Last Year: 23-13; Fifth (11-9) in the Pac 12 Conference, lost in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament
Head Coach: Bobby Hurley (Ninth Year; 114-103 at Arizona State, with three NCAA Tournament appearances
Projected Starting Lineup
| PG Frankie Collins – 6’1″, 185 – Junior |
| SG Adam Miller – 6’3″, 190 – Junior – Awaiting NCAA waiver |
| SF Jamiya Neal – 6’6″, 185 – Sophomore |
| PF Bryant Selebangue – 6’8″, 225 – Senior |
| C Shawn Phillips – 7’0″, 245 – Sophomore |
Projected Starters’ 2022-23 Stats
Frankie Collins: 9.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.3 spg – 40.1% FG
Adam Miller: 11.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.8 spg – 33.6% FG @ LSU
Jamiya Neal: 4.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.7 spg – 41.7% FG
Bryant Selebangue: 12.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.9 spg – 61.5% FG @ Tulsa
Shawn Phillips: 1.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.4 bpg – 45.5% FG @ LSU
Experienced Reserves
| G Brycen Long – 6’2″, 180 – Senior |
| W Kamari Lands – 6’8″, 220 – Sophomore |
| F Alonzo Gaffney – 6’9″, 230 – Senior (5th) |
| G Malachi Davis – 6’4″, 185 – Junior |
| F Zane Meeks – 6’9″, 220 – Senior |
Experienced Reserves’ 2022-23 Stats
Brycen Long: 14.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.2 spg – 41.6% 3FG @ Houston Christian
Kamari Lands: 5.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.6 spg – 32.6% FG @ Louisville
Alonzo Gaffney: 3.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.6 bpg – 35.3% FG
Malachi Davis: 17.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.6 spg – 50.5% FG @ Tallahassee Community College
Zane Meeks: 10.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.3 bpg – 47.5% @ San Francisco
Freshmen
| F Akil Watson – 6’9″, 220 – Freshman |
| G Braelon Green – 6’3″, 180 – Freshman |
Up-and-down, on-again/off-again, hot & cold; whatever your phrasing, it was another inconsistent season for Sun Devils basketball last winter. This time, though, the winding journey which Arizona State took upon the court turned out alright in the end.
Despite losing eight of their final 13 regular season games and nearly playing their way off of the bubble, ASU came together to win a couple of games in the Pac 12 Tournament and then ran wild in an NCAA Tournament win over Nevada. It was a fun ending after a trademark uncertain stretch.
So of course, one starter graduated and three of the other four transferred elsewhere, along with three key reserves. Why would things have gone any differently? When it starts to feel like the Sun Devils are establishing some continuity, it seems like chaos of one sort or another is probably lurking right around the corner.
Head coach Bobby Hurley had no choice but to hit the recruiting trail and browse the Transfer Portal, and he and his staff have assembled a talented group to replace what’s been lost. Now, to see about their chemistry together. It’s likely that it will take a few games for this new group to hit its stride, but why not? ASU likes to keep things interesting.
Hurley did manage to keep his helmsman at the oar through the stormy offseason, and that will help the rest of this crew to come together. Frankie Collins arrived in Tempe after averaging just 11 minutes in his freshman season at Michigan. A former Top 50 recruit, Collins is from California but prepped in Nevada. Now, though he put his name into the NBA Draft and worked out ahead of deciding to postpone that ambition, Collins seems to have settled into a home in the desert as the leader of Hurley’s attack. Collins loves to attack off the bounce, and his drives to the paint are a catalyst for the ASU offense. Collins is both strong enough to finish at the rim and unselfish and skilled enough to get the ball to someone else if they’ve got a better opportunity. Collins also shot 34% from long distance last year, and has improved the arc and range on his jumper noticeably since before he graduated high school.
