For Arizona State men’s basketball,practice begins in a
couple of days.

Yet head coach Herb Sendek isn’t sure if he’ll have his
entire team on the floor for its first practice Friday.

Freshman point guard Jahii Carson is still awaiting
clearance from the NCAA; and until that happens he cannot
be involved in any basketball-related, team activity on or
off the court.

“Unfortunately,” Sendek said Wednesday. “I’m not at
liberty to say very much. Other than, we remain hopeful
that he’ll be joining us in the near future.”

Carson is considered the top in-state recruit in ASU
history. He helped lead Mesa High School to the Class 5A
state semifinals putting up averages of 32.2 points per
game, 3.6 assists per game and 2.1 steals per game. He
scored 58 points in his final game.

His absence was hard not to notice and was a main topic of
discussion during media day.

“Not unlike any other time a player is not able to
practice. You have to work hard with the guys who are
there,” explained Sendek who is entering his sixth season
as Sun Devils head coach.

Carson was named to the 2011 Parade Magazine All-America
second team and at 5-10, 160 pounds is expected to inject
some excitement in a program coming off a 12-and-19
season.

“We can’t worry about,” stated junior Trent Lockett.
“It’s kind of out of our hands. The NCAA is taking their
time with that. Right now, all we can work on is getting
ready for the season.”

Follow @Vincemarotta