ASU’s Jermaine Marshall one of top 2013-14 transfers

With guard Evan Gordon opting to play his senior season in his home state, Arizona State was able to fill the void left in its backcourt, landing former Penn State guard Jermaine Marshall in July.

Marshall, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard out of Etters, Pa., averaged 15.3 points per game for the Nittany Lions, adding 2.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game — all higher averages than Gordon produced during the 2012-13 season. The two shared an identical field goal percentage of .391.

Seth Greenberg identified Marshall as the sixth-best transfer in the nation coming into the 2013-14 season in an ESPN Insider article, praising the senior’s maturity and scoring ability.

Marshall, the former Penn State guard, is a perfect fit for the Arizona State Sun Devils. He’ll replace Evan Gordon, who decided to transfer to Indiana for his senior season. At 6-foot-4, Marshall will alleviate the loss of Gordon and gifted wing scorer Carrick Felix (the 33rd selection in the 2013 NBA draft). He brings maturity to ASU and can score, rebound his position and pass.

He will benefit from playing with one of the most explosive point guards in the country, Jahii Carson. Carson’s ability to play off the high ball screen and in transition will free Marshall up for room-and-rhythm jump shots. The combination of Carson, Marshall and defensive specialist Jordan Bachynski makes the Sun Devils an upper-division team in the Pac-12.

Marshall was second in scoring for the Big Ten-worst Nittany Lions last season, leading the team with 59 three pointers over the course of the year, averaging 1.9 per game.