His aggressiveness sometimes gets Collins into trouble, but Hurley is content to live with a few mistakes because of the way Collins forces the action and forces defenders to react to him. He’s also the spearhead of ASU’s perimeter defense, and puts a lot of pressure on the ball when and wherever he can. Collins is adept at poaching a feed and turning defense into a quick, cheap basket in transition – or a gaudy pass that results in a highlight-reel dunk. Now, he’s also a veteran leader. “I think I’m more consistent as being a leader, most importantly, just communicating with the guys,” Collins told ArizonaSports.com this summer. “Being another image of coach Hurley that’s on the floor. Just being that person that steps up every day and just leads, communicates and just does the right things for everyone else to see.” The more Collins can continue to tighten up his overall game and convince opponents to fear his jumper the same way they worry about his drives, the quicker he will emerge as one of the Pac 12’s best players.
At his best, Miller is a dangerous scorer from all three levels and creates plays for his teammates to finish
Adam Miller is on his third high major program over the past couple of summers, and hopes to co-star with Collins this fall. As such, ASU hopes that the NCAA will grant Miller a waiver to play this season. “We feel very confident that Adam Miller will get his waiver,” an optimistic but cautious Hurley told the College Hoops Today Podcast in early October. “We feel he’s very deserving of that, considering all that he’s been through. I’m not going to touch that until it’s finalized.” The former 5-star prospect began at home in Illinois, then lit out for presumed greener pastures at Louisiana State – where he had to miss a season due to injury – and now has reunited with Nick Irvin, his former AAU coach who is now a special assistant to coach Hurley. After all of the moving, Miller has said that he won’t be in the Portal again now that he’s found this fit. When he’s at his best, Miller is a dangerous scorer from all three levels and creates plays for his teammates to finish. He’s an at-times electric ballhandler whose jumper can heat up and do a lot of damage in a hurry. When he’s at his worst, Miller is erratic and throws away possessions with poor shots, loose handles and badly-timed turnovers. So, can Hurley & Co figure out how to banish bad-Miller and make great-Miller the norm?
A big part of Miller’s decision to transfer to LSU was his desire to play on the ball and be the lead guard and focal point of a backcourt. And while he is very capable of being that guy for stretches – even games – he found out last season that if he is the only proven star in town, there will be off-games for both Miller and his team as a whole. Really, there is potential for Miller to be a very good fit alongside Collins; with Collins to do the primary ballhandling, Miller can make plays and hunt for his own shots as the gameflow and opportunity dictate, rather than getting into chuck-mode when the pressure ramps up. Additionally, with Collins driving and kicking, Miller’s impact from deep might start being a whole lot more noticeable to defenders, which opens up the rest of the court for him. There is also potential for Miller to exacerbate the turnover streaks that Collins occasionally struggles with, and if neither can consistently knock down jumpers, then the half-court will seem to close in upon both of them. There are a lot of new faces to blend in around them, but if Miller and Collins find a groove, the rest of the team should find their orbit around the star guards.
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| .566 – Assists Per Field Goal Made (41st) |
| .548 – Opponent Assists Per Field Goal Made (275th) |
| 46.5% – Opponent Effective FG Percentage (21st) |
| 48.4% – Team Effective FG Percentage (288th) |
| 48.8% – Team Rebounding Rate (250th) |
There are more scoring guards looking to prove themselves in Tempe, the first being former Houston Christian star Brycen Long. A career 40% bomber from the land of trey, Long has hit 181 triples over the past three years, including 94 in 32 games a season ago. He’s a pure sniper: last year, he only tried 40 out of his 325 shot attempts around the rim. Long can set up teammates, too, and last season did a better job than ever before of getting to the free throw line. He has not been a particularly good defender thus far in his career, and unfortunately Houston Christian was one of the lowest-ranked teams in college basketball last season, winning only 10 tilts and finishing four games under .500 in the Southland Conference. Everyone knows that Long can knock down jumpers. The question – especially if Miller is not allowed to play – is: can he defend and handle the ball well enough to play significant minutes in the Pac 12?
