Arizona State hired a new coach this fall in hopes of improving on last year's 13-4 campaign that ended in the national quarterfinals, tabbing long-time assistant Todd MacRobbie for the gig.

MacRobbie found a couple of minutes to take a spin on the "5 Questions" roller coaster on MCLA.us.

MCLA: It’s never easy having a coaching change during the fall, but you appear to be the perfect fit. How has the transition been going? What were the initial challenges?

TM: The transition has been fairly easy. I was lucky enough to learn from [former ASU head coach] Chris Malone during his time here. So I knew what I needed to get done so the program could continue to compete at a high level. As far as challenges, the two big ones were recruiting and team culture.

We needed to assure the 2016 commits they still had a spot with the program and then streamline the wealth of information we did have to recruit more high-level talented student-athletes. It's important to have the right culture. Is it going to be "club ball" or virtual varsity? How hard do you want to work?

MCLA: Who are some new faces and/or under-the-radar guys from last year who you expect to fill some important roles this spring?

TM: I think the late move of Finn Wells to attack took some opponents by surprise. Rhett Rogers on attack is developing each practice. Zach Mathien challenged [All-American Zack] Handy at faceoff all the time last year. I really want to see what Tommy Carrasco can do at middie without Cooper [Pickell] and Dennis [Graham].

MCLA: The national champs are just up the road. Is there any extra motivation seeing a crosstown rival holding the hardware you want?

TM: I don't think it matters who has the hardware. Whether it’s practice, weights, study hall, film session or a game, it’s all about us doing what we need to do. And do it right!

MCLA: We know the SLC is going to be as rugged as usual. Who are some of the key non-conference games this spring?

TM: Which game is not key? Not sure you can say, "this opponent doesn't matter." That's when you open yourself up to mediocrity. Every opponent deserves enough respect that you need to give them your best.

Our tentative schedule:

^ - indicates games at the Pac-12 Shootout at UCLA.

MCLA: What will be your biggest strengths this spring? What still needs to be worked on?

TM: The biggest thing that needs to be worked on is the players need to be willing to complete the work. The hard work, not just the easy stuff. Some of them think that since they are wearing "Sparky," it's good enough and wins will just happen. A big strength is we do a lot of things right. We just need to be consistent.