recruiting target if he had no chance to qualify.
Back to Bass… another thing that I am taking from the Myspace page is his profile quote – as I copied in the last post on this subject.
Bass appears to want a bit more publicity and more publicity comes with a heavier workload – something that a running back is not going to be able to achieve with the Dykes offensive plan. Arizona State runs the ball a lot more although, as expected, Arizona throws to their running backs a little more frequently. Here is a quick comparison…
In the first year of Air-Zona vs. the first year of Dennis Erickson’s game plan, Arizona running backs took the ball on in the backfield 240 times (Grigsby lead the team with 161 carries) and caught the ball out of the backfield 63 times (Grigsby lead the team with 35 running back receptions). Three touchdowns were scored on the ground by the running backs while three touchdowns were also scored when the running back caught the ball out of the backfield. In total, running backs averaged 25.25 touches and 0.5 touchdowns per game for Arizona
In comparison – Arizona State running backs totaled 422 carries (Keegan Herring, Ryan Torain and Dmitri Nance all had over 100 carries) and caught the ball out of the backfield 30 times. Devil running backs crossed the goal line 17 times during the 2007 campaign while catching two touchdown passes (both Torain). That equates out to 37.7 touches for ASU running backs and over one touchdown per game.
Granted – these numbers are highly unscientific and are stretched out to include all the running backs on the team. However, projecting out a healthy season on Bass would show him touching the ball on many more occasions in maroon and gold.
If Bass wants to take more of a role in an offense – it is only natural that ASU would have an advantage over Arizona.
Finally – a couple more notes on the Army All-American game. Covaughn Deboskie, one of the top Arizona players, has decided that he will be a California Golden Bear next season – choosing Cal over Arizona State. Deboskie may still use the forum presented to him at the game to formally announce his decision.
Gerell Robinson appears the be down to Notre Dame and Arizona State, but the two schools are so closely matched in his mind that he likely will not be announcing his decision at the game.
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I just hope and pray that Bass is not another Hakim Hill. A kid with tons of talent but not mature enough to take it on. Hopefully he can learn from Herring and Nance who are kids with class. They work hard and never complain.
— azpc 01/03/2008 05:56 PM #
— Button Salmon 01/03/2008 06:16 PM #
— Sparky 01/03/2008 06:30 PM #
— russ 01/03/2008 07:08 PM #
— Sparky 01/03/2008 07:29 PM #
— hector 01/03/2008 07:57 PM #
So what, fact is that they had a year that would practically give Stoops a parade in Tucson.
I just think UA fans look pretty weak trying to poke holes in ASU’s season. Ignoring them makes sense. That’s it..
We have zero to brag about…..
Once more we didn’t even make it to some lowly Bull SH#T bowl.
— vegasallen 01/03/2008 08:52 PM #
this is them getting it for us having to listen to their pipe-dreams all season. a soft schedule and they think they are contenders. hey, we play a soft schedule next year too, and if arizona starts off 8-0, you are not going to hear me or any other uofa fan talking the garbage these scummies did, we are realists.
i just love watching them get slapped in the face by reality. and you know what, our lowsy wildcat team will definatly beat you guys next year, and it wont even be that big of a deal, because you guys are not very good.
your new nickname should be “the great pretenders.” i think thats fitting.
— russ 01/03/2008 09:09 PM #
— Lollercoaster 01/03/2008 09:24 PM #
— trazetake 01/03/2008 10:11 PM #
— Pat 01/04/2008 12:59 AM #
Another reason why Bass maybe committed early is what if he gets hurt and people start pulling scholi’s off the table??? It wouldn’t look good if a team got rid of a commitment because of injury, even though it has happened in the past.
I think he bit on what Stoops, Wyatt and Scott were telling him and now he just isn’t sure he has made a good decision.
Didn’t you ever change your mind when you were 17? I was going to go to USD and then changed my mind.