Malachi Davis is joining the Sun Devils from junior college, where he put up big numbers at Tallahassee Community College. Davis is a bigger guard who can drive the lane, hit triples in bunches, and generally loves to put the ball through the rim. The Toronto-born Davis will also facilitate for his pals when the opportunity presents itself, and his length is helpful at either guard spot defensively. Despite playing on a talented JuCo team which afforded him just 20 minutes per game, Davis scored 17 points on average. As his Tallahassee team advanced to the JuCo Final Four, Davis went wild, posting games of 31, 31, 33 and 48 points. If he can be a walking bucket like that off of the ASU bench, Hurley will have no choice but to create a role for Davis.
On the wing, Hurley has an intriguing pair of youngsters in holdover Jamiya Neal and Louisville transfer Kamari Lands. Considered a Top 50 recruit by many services coming out of high school, Lands started six games and averaged 21 minutes as a freshman. The Cardinals had a rough season, and though there were flashes of the immense skill level which Lands possesses, he was sometimes overmatched by the situation he stumbled into. Lands scored in double figures seven times but shot 32% from three and just 33% overall. He’s a terrific shooter, though, with both the length and creativity to get his shot almost anytime. Despite Louisville’s struggles, Lands wasn’t bad defensively, using that length combined with his terrific quickness and footwork to keep up with lots of more experienced players in the ACC.
Neal was another Sun Devil who briefly entered the Transfer Portal before eventually staying put in Tempe. While Neal doesn’t have the recruiting pedigree of Lands, he showed glimpses of a fairly complete game in his 16 minutes per night as a freshman. Neal will also benefit from finding consistency as a shooter, as it will give some pizazz to compliment his skills as a passer and rebounder. Neal was a good and versatile defender as a freshman, keeping with guys in transition and in front of his man inside the arc. This season, his coach is expecting some big things from a healthy and more experienced Neal.
“Jamiya was cut out to have a bigger role last season, but he suffered an injury right before the season started and fell behind other guys,” Hurley told College Hoops Today. “The way that he plays off the dribble and his ability to be a two-way player – he’s as good of an athlete as I’ve had here on the perimeter.” Lands and Neal are both talented enough to have left observers wanting more as freshmen; the fact that they defend well and play a team game will earn them the minutes to develop and find confidence on offense. They’ll be top competition for one another in the race for minutes, so Hurley should get nothing but outstanding effort from the youngsters.
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on |
| @ TCU – December 16 |
| vs Mississippi State – November 8 |
| vs Northwestern – December 20 |
| N – NC State / Vanderbilt – November 24 |
| N – BYU – November 23 |
The frontcourt is almost completely transformed, with just one returning player who was a part of last season’s rotation. Alonzo Gaffney is himself a former Top 50 recruit, and though he saw his role diminish slightly last season, Hurley is hoping that the veteran forward will step up to have his best season yet. Gaffney has shot 64% on attempts around the rim in his two seasons at ASU, but just 28% on all other attempts. It’s just that Gaffney really fancies himself a stretch-4 who ought to spend as much time shooting jumpers as he does occupying the paint. Last year, it was worse; Gaffney took 60 triples (and shot 23%) while only attempting 24 shots at the rim. If Gaffney can play to his strengths more, the rest of his game should come in time, because the talent is there. He is a good defender, as Gaffney’s long and bouncy frame keeps opponents uncomfortable and both block and deter a lot of shot attempts. Joining Gaffney – and pushing him for minutes – are a trio of new bigs that Hurley hopes will give him the depth and versatility to play with anyone. Like Gaffney, Zane Meeks is a big who can stretch the floor. He’s done it for Nevada and San Francisco already, and now Hurley is hoping that Meeks can provide a consistent deep threat up front. Meeks is not the defender that Gaffney is, so he will have to make some strides on that end in order to ensure that he’s on the court often enough to make his offensive contributions.
