The ASU men's basketball team is changing after a disappointing 2023-24 season and a 14-18 record, and improvements start with the offense. The Sun Devils underwent major roster turnover this summer to upgrade their offense after losing four of their top five scorers from last year.
Guard Jose Perez and forward Alonzo Gaffney graduated while guards Frankie Collins and Jamiya Neal transferred to TCU and Creighton, respectively. ASU lost a combined average of 44.6 points per game from those players last season — but an exciting group of newcomers can help fill that gap.
READ MORE: ASU men's basketball is once again battling massive turnover this offseason
Senior guards Alston Mason, a Missouri State transfer, and BJ Freeman, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee transfer, are two major additions to the ASU backcourt. Mason averaged 17.5 points per game on 42.3% shooting from the field and 35.3% from three-point territory. Meanwhile, Freeman put up 21.1 points per game last year on 42.2% shooting from the floor and 35.1% from distance.
Perez was the only Sun Devil who attempted more than 40 threes last year and shot better than 31%. Mason and Freeman have the skills to enhance efficiency and add scoring pop to a team that struggled with putting the ball in the basket last season.
ASU was 13-5 when scoring 70 points or more but just 1-13 when scoring below that mark last season. The scoring numbers have the potential to increase dramatically with the addition of high-energy on-ball guards.
Mason and Freeman should see plenty of touches along with redshirt senior guard Adam Miller and four-star freshman guard Joson Sanon. Having experienced seniors alongside the young and talented, Sanon could help the team excel in the present and future.
"We got a lot of young guys on his team, and being in a position where we had to lead our teams last year, (we came) into here being a leader for our younger guys and showing them the ropes," Mason said. "(Sanon) has a lot to learn but I think we can help him there, and he's a really quick learner, so he's fit in good on our team."
Experience could also be a factor in the Sun Devil offense. 11 of the 16 players on the roster are juniors, seniors or graduate students and their breadth of experience has helped them adapt to head coach Bobby Hurley's philosophies.
"I walk out of here feeling very good most days, just knowing the upside of the potential of the group and just a matter of them adapting to a new way of doing things," Hurley said. "I ran a play late in practice, and (Freeman) said that was the play they ran in Milwaukee."
The Sun Devil frontcourt has also been given a massive boost. 5-star freshman forward Jayden Quaintance, the ninth-best recruit in his class, is one of the most heralded Sun Devils prospects in history and gives ASU lineup versatility.
The 6-foot-9-inch Quaintance's ability to shoot, handle the ball and pass from the post is an intriguing fit with senior forward Basheer Jihad, a Ball State transfer, and junior center Shawn Phillips Jr.
"It's a different look for the defense," Jihad said. "JQ with his skill set, he can play at that four position sometimes, so it's a good look. I think he'll present problems for opposing defenses going to the other side of the ball."
Hurley also said that he likes the double-big combination of Quaintance and Phillips Jr., praising the freshman's passing ability near the rim and Phillips Jr.'s finishing prowess.
The big men may also help ASU on the glass. The Sun Devils averaged 7.3 fewer rebounds per game than their opponents and just 8.4 offensive rebounds last season. Jihad averaged nearly two offensive rebounds per game in his 29 starts at Ball State last season and could provide ASU with a big body inside to complement Phillips Jr. and Quaintaince.
"The rebounding prowess of (Quaintance and Phillips Jr.) on the offensive glass especially, is really good with their physicality and with their athletic ability," Hurley said.
The Sun Devils' shift from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 comes with a more competitive schedule this year that tips off with an exhibition against Duke on Oct. 27.
The team's offensive ceiling is sky-high with the transfer and high school recruiting classes. The only question that remains is whether the Sun Devils can put everything together.
Edited by Jack Barron, Abigail Beck and Madeline Schmitke.
Reach the reporter at pvallur2@asu.edu and follow @PrathamValluri on X.
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Pratham is a sophomore studying sports journalism with a minor in business. This is his second semester with The State Press.
