The Athletic: ASU hoops in top 8 among transfer portal winners
May 5, 2021, 9:45 AM | Updated: 9:46 am
Head coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils speaks with his team during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena on January 11, 2020 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
You’d be hard-pressed to find a team with as much roster turnover this offseason as the Arizona State men’s basketball team.
While Remy Martin and Alonzo Verge Jr. have yet to make a decision on their futures, a good portion of last year’s team already has.
As of Monday, eight Sun Devils have entered their name in the transfer portal, with most notably Jaelen House (New Mexico), Chris Osten (NIU), Holland Woods and Taeshon Cherry (GCU) already finding new homes. Josh Christopher and Marcus Bagley have declared for the NBA Draft, with the former also entering the transfer portal.
Using the transfer portal to his advantage, however, head coach Bobby Hurley has rebuilt his roster. So much so the Sun Devils rank eighth in The Athletic’s ranking of transfer portal prowess.
Unsurprisingly, the Sun Devils have approached the transfer portal with a Martin-esque desire for high volume. Bobby Hurley has signed up 6-foot-7 forward A.J. Bramah out of Robert Morris, Boston College point guard Jay Heath, Illinois State guard D.J. Horne and Toledo point guard Marreon Jackson, all of whom averaged healthy double-digit scoring per game in 2020-21, the combination of which should give the Sun Devils a chance to keep pace in the Pac-12 next season despite a borderline comprehensive roster clear-out. Indeed, Hurley might still have a few more signings to make. He’s off to a good start, at least.
In 12 games at Robert Morris last season, Braham averaged 21 points, 10.3 rebounds and shot 51% from the floor.
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The 6-foot-1 Jackson averaged 18.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists while shooting 40% overall and 35% from three last season (30 games). For his play, he was the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year in 2020-21.
In addition to getting some new faces down in Tempe, ASU returns forward Kimani Lawrence, who just finished his senior year but was granted another year of eligibility after COVID-19 altered last season.
The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 8.1 points per game this past season and was second on the Sun Devils in rebounds, grabbing five per game.
Lawrence exploded late in the season with two impressive performances against the Washington Huskies. After tallying 22 points (career high) and 12 rebounds on Feb. 23, Lawrence followed it up with a 21-point, 20-rebound effort two days later, becoming the first Sun Devil to achieve the feat.
