After Arizona State finished its third sub-500 record in four seasons, head coach Bobby Hurley had only one plausible resolution: a complete roster overhaul.
Additionally, with the team’s move to the Big 12, the Sun Devils direly needed to acquire more talent to compete in one of college basketball’s premier conferences.
And despite challenges with departures and lackluster resources, Arizona State did just that.
Over the offseason, Hurley and his staff made massive efforts in the NIL space to improve the roster. From begging donors to step up and taking matters into his own hands, Hurley garnered enough resources to land major off-season additions.
On paper, the Sun Devils boast a more talented and deep roster than last season, but with numerous moving parts and a daunting schedule, the question still remains: Can ASU get back to the NCAA tournament in their first season in the Big 12?
Who’s gone?
Change is inevitable in the current college basketball landscape. However, this offseason, ASU endured more than just a few losses. For the second offseason in a row, the program experienced a mass exodus.
A whopping 12 players left the Sun Devil program over the offseason.
Not only did the departures deprive ASU of its depth, but the team also lost four of its five starters from last season.
The head of the snake for Hurley’s squad the past two seasons, senior point guard Frankie Collins, packed his bags to play for Big 12 foe TCU.
Collins’exit leaves a gaping vacancy at the point guard position, as he served as the primary ball handler for the Sun Devils in the past two seasons.
Additionally, the backcourt took another hit when skillful scorer, guard Jamiya Neal, transferred to Creighton.
Factoring in the graduations of guard Jose Perez and forward Alonzo Gaffney, the Sun Devils will take the floor in 2024 without four of their five leaders in minutes and points per game last season.
Who’s still here?
Virtually none of ASU’s main production returns from last season.
Just five players remain from ASU’s 2024 roster: Senior guard Adam Miller, junior center Shawn Phillips Jr., graduate senior guard Brycen Long, senior guard Bobby Hurley Jr. and senior guard Jordan Williams.
Of those five, only three logged greater than five minutes in a game all season long for the Sun Devils.
One player will be more important to ASU’s success than any of the other returners: Adam Miller.
In his first year donning the Maroon and Gold, Miller averaged 12.4 points per game on 41.4% from the field and 31.2% from the three-point line.
However, Miller has a more important role than simply being a dynamic scorer. The senior looks to step into a leadership role in his second year as a Sun Devil.
“Last year I kinda came in and I wanted to fit into the culture because they had made to the tournament the year before instead of just being Adam Miller,” Miller said. “I feel like now it’s like be Adam Miller and set the tone for what we’re going to do here… For me personally it was about being Adam Miller, remembering who I am, and just going out and making sure I lay the foundation for what this team needs to do every day.”
Joining Miller in the backcourt, another second-year Sun Devil, senior Brycen Long, provides Hurley with valuable three-point shooting (career 40.3% from three).
Long missed most of the season last year after suffering a seizure back in December, but now looks to provide instant offense off the bench after making a full recovery.
In the frontcourt, returning center Shawn Phillips Jr. is positioned to anchor ASU’s interior defense. The 7-foot center brings length and athleticism to the floor while providing size at the center position in the Sun Devil rotation.
Who are the Replacements?
Like many other programs in college basketball, the ASU coaching staff went to the transfer portal to reload the Sun Devil roster.
The Sun Devils welcome seven transfers, in a class that features players arriving from all sectors of Division-I basketball.
It also meant a familiar face would make a return to Tempe: junior guard Austin Nunez.
Nunez transferred to Ole Miss last season after spending his freshman season with the Sun Devils and played limited minutes for the Rebels last season.
Competing for the starting point guard role with Nunez is Missouri State transfer junior guard Alston Mason.
Last season, Mason averaged 17.5 points per game and 3.6 assists for the Bears.
Despite not attending high school in Arizona, Mason’s arrival in Tempe serves as a homecoming for him and his family. His dad, Alton Mason, played for Arizona State from 1998-2001, giving Alston ties back to the Valley.
“I went to camp here as a kid and lived here growing up, so I’m familiar with the area,” Mason said. Being able to put on this uniform means a lot to me, a lot to my family, so I just want to represent them the best way possible.”
Finding a replacement for Frankie Collins will be of the utmost importance, and Hurley will rely on one of these transfers to take the reigns of his offense in 2024.
But the Sun Devils also have frontcourt production to replace.
Enter Ball State transfer senior forward Basheer Jihad.
Jihad–a skilled offensive forward–averaged 18.6 points per game and added eight rebounds a game last season for the Cardinals. He also racked up nine double-doubles and reached double figures in all but one game last year.
Additionally, the Sun Devils picked up Milwaukee transfer, senior wing BJ Freeman, who averaged 21.1 points per game for the Panthers last season.