— Johnny Quest S 01/04/2008 09:05 AM #
— vegasallen 01/04/2008 09:11 AM #
oh come on!!! you guys had a ridiculously soft schedule this year! you played every tough game at home (and got murdered by usc). i cant believe a scummy is talking about a soft schedule. we know our schedule is weak and acknowledge that, unlike you shroom eaters.
and if i remember correctly we lost to usc by 7 in L.A., i dont even know how bad they slaughtered you clowns.
— russ 01/04/2008 09:16 AM #
Me too. Weird.
— AZCoachB 01/04/2008 10:00 AM #
ASU played SC when they were playing their best and UA played them when they were playing backups.
— Johnny Quest S 01/04/2008 10:10 AM #
The landscape of football in this state is now in the heart of Tempe.
Tucson is and has been an afterthought when it comes to football.
No matter what the schedules are for each team, UofA can only dream of achieving and winning 10 games in any season. Remember, you lost to New Mexico and Stanford AT HOME.
Recruiting was the one thing that Stoops and UofA could hang their hats on in previous years. This is no longer the case now and in the future. ASU is and will dominate in recruiting.
Many coaches have come and gone through Stoops since he’s been there. They’ve changed systems over and over again. The system doesn’t work, it’s broken.
ASU will own this state in football and owns UofA in football.
Face reality now and it will help you get through the long and difficult years to come.
— Sundvlpwr 01/04/2008 11:36 AM #
Like how UA owns ASU all-time and in the last 20 years in football? So if we’re an afterthought, that must make you a long forgotten, distant, barely describable memory. Good point.
— AZCoachB 01/04/2008 11:55 AM #
— Johnny Quest S 01/04/2008 12:37 PM #
— azpc 01/04/2008 12:54 PM #
Sat, Sep 06 EASTERN WASHINGTON BOULDER
Sat, Sep 20 Florida State at
Sat, Sep 27 WEST VIRGINIA BOULDER TBA
Sat, Oct 04 *TEXAS BOULDER TBA
Sat, Oct 11 *Kansas at Lawrence, Kan.
Sat, Oct 18 *KANSAS STATE BOULDER TBA
Sat, Oct 25 *Missouri at Columbia, Mo.
Sat, Nov 01 *Texas A&M at College Station,
Sat, Nov 08 *IOWA STATE BOULDER TBA
Sat, Nov 15 *OKLAHOMA STATE BOULDER TBA
Fri, Nov 28 *Nebraska at Lincoln, Neb.
— Pat 01/04/2008 01:33 PM #
living in the past!!! kind of how asu talks about their rose bowl trips like they were yesterday.
don’t you guys have your own paper? why do you losers write on here? are you jealous or something? what are you trying to prove? your not impressing anyone.
— russ 01/04/2008 01:40 PM #
What a stupid comment
— Johnny Quest S 01/04/2008 02:53 PM #
No, it’s not a UofA paper but it’s a Tucson paper which happens to be where the UofA is located. Regardless, if this were a UofA paper, would you really stop your incessant obnoxious posts? Probably not. And to think, we could have been roommates and best friends (BFF) if we had both gone to USD. Le sigh…
— AZCoachB 01/04/2008 03:26 PM #
There is are many papers in Phoenix. People comment about ASU but I’m not allowed to comment back?
I’ve never tried to impress anyone just ensure facts are being told other then ASU sucks. If that is the case where does that place you?
— azpc 01/04/2008 03:28 PM #
— russ 01/04/2008 04:28 PM #
Seriously I’ve seen the National Championship and basketball thrown around alot in football sections. Baseball is also a sport we are pretty good at though you have had sucess too.
— azpc 01/04/2008 04:34 PM #
— Johnny Quest S 01/04/2008 04:47 PM #
What a hypocrite.
— Johnny Quest S 01/04/2008 04:49 PM #
SO they had a soft schedule. They won 10 games and played in a good non Jan 1 bowl game. If UA did the same that would be great. If UA did like Kansas and beat 4 directional schools and then won the Orange Bowl that would be solid. My question is would UA win 10 games with this current staff even with a soft schedule next year.
