ASU roster overhaul leaves only 2 returners
Arizona State men’s basketball coach Bobby Hurley has replenished the talent that departed and is close to a full roster now. The latest addition is 6-foot-8 power forward Brandon Gardner, who was at USC a year ago but missed most of the season with an injury.
He announced his decision on social media Friday. Gardner’s addition gives Hurley 12 players. He has one scholarship remaining.
Gardner is a graduate of Christ the King High in New York City, although he hails from Waynesboro, Georgia. As a senior he earned himself the “Mr. Basketball” title in New York after averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds. Rivals pegged him as the No. 77 overall recruit while 247Sports listed him as the composite No. 2 player in the state of New York. Both had him labeled a four-star prospect.
Gardner first signed with St. John’s, but looked at other options after a coaching change at that school, eventually picking USC. His tenure at that school turned out short as he played just four minutes in one game against Cal State Bakersfield which was the second game of the season. He didn’t play again due to an undisclosed injury and was able to redshirt so he still has four full years of eligibility remaining.
Gardner’s addition fortifies a need ASU had to beef up its presence in the paint, which will be key with the move to the bigger and more physical Big 12 for the coming season. Other additions through the transfer portal include 6-9 center Basheer Jihad (Ball State), 6-6 forward B.J. Freeman (Wisconsin-Milwaukee), 6-1 point guard Alston Mason (Missouri State) and guard Austin Nunez (Mississippi). Jihad averaged 18.6 points and eight rebounds last season while Freeman averaged 21.1 points and 6.6 rebounds.
Hurley has also added some size through his other additions. Most notable is the addition of five-star prospect Jayden Quaintance, a 6-9 center out of Raleigh, North Carolina who is the highest rated recruit in program history. Other newcomers from the high school
ranks are 6-8 small forward Amier Ali (Canyon International), 6-8 forward Sammie Yeanay (Compass Prep) and 6-4 shooting guard Bo Aldridge (PHHoenix Prep).
The Sun Devils have just two key players returning in sophomore center Shawn Phillips and incoming senior guard Adam Miller. Brycen Long wants to return after playing in just six games last season due to a seizure, but his return is still questionable. If he can’t return Hurley would have two scholarships left to give out.
Six players hit the transfer portal but not all have found landing spots. Some went down to lower level schools. That group includes point guard Frankie Collins (TCU), guard Jamiya Neal (Creighton), forward Akil Watson (UMass), forward Bryant Selebangue (McNeese State) and guard-forward Kamari Lands (Middle Tennessee). Freshman guard Braelon Green has yet to find a landing spot.
The Sun Devils are looking to bounce back from a 14-18 showing, its worst in Hurley’s nine years. Rebounding and shooting were two key issues. The Sun Devils ranked 348th out of 351 Division I programs in rebounding margin at -7 and were 310th in field goal percentage at 41.61%.
Hurley’s recruiting class is ranked eighth overall and third in the Big 12 by 247Sports. It is ranked 11th by Rivals, which also has the Sun Devils third in the Big 12.