With the combination of Jihad and Freeman, the Sun Devil’s frontcourt should see an uptick in scoring output this season.
Who are the Rookies?
Remember Hurley’s desperate attempts to improve ASU’s NIL resources? They paid off.
ASU’s 2024 high school recruiting class ranked ninth in the nation according to 247sports’ recruiting rankings.
Headlining the class is the crown jewel of ASU’s offseason additions: five-star freshman center Jayden Quaintance.
Quaintance–only 17 years old–reclassed to join the Sun Devils this season.
He not only committed as the number nine high school recruit in the 2024 class but he also ranks as the highest-rated recruit to commit to Arizona State in school history according to 247sports.
Hurley had high praise for Quaintance at Big 12 media day and remains excited about the untapped potential of his game.
“What he’s going to be a couple years from now is scary because he’s already so advanced for his age,” Hurley said. “You look at him physically, he’s prepared to compete at this level and his makeup is outstanding… For a guy with his size and stature, you would think he’s just a bull around the basket, but he can face up and dribble the ball. He has some finesse to his game in addition to the physicality he brings.”
But Quaintance isn’t the only five-star recruit the Hurley acquired over the offseason.
After originally committing to play for Tommy Lloyd and Arizona, freshman guard Joson Sanon flipped his commitment to the Sun Devils.
Sanon shows promise as a potential go-to scoring option for ASU this season. Last season at Vermont Academy, he displayed his prowess in the mid-range and an innate ability to finish at the rim.
What lies ahead?
Through the fog of preseason exhibitions and secret scrimmages awaits an intimidating schedule for the Sun Devils–and not just in conference play.
Surprisingly, throughout the non-conference play, the Maroon and Gold only play four games at home (Idaho State, Saint Thomas, Cal Poly and San Diego). Yet the team hits the road to play a whopping seven neutral site games and only one road game (Gonzaga).
Last season, ASU played three ranked teams all season long. This season, they have a chance to match that total in non-conference play alone.
Early season tests such as games on the provide ASU with a precursor to the gauntlet that awaits the Sun Devils in Big 12 play.
Looking for a welcome to the Big 12 moment?
How does a second-week road trip to Lawerence, Kansas to take on preseason No. 1 Kansas, and then a home game against preseason No. 8 Baylor three days later sound?
Unlike their time in the Pac-12, the Sun Devils cannot afford to take a night off in the Big 12.
The conference sent eight of its 12 teams to the NCAA tournament last year, and figures to be just as deep this season.
What is the state of ASU basketball in year 10 under Bobby Hurley?
It’s hard to believe, but this season marks a full decade of Bobby Hurley’s coaching tenure at Arizona State.
In his tenth year at the helm of the Sun Devils, Hurley’s overall record sits at 155-131, with ASU making three appearances in his regime (2018, 2019, 2023).
Throughout Hurley’s tenure, ASU’s identity has remained relatively the same: strong guard play and a focus on pushing the pace of the game.
Despite moving to a new conference, Hurley anticipates that this year’s team’s identity will be no different. Instead, his squad will use its strengths to stand out in the physical Big 12.
“Our calling card has got to be playing with pace, using the three-point line as a weapon, being able to attack on offense,” Hurley said. “If we could do those things we’ll be a little bit different. We’re not going to (play) like a rugged style of basketball… We’re more of a team that should be free-flowing, and is pretty skilled on the offensive end.”
But is this playstyle sustainable, especially in the Big 12?
It’s no secret Arizona State makes its hay by creating chaos.
Despite producing an overall porous year statistically last season, the Sun Devils ranked 19th in fastbreak points (14.34) and 24th in turnover margin (+3.2) among all NCAA teams.
And maybe muddying up the game and speeding up opponents will help ASU knock off some of the top teams in the Big 12.
However, to be a tournament team ASU must be more effective in the half-court–especially from the three-point line on offense and in its half-court defense.
In 2023, the Sun Devils shot just 30.3% from beyond the arc, which ranked 328th in the country.
Bringing in four transfers who boast three-point shooting percentages of greater than 35 percent should help improve the Sun Devils’ outside shooting.
But will it be enough to solve ASU’s struggles from behind the arc over the past few seasons?
Additionally, Hurley’s squad allowed 74 points per game placing them 242nd in the NCAA in this category.
Adding length and skilled perimeter defenders should help drop this total.
But will it be enough to stop some of the prolific offenses in the Big 12?
Only time will tell, but it seems as though the Sun Devils have reloaded to make for a promising 2024 campaign.
ASU will tip-off their season on Nov. 5 at Desert Financial arena when they take on Idaho State at 7 pm.
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