Bryant Selebangue spent two years refining his game in junior college, and then showed up at Tulsa last year to function as the AAC’s top rebounding machine. Selebangue, who along with Davis will be Hurley’s second Canadian Sun Devil, racked up 11 double-doubles last year. While not a huge player nor elite rim protector, Selebangue knows how to out-work opposing bigs using his great positioning and relentless approach to simply win fights for any board that comes near. He can knock down short jump shots, but doesn’t do so very often – and Selebangue really must do better than 50.8% at the foul line if he’s to take advantage of the many trips he takes to the charity stripe. He does his best work by far at the rim, be it off of quick entry feeds or a putback. Though his offensive game isn’t particularly refined, Selebangue was savvy enough to only commit 45 turnovers and 44 total fouls despite averaging 31.4 minutes played in his 30 games last year. Miller and Collins absorbing most of the attention from defenders and capable of creating lots of opportunities for a big that knows how to finish up close, Selebangue should play to his strengths and continue eating up minutes in the paint as a pillar to rally around.
Speaking of, the Sun Devils will still have a seven footer to throw into the fray despite losing shot blocker Warren Washington to the Portal. New ASU center Shawn Phillips played for the same LSU squad as Miller a year ago. Whereas Miller had the ball in his hands quite often, though, Phillips was stuck behind three more experienced players standing 6’10” or taller. Despite that, Phillips contributed on the glass when he got into the game. He had a career day of 13 and 10 with a pair of blocks against Georgia in the SEC Tourney, and will try to model his first season in the desert upon that late-season success. Hurley said this summer that Phillips “has been a pleasant surprise for us. He’s got a great upside. He’s not going to be perfect, but he’s 7-feet tall with a 7’5″ wingspan. He’s also got a 40-inch vertical. He’s just a scary athlete, a physical specimen.”
Hurley is welcoming two talented freshmen this season as well, and each will have the chance to show that they deserve a chance to play right away. Akil Watson is a wiry, long-armed combo forward who should be a good player at both ends of the court. Watson can get up and down, and while not a hulking presence in the post, uses his quickness and great timing to defend, grab boards and reject shot attempts. He can face up and hit a three, and knows how to slash to the rim once he’s set a defender up from the outside. If Watson is physically ready to handle the Pac 12, he may prove an interesting element among the new pieces up front. Combo guard Braelon Green is also a Top 150 prospect, and though he faces stiff competition for minutes, Green has the attitude and athleticism to get on the floor among the vets. Green loves to drive, and doesn’t shy away from the physical play in the lane. He sometimes gets a bit wild on his way to the rim or crashes the paint without a Plan B, but Green forces defenders to react to him and then uses it to his advantage. He’s a good defender, but Green will have to prove that he will make good decisions – and some jumpers – in order to grow his role.
Arizona State could be quite good this year. If Collins and Miller click, Lands starts ripping three’s, and the bigs are keeping opponents out of the paint and flushing quality feeds from the talented backcourt, they might be very good indeed. There is also the potential that turnovers will reign, none of the bigs will emerge as a consistent presence, and potential will continue to go unrealized.
With so many new guys, he’s going to trust his returnees to lead the way. “Those guys are the anchors of kind of what we’re doing,” Hurley told ArizonaSports.com this fall. “Vocally, they’ve been excellent in our workouts just reinforcing messaging to the new players of how we operate. And they’ve been great leaders for us on and off the court. And they’ve all taken steps. They know what playing winning basketball looks like coming off the 23-win season. And I think they’re hungry to want to do more.”
The Pac 12 has some teams at the top which are going to be difficult to dislodge, but there is room for the Sun Devils to carve out their place again. After two losing seasons, last year felt good. Especially the part when they won by 25 in the NCAA’s. The Sun Devils want to do some more of that, and the raw talent is very here to do it some more. It all depends on chemistry, efficiency and effort. Hurley has proven that he can ride the waves of inconsistency to emerge with a strong team in the end before. If he can do it again, the Sun Devils should be poised for another very entertaining adventure.
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