— Pat 01/05/2008 12:17 AM #
Sat, Sep 6 FB Toledo Tucson
Sat, Sep 13 FB New Mexico Albuquerque, N.M
Sat, Sep 27 FB UCLA Pasadena, Calif.
Sat, Oct 4 FB Washington Tucson
Sat, Oct 11 FB Stanford Palo Alto, Calif.
Sat, Oct 18 FB California Tucson
Sat, Oct 25 FB USC Tucson
Sat, Nov 8 FB Washington State Pullman, Wash.
Sat, Nov 15 FB Oregon Eugene, Ore.
Sat, Nov 22 FB Oregon State Tucson
Sat, Nov 29 FB Arizona State Tucson
— Pat 01/05/2008 12:41 AM #
— Jack A. 01/05/2008 11:37 AM #
If UofA and Stoops even got close to a 10 win season, it would be a small miracle. So much a miracle that Tucsonians would have a parade and then add him to the ballot for governor at the next election.
— Sundvlpwr 01/05/2008 02:59 PM #
Read it again. I wrote nothing about Scott’s mother. I have never said anything stupid or mean. I think you might have me mixed up with the SabinoCat guy.
Eric can we get the above deleted for being false and having personal attacks?
— Johnny Quest S 01/07/2008 08:49 AM #
Mr. Hess, since you seem to know what this ASWho?! “scholar baller” program isn’t, care to tell us all WHAT EXACTLY IT IS, something you surely don’t do in trying to dispel any criticisms of whatever may be going on at ASWhat?!?
And since when does it have to be obscene AND illegal to be just wrong?
In other words, immoral, unethical and, yes, plain ‘ol illegal.
By your comment, are you admitting it’s at least illegal?
Seems to me that your apologizing for this ASWhere?! “scholar baller” program brings up more questions than it answers.
More Hess:
“Back to Bass… another thing that I am taking from the Myspace page is his profile quote – as I copied in the last post on this subject.”
“Bass appears to want a bit more publicity and more publicity comes with a heavier workload – something that a running back is not going to be able to achieve with the Dykes offensive plan. Arizona State runs the ball a lot more although, as expected, Arizona throws to their running backs a little more frequently.”
“Here is a quick comparison…
In the first year of Air-Zona vs. the first year of Dennis Erickson’s game plan, Arizona running backs took the ball on in the backfield 240 times (Grigsby lead the team with 161 carries) and caught the ball out of the backfield 63 times (Grigsby lead the team with 35 running back receptions). Three touchdowns were scored on the ground by the running backs while three touchdowns were also scored when the running back caught the ball out of the backfield. In total, running backs averaged 25.25 touches and 0.5 touchdowns per game for Arizona”
“In comparison – Arizona State running backs totaled 422 carries (Keegan Herring, Ryan Torain and Dmitri Nance all had over 100 carries) and caught the ball out of the backfield 30 times. Devil running backs crossed the goal line 17 times during the 2007 campaign while catching two touchdown passes (both Torain). That equates out to 37.7 touches for ASU running backs and over one touchdown per game.”
Mr. Hess, your above UA-ASWhen?! RB comparisons would fly if not for the fact that you’re comparing the stats of one Arizona RB (Grigsby) vs. three ASWho?! RBs (Herring, Torrain, Nance; and by the way, where does Bass fit in here, both in terms of playing time and touches in the upcoming season?).
And still, for those three ASWhere?! backs to only get, what, about ten to twelve carries and half a touchdown more between them is not very telling, really.
If anything, Mr. Hess, your assessment proves the Cats try and get the ball into their proven backs’ hands any way they can, either trough the run or the pass. And if you’re a quality, competitive back, one wanting the ball on third down as much as first down, the Arizona Spread Offense is the offense for you, wouldn’t you say?
NAZCAAT
— Carlos 01/07/2008 09:45 PM #
to UofA for making it to the
Rose Bowl Finaly!!!! and
winning!!!!
UofA Rose Bowl Champions!!!
SPARKY
(just thought to get this out of
the way, i don’t think i’ll be
alive in 2094….LMAO!
— SUN DEVIL! 01/10/2008 12:47 AM #