Can Alonzo Gaffney have a breakout season?

Graduate student forward Alonzo Gaffney broke out for a career-high 19 points against Vanderbilt, leading ASU to its 82-67 victory.

Gaffney injured his foot in practice leading up to the Sun Devils first game of the season and was expected to be sidelined for three to six weeks. But just over a week later, Gaffney took the court for ASU’s season opener.

Gaffney was limited to 17 minutes in the opener, coming off his injury, and did not look himself. He went scoreless on seven shot attempts and picked up four personal fouls. But since then, Gaffney looks to be returning to full health. His defensive prowess has been on display and just had his best shooting performance of the season.

Alonzo Gaffney’s quick recovery

Gaffney said he was amazed at his quick recovery and accredited it to the hyperbaric chamber therapy he went through. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy “increases the amount of oxygen your blood can carry,” according to Mayo Clinic. Your body’s tissue needs a certain amount of oxygen to function. When the tissue is injured, it needs more oxygen to heal and survive. This therapy has been shown to increase the healing time for sprains, torn ligaments, and muscle trauma, by strengthening the ligaments and muscle, according to OxyGeneration.

As well as aiding Gaffney’s quick recovery, he enjoyed the therapy and even got an NIL deal out of it.

Through the first four games, Gaffney had shot 22.58 percent from the field on 7-31, leading to just 16 points. Friday against Vanderbilt, he made seven of his 11 shots including 5-7 from 3-point range for 19 points. Gaffney was 1-17 from beyond the arc prior to Friday.

“I would not allow him the take the threes that I allow him to take if I didn’t think that he could make them,” head coach Bobby Hurley said. “If you watch his shot, the mechanics of the shot are real elite. When he is locked in and shooting the ball like that, when it leaves his hands, I have tremendous confidence that it’s going to go in.”

Gaffney credited his breakout shooting night to his teammates getting him the ball in space. He was focused on finding the open space on the court, and letting his teammates find him.

“It’s just about getting the reps up and getting to open spots and then letting the shots fly,” Gaffney said.

Righting the ship

The tremendous shooting night was much needed for the Sun Devils. Their offense has severely struggled to start the season, especially in the first half. ASU had shot 28.95 percent from the field and just 10.01 percent from 3-point territory in the first half this season prior to its game against Vanderbilt. But Vanderbilt was a different story, ASU shot 53.33 percent from the field and 58.33 percent from beyond the arc.

Gaffney led the charge, but the Sun Devils had four players in double figures. This came the day after a 32-point loss to BYU.

“In your most desperate moments, you’re always looking for someone that you can count on…you’re hoping that someone is going to step up to the plate and turn things around,” Hurley said. “And I think [Gaffney] was a big part of that process.”

Defensive prowess

Although Gaffney broke out offensively against Vanderbilt, his defense has been outstanding all season. He’s collected 17 combined blocks and steals through just five games. He leads the team with eight blocks and is second in steals behind junior guard Frankie Collins’ 18. The Sun Devils pride themselves on playing pesky, suffocating defense.

“Our defense never lacks,” Gaffney said. “In the summertime, that’s something that we pride ourselves on. When the new guys come in, they see how intense we are on defense.”

The Sun Devils are beginning to battle injury, meaning guys will have to move around and play some different positions. With a center and forward out, Hurley said Gaffney will see a lot of time at the five. The hope is that with Gaffney’s length, athleticism, and 3-point shooting capability, the offense can stretch the floor and open up more space on the court. But in order for that to happen, ASU will need some constant 3-point production.

“I think defenses will have to honor us you know from the perimeter more consistently, [but] we got to get more guys making those types of shots,” Hurley said. “And I think our offense has the potential to improve.”

Friday was a good start for Gaffney and the offense, but they’ll have to find consistency for it matter.

Gaffney and the Sun Devils will look to build on their strong performance against Vanderbilt as they welcome Sam Houston State to Tempe tonight at 7 p.m.

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