Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
Arizona State (Projected: 13th in Big 12)
It’s an interesting time in Tempe with Bobby Hurley entering his tenth season with Arizona State. Through nine seasons, the Sun Devils have yet to earn higher than an 11 seed and/or make it out of the first round. The hot seat should only be getting hotter for Hurley as the Sun Devils enter the Big 12.
Three players carry over from the Pac 12 to the Big 12, most notably senior guard Adam Miller (12 ppg). Miller spent last season with the Sun Devils after transferring over from LSU. A dynamic scorer inside the arc, Miller will have to add a consistent three-point shot to his arsenal to keep defenders honest next season. The other two returners for the Sun Devils are junior center Shawn Phillips Jr (6 ppg) and senior guard Brycen Long (4 ppg). Phillips played just 24 games last season with the Sun Devils, starting in 12 of them, while Long played just the first six games of the campaign before suffering a seizure, keeping him out the rest of the season. With a handful of guys out the door, these two will hope to see an increased role as they return to the lineup in 2024-25.
The departure list for the Sun Devils is nine names long, although after the disappointing season in 2023-24, this may be a blessing. The four starters from last year’s team not named Miller; Frankie Collins Jr (14 ppg), Jose Perez (14 ppg), Jamiya Neal (11 ppg, 5 rpg), and Alonzo Gaffney (6 ppg) all left. The depth also took a hit with Kamari Lands (5 ppg), Zane Meeks (4 ppg), Akil Watson (2 ppg), and Braelon Green (1 ppg) all headed out the door.
Bobby Hurley found five transfers to try to instantly replace much of the production lost, finding three extremely talented scorers at the mid major level and two power conference guys looking for new scenery. Alston Mason (18 ppg, 4 apg at Missouri State) and BJ Freeman (21 ppg, 7 rpg, 4 apg at Milwaukee) both lit up the scoreboard at their former schools and should join Adam Miller in the backcourt this season. Mason and Freeman are both decently efficient three-level scorers with both shooting 35%+ from three last season even on extremely high usage rates at their former schools. I’m excited to see what these two can do at the power conference level and how they mesh with Adam Miller in the backcourt.
Basheer Jihad (19 ppg, 8 rpg at Ball State) also transfers in to the Arizona State program this off-season and should instantly start in the frontcourt. Jihad was a force in the paint in the MAC on both sides of the floor, averaging over a steal and a block per game. Jihad also showed an ability to stretch the floor, shooting 35.4% from three on 113 attempts last season. Power conference transfers Brandon Gardner (Redshirt at USC) and Austin Nunez (1 ppg at Ole Miss) are the final two transfers for the Sun Devils, both looking for a new chance to prove themselves.
Bobby Hurley landed the 7th best high school recruiting class in the country in 2024 according to On3. The biggest get was Jayden Quaintance (5*, NAT 7), a highly sought-after center who was once committed to Kentucky. Quaintance turns just 17 this month and is a reclassification from the 2025 class, and his young age could force him to stay in college for a second year before entering the NBA Draft. He’ll have big expectations in year one, and it’ll be interesting to see if he does stick around for a second year if the NBA Draft rules don’t change between then and now.
Four others join the class alongside Quaintance, Joson Sanon (4*, NAT 24), Amier Ali (4*, NAT 69), Jaden Smith (3*, NAT 222), and Bo Aldridge (3*, NAT 283). Sanon, originally an Arizona commit, should play big minutes off the bench in the backcourt behind Miller, Mason and Freeman. Ali, Aldridge, and Smith will all likely receive smaller roles and less minutes, learning the ropes throughout their freshman campaigns.
It’s about to year 10 for Bobby Hurley at Arizona State and he has yet to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. I don’t think that changes this season, but if it doesn’t, I have a hard time seeing Hurley at the helm at ASU at this time next year. The recruiting class he was able to bring in this season probably gives him a bit of a leash, but the Sun Devils need to be competitive in their first year in the Big 12.
The backcourt dynamic will be an interesting thing to watch play out, with three elite scorers having to share the ball. The Sun Devils know they’ll get at least a solid contribution from all three guys, but the big question will be the bench production this season. Joson Sanon and Brandon Gardner are my two X-factors, guys who will need to have big freshman seasons of the Sun Devils want to be competitive in the Big 12. It’s important to have depth when you hit conference play and this young duo will have to learn on the fly throughout the season.
Arizona State struggled last season in the Pac 12 and now the Sun Devils have been throw into the deep end known as the Big 12. It’s a big year for Bobby Hurley to prove the critics wrong and put something together but that’s far easier said than done. I have the Sun Devils finishing 13th in the Big 12 but I could see three spots difference in either direction.