It's easy to focus on the negatives of losing a superstar like Ike Diogu. The ASU men's basketball program will certainly miss the 21.4 points per game he added over the last three seasons.
And there's no doubt the Sun Devils will be hard-pressed to replace the Texas native's 8.8 rebounds per game along with his 153 career blocks.
One has to look harder to see the benefits that come from losing such a talented player to the NBA, even if it is before his graduation.
The silver lining - young talent wanting to be like Ike.
Last June, as hundreds of would-be college basketball stars watched from their high-school homes, the Golden State Warriors drafted Diogu as the ninth pick in the NBA Draft.
The NBA Lottery spot made Diogu the highest pick from ASU and first top-20 selection since 1983, when Byron Scott was drafted fourth.
"In recruiting, people always used to say was that you couldn't be a high draft pick out of Arizona State," ASU coach Rob Evans said. "Ike put that to bed."
Evans added that Diogu's draft status isn't the only factor that has an effect on potential recruits, who look at how he improved consistently throughout his college career.
"It will pay dividends for us for a number of years to come," Evans said. "Kids mention how they saw Ike improve each year, and that's what they envision themselves doing."
Each year as a Sun Devil, Diogu's statistics improved in nearly every conceivable category. Diogu, after blocking 31 shots during his freshman season, more than doubled that number at 75 by his junior year. He also improved yearly at rebounds, steals and three-point buckets.
"Last season, like every year, Ike expanded his game by improving his dribbling and becoming a better defensive player," said ASU associate head coach Tony Benford. "He was just a low-post guy when we got him, and coach [Evans] added more and more to his game each year."
For high school recruits like Dexter Pittman, a 6-foot-10-inch, 300-plus pound center from Rosenberg, Texas, seeing the improvements that Diogu made at ASU factor into the decision-making process when looking at schools.
"Good post players stick together," Pittman said. "Ike's going [No. 9] definitely made an impression on me. I think that Ike and I are a lot alike, and if I come there and do the work that he did, maybe I could do the same things."
Pittman is still weighing his options with strong preferences toward Texas, ASU and Florida State, according to Scout.com.
Benford said that Diogu is a huge reason why ASU is on the short list for a big-time player like Pittman.
"You have a kid like Dexter Pittman who watched Ike play in an All-Star game when he was a freshman in high school," Benford said. "He's watched Ike develop since then. It really helps the program when kids can see someone like Ike and envision patterning their games after his."
Prospect George Odufuwa, from Cedar Hill, Texas, made an oral agreement with the Sun Devils in August. The 6-foot-7-inch forward is rated between No. 100 and No. 150 among the nation's top prospects by various recruiting services and averaged 10 points and 12 rebounds last year at Kimball High School.
"Adding more players with that same kind of ability helps the program," Benford said. "That's when you have an opportunity to really get your program together and start making the [NCAA] tournament every year."
Also making a commitment to ASU is Valley native Christian Polk. The 6-foot-4-inch guard led Deer Valley High School to a 30-2 season last year as a junior and has made a solid verbal agreement to join the Sun Devils.
Polk said that even as a guard, it was good to see Diogu have so much success in the NBA Draft.
"Ike made a difference in my decision," Polk said. "He worked really hard, and coach Evans did a real good job with Ike. It shows that ASU produces great players."
Although Diogu began his first training camp Tuesday with the Warriors in Hawaii, his reputation is still working for the Sun Devils. Evans said that the future of the program starts with recruiting, and Diogu's success continues to benefit ASU.
"We're in on some top players, and I'm very pleased on the commitments that we've got so far and the possible commitments that we have a chance to get," Evans said. "In the past, we had go in to a kid's home and say you can, now with Ike's successes we have the recent history to prove it."
Reach the reporter at michael.fowler@asu.edu.
