By Adam Beadle
Multimedia Staff
The end of Arizona State’s 2023 season couldn’t have come fast enough for head coach Bobby Hurley and his team.
After scoring a career-high 25 points two days prior against USC, senior guard Jose Perez quit the team just before ASU’s last regular season game against UCLA to play professionally overseas. A sign of the abysmal end to the Sun Devil’s season, ASU lost to the Bruins and was crushed by Utah in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament, 90-57.
“We did not do a good job,” Hurley said after ASU’s loss to the Utes. “This is not what my vision is for our basketball program. It’s just not. We’re not in a good place right now, and it’s a terrible way to end it, and got to get back to the drawing board.”
It’s safe to say that Hurley did not stop drawing in the offseason.
Though the Sun Devils lost two rising seniors, guard Frankie Collins to TCU and forward Jamiya Neal to Creighton, Hurley reloaded and revamped his roster into the most talented it has ever been during his tenure at ASU at a time where the pressure has never been higher for the Sun Devils as they enter their first year as members of the Big 12.
“I’ve always been a purist about the game, especially the collegiate model, but it’s a different world, and you have to adapt,” Hurley said. “I think I’ve come out of my comfort zone to ask for more assistance from our key donors, and people have really stepped up and supported our collective, so it’s enabled us to have the opportunity to bring in some guys that I think could be really prepared to compete in the Big 12 this year.”
Not only is this year important for ASU, but for Hurley as well, as he is enters his 10th season as the head coach of the Sun Devils. Hurley signed a two-year extension in March, but an inability to perform again this year could raise some questions on his future.
Here’s a preview of what ASU’s revamped roster will look like this season and how the Sun Devils can make their mark as they head into their first year as members of the Big 12.
The New Guys
The most significant story this offseason has been what Hurley has accomplished on the recruiting trail.
Thanks to ASU’s growing NIL fund, not only did he land one, but Hurley landed two five-star prospects in the 2025 class with freshman center Jayden Quaintance, the highest-ranked prospect to ever enroll at ASU according to 247Sports, and freshman guard Joson Sanon choosing ASU.
Reclassifying from the 2025 class to 2024, the No. 9 rated prospect nationally by 247Sports has a unique and deep skill set for his age. With a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Quaintance is likely to have a more dominant presence when it comes to crashing the boards than most ASU big men have had in recent years.
“Jayden Quaiantance’s ceiling is scary,” Hurley said. “You look at him, and you think of, I don’t know, just a physical, rugged type of player that’s just going to play with his back to the basket. But he’s more like a point guard than he is a center. He’s 6-9, he’s got really good footwork, he could dribble the ball, he gets low, he could pass the ball, he’s one of our best passers for a big guy, so he just does a lot of things. You know he’s very advanced.”
Advanced is a very good word to describe Quaintance. The now 17-year-old was only 16 years old when former Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the McDonald’s All-American was headed to ASU after de-committing from Kentucky following the news that former head coach John Calipari was leaving for Arkansas.
But, as Hurley mentioned, his offensive abilities are what make him a star-studded performer and the only player that Hurley said has solidified a spot in the starting lineup. Former Sun Devils Josh Christopher and Marcus Bagley were the last two true freshmen to start in ASU’s opener.
Hurley has yet to have a big man with such abilities, so seeing how he is used all over the floor will be interesting. Though he may be the youngest player on the roster, ASU will need Quaintance to step up when it matters most.
Sanon is the story many Sun Devil fans love to hear—a player deciding to play in Tempe instead of Tuscon. Sanon shortly switched his commitment from Arizona after senior guard Caleb Love announced he was returning for his senior season. Rated the No. 24 prospect in the 2024 class by 247Sports, Sanon is an absolute scoring machine who can make it rain from beyond the arc.
The Sun Devils also added another prospect to their 2024 class: freshman forward Amier Ali. 247Sports ranked Ali the No. 98 prospect nationally. Ali is a local product of Canyon International Academy in Queen Creek, Arizona, and may see a good amount of minutes off the bench for ASU this season.
Familiar Faces
While the Sun Devils have many new additions to the roster, they’ve retained two players who played a big role for ASU last season: senior guard Adam Miller and junior center Shawn Phillips, who had both transferred from LSU the year prior.
