Arizona State guard Elias Valtonen announces he’s leaving program
Mar 17, 2020, 6:13 PM
Arizona State Sun Devils guard Elias Valtonen (11) looks on during the college basketball game between the Texas Southern Tigers and the Arizona State Sun Devils on December 1, 2018 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Arizona State sophomore guard Elias Valtonen announced Tuesday on social media that he is leaving the program.
Thank you! #ForksUp #NextStep pic.twitter.com/14wV64V7Y4
— Elias Valtonen (@EliasValtonen) March 17, 2020
Valtonen says he will be going back to his native Finland and make his next decision from there.
A 6-foot-7 shooting guard, Valtonen was rated a four-star prospect by 247 Sports and just outside the top-100 in the class of 2018.
In his true freshman season, Valtonen did not have a defined role and hardly played, totaling 77 minutes on the season.
Valtonen earned playing time as a sophomore this season, albeit on 14.3 minutes per game and getting above 20 minutes in only four games. He rarely played a part in the offense, taking 1.7 shots per game and shooting 37.5% for 2.0 points per game.
ASU’s season ended prematurely due to the coronavirus, as the Pac-12 Tournament was canceled before the Sun Devils played a game and the NCAA Tournament was also called off shortly after.
