Overheat: James Harden Returns To ASU Underrated As Ever

The Arizona State Sun Devils have a bright future ahead of them. The reason being?

SG/SF James Harden.

Here is a recap of how James Harden took control of the Pac-10 last season:

The captain of his high school basketball team, the 6-4 guard led Artesia High to consecutive State Titles and was invited to play in the 2007 McDonald's All American Game.

James was also only 17 years old when he comitted to play for Herb Sendek at Arizona State. His maturity has since skyrocketed since he came out of Artesia.

James averaged 17.8 PPG, 3.2 APG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.1 SPG during the 2007-08 season. The rookie sensation also had 16 games in which he scored 20+ points.

His desire to win has gone unquestioned, improving the a team that lost 15 straight games a season ago finishing 8-21, to a 21-13 record and barely missing the NCAA Tournament.

In essence, Harden illustrated a 22 game turnaround during his freshman season at Arizona State.

The Sun Devil star also shot 40.7% 3pt shooting and a torrid 52.7 % from the field last year.

Harden was the only player in his conference to average at least 17 PPG, 3 APG, 5 RPG, 2 SPG, and shoot at 75% at the foul line. Simply another notion, why Harden the most complete player in the Pac-10.

Another advantage he has on competition is that he is left-handed, making him one of College Basketball's Most Deadliest Southpaws.

A clutch performer, the Artesia Alum averaged 24.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 3.3 SPG in four overtime games last season, winning 75% of the contests.

One of the three victories was an upset win over the Lopez Brothers and Stanford who were ranked #7 in the country at the time.

On offense, #13 is a savvy slasher with breathtaking ball handling, stunning even the most menacing of defenders. He is also a smart offensive player using his wits to create contact, rather than shy away from it.

Also, on several occasions Harden was inserted at point guard for the Sun Devils and did an outstanding job. A good decision maker, Harden thrived on his height advantage over smaller point guards and excelled at delivering the ball to his fellow teammates and creating shots for them.

On defense, he has an incredible nose for the ball and an admirable wingspan making him a tough defender to score upon. Because of those factors, he became only the 5th freshman in Pac-10 history to lead the conference in steals.

After the season, James earned First Team All Pac-10 honors along with fellow freshmen Kevin Love, O.J. Mayo, and Jerryd Bayless.

Against Bayless and Mayo, Harden went a combined 3-2 last season (2-0 vs Arizona and 1-2 vs USC).

Of course out of the bunch, Harden is the only player coming back for his sophmore season, with others deciding to pursue illustrious NBA careers. His choice alone speaks volume of his maturation.

Then he lead the Sun Devils into the NIT Tournament in hopes of winning the grand consolation prize. James Harden averaged 23 PPG, 4.3 APG, 8.3 RPG, and 1.6 SPG in three games, but unfortunately ASU was knocked off by the defending National Champions, the Florida Gators.

Harden is the 4th best shooting guard and the 3rd best small forward in the country.

In another equally tough Pac-10 season with incoming freshman talent Demar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday, Drew Gordon, and Mike Dunigan in store for Harden and the Sun Devils, this will be absolutely no cakewalk.