Initially starting his career at Illinois, Miller was forced to watch from the bench for the first half of ASU’s season after the NCAA denied his waiver for immediate eligibility. But just a week later, Miller made his first appearance in a Sun Devil uniform against TCU after a temporary restraining order was put into place by U.S. District Judge John Bailey on the NCAA rules against two-time transfers, paving the way for Miller to become eligible.
Miller, who started in 21 games for the Sun Devils last season, averaged just over 12 points per game last season and shot an effective 81.8 percent from the charity strike, the fifth highest amongst those in the Pac-12. Miller said he felt like he lost a bit of confidence at times during the season but has had time to regain it during the offseason.
“I didn’t expect to be in college this long,” Miller said earlier in the summer. “You know everybody’s story is different, and I feel like my story this year is to help the team out. Like I said, be the extra coach out there for coach Hurley and just have fun playing basketball.”
Miller will likely play an essential role in what Hurley has mentioned, which is one of the better perimeter-shooting teams he’s had. Miller made 37 total 3-pointers last season.
Battling with a foot injury last season, Phillips played in 24 games last season, averaging 5.5 points and 3.4 rebounds on 55 percent shooting and playing just above 14 minutes per game. Phillips will likely play a key role off the bench, with Quaintance being the only solidified starter for ASU this season.
However, Miller and Phillips aren’t the only two returning players on ASU’s roster from last season. The Sun Devils also bring back senior guard Brycen Long, who transferred in from Houston Christian last season. A Gilbert High School alum, Long only played six games last season after he suffered a seizure right before Christmas. Long showed bright spots last season with his three-point shooting abilities, going 4-4 from deep in ASU’s 89-84 loss against San Diego last season.
Hurley’s son, senior guard Bobby Hurley Jr., is also a returning member of last year’s squad; however, he’s on scholarship this year.
But in a shocking twist of events, those who played minutes on the floor last year for ASU aren’t the only players returning to the squad. Junior guard Austin Nunez is returning to Tempe after transferring to Ole Miss after a strong freshman campaign at ASU, where the 37.7 percent he shot from beyond the arc was the highest on the team.
Nunez played 30 games at Ole Miss but only finished with 21 total points on the year, playing 6.6 minutes per game. Hurley said he got much stronger during his last year in the SEC.
“His whole demeanor has been better, too, like he’s more outgoing,” Hurley said. “ I think as a freshman here, even though he had flashes of really good games, he [was] a little bit on the quiet side. He’s been one of our best leaders and communicators early in the summer, so that’s been really positive.”
Key Transfer Additions
Although the Sun Devils brought in some talented players in their freshmen class, they also added some key players from the transfer portal, including Nunez.
While ASU struggled in its 56-point exhibition loss to Duke, the performance from senior forward Basheer Jihad was one of the more notable ones for the Sun Devils. A transfer from Ball State, Jihad had a breakout junior season where he averaged 18.6 points and eight rebounds per game, earning Second Team All-Mac honors. Jihad finished with 11 points, tied for the team-high with Quaintance, in ASU’s loss to Duke. Jihad will likely be the backup option at center this season.
ASU also added two other big men: redshirt freshman Brandon Gardner, who transferred from USC after only playing in one game last season, and senior guard BJ Freeman, who, at 6-foot-6, can also play forward.
However, amongst the newcomers is a player who is very familiar with ASU. Senior guard Alston Mason, a transfer from Missouri State who averaged 17.6 points per game last season, is the son of former ASU guard Alton Mason. Mason, the leading scorer for the Bears last year, is expected to be ASU’s starting point guard this season.
Season Outlook
ASU has one of the toughest schedules in the country this year and will have to run the ultimate gauntlet to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Once again, Hurley scheduled an incredibly difficult non-conference schedule in which the Sun Devils will travel to Spokane, Washington, to play Gonzaga and play two neutral-site games against Florida and GCU.
But the challenge doesn’t get any easier. As ASU begins its first year in the toughest basketball conference in the country, the Big 12, the Sun Devils are set to play five teams included in the AP Preseason Top-25 poll, including Arizona twice.
All this to say, this season will be the toughest yet for Hurley and his squad, and if Hurley can’t win with this team, conversations regarding his future may occur.
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