ASU head coach Herb Sendek wants more ‘Curtain of Distraction’
Feb 23, 2015, 4:09 PM | Updated: 4:10 pm
The Curtain of Distraction has become quite the story this season.
Invented by the 942 Crew, a group of boisterous and loyal Arizona State basketball supporters, the curtain, which features participants engaging in strange behavior to distract opposing free throw shooters, has received local and national attention.
It’s been the subject of discussion during televised ASU games. Even the New York Times did a statistical analysis of the curtain’s effectiveness.
Sun Devil head coach Herb Sendek is a firm believer in the idea that you can never have too much of a good thing.
After his team’s 64-59 win over USC Sunday night in Tempe, Sendek joked that the curtain might be able to cover up some deficiencies.
“During the game, I don’t get a chance to see their acts,” he said. “But I do have one recommendation that I’m going to ask them about…the question is, why not do it both halves? The curtain is transportable, right?
“Let’s play good free throw defense both halves and maybe it can offset some our lousy half court live ball defense. Or our baseline out-of-bounds defense that gave up two layups tonight. We need all the help we can get, so I’m advocating for a two-half Curtain of Distraction.”
Sunday night, the shenanigans had a football theme. Students recreated ASU’s “Jael Mary” touchdown pass from Mike Bercovici to Jaelen Strong which stunned the Trojans last October.
@MattBarrieESPN @GottliebShow Might be the best #CurtainofDistraction yet. @942Crew reenacts #JaelMary. #ASUvsUSC pic.twitter.com/svnHoyWcoF“”
— Levi Roberts (@SunDevilGermany) February 23, 2015
If the 942 Crew is to grant Sendek his wish, they’ll have limited opportunity to do it this season. The Sun Devils have only two regular-season games left at Wells Fargo Arena — March 5 vs. Stanford and March 7 against Cal.
But to Sendek’s point — the curtain is transportable. Could we see it make its road debut at the annual Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas? We shall see.
