Lockett and his ankle continue to improve

The buzz surrounding the Arizona State men’s basketball team continues to be the status of point guard Trent Lockett, who’s been sidelined with an ankle injury for over three weeks now. 

Lockett took time to speak with the media on Tuesday, and said the ankle is coming along pretty well. 

“Getting better every day,” Lockett said. “Last week or so, we’ve made some good progress.” 

Lockett said he’s taken part in some non-contact drills in practice, and the ankle has held firm so far. 

“It reacted pretty well,” Lockett said. “Especially compared to when we tried to run on it a week-and-a-half ago.” 

Being taken away from your profession for nearly a month would frustrate any one of us, even Lockett, who continues to take it all in stride. 

“It’s been tough, but there’s nothing I can do about it,” said Lockett. “So I’m not gonna get frustrated over it.” 

Lockett sprained his ankle in the Oregon State game on Jan. 14. Lockett said he planned on returning to the game after getting a shot, but those plans were dashed once the medical staff took off the tape and his ankle “ballooned up,” in the words of Lockett. 

When Lockett isn’t getting worked on after practice, he said he puts in his due diligence at home to speed the ankle’s healing process. He has a device called “Game Ready,” which allows him to keep the ankle iced and pressured.

The Utah Utes come to Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday night. Arizona State will be seeking some revenge after the Utes beat them by 21 in Salt Lake City, Utah on Jan. 21. 

Lockett knows Utah will bring a vicious style of basketball to Tempe that night. 

“They’ll definitely try to amp up the pressure on us, [and] try to get physical with us,” Lockett said. “I think there’s some things that we can exploit that we didn’t last game.” 

The tip is at 6:30 p.m.