First-year head coach Bobby Hurley and his staff will hit the road next week for the July evaluation period, a crucial time of the year where the recruiting target list for the 2016 class is finalized and the foundation is laid for future classes. Here are the prospects that ASU has offered and will be tracking over the next few weeks.
The July evaluation period is divided into three segments:
July 8-12
July 15-19
July 22-26
During these segments the ASU staff will travel from coast to coast to various tournaments to evaluate prospects and also show their presence since no in-person contact is permitted during the evaluation period.
The breaks between the three segments allow coaches to reassess their prospect list and it’s certainly common to see that list have several names added and removed during the July and even August months.
Speaking of comings and goings, there has been a lot of player movement on the Sun Devils’ roster in recent months, so let’s go over the numbers and see where ASU stands it terms of allotted scholarships for the 2016 class.
Chances are that we won’t see any other player additions prior to the 2015-16 season. This puts ASU at 11 scholarships for this year and since the last two slots (towards the allowed maximum of 13) won’t be filled, they will be used for the 2016 class.
So available scholarship number for the 2016 class, barring attrition at the end of the season, is five, but in essence that number is really four with the commitment of Sam Cunliffe. Nonetheless, Hurley and his staff can truly look at a large number of prospects in this class as they continue to re-build this ASU program.
Due to the fact that ASU will only have two front court players coming back for the 2016-17 season (Savon Goodman and Obi Oleka), it’s a given that ASU will look to sign at least two prospects at the power forward/center position and have the remaining rides allocated to best players available at the guard and wing roles.
Here are the principal targets in the 2016 class:
Thon Maker - Ever since Hurley hired assistant coach Brian Merritt, who has known Maker for quite some time through his work at John Lucas Enterprises, the five-star prospect’s name has popped up on numerous ASU recruiting articles. Needless to say that landing him in Tempe would be a major coup for this first-year staff and currently it appears that Indiana is the only team standing in ASU’s way. The fact that Maker decided not to reclassify for the 2015 class shouldn’t hurt ASU’s chances, as long as he doesn’t plan to drag his recruitment and sign in April rather than November.
Maker, who is originally from Sudan stands at 7-0 210-pounds, and reminds observers of NBA player Kevin Garnett both in his frame and playing style. Nonetheless, in recent tournaments he has spent less time on the perimeter while being more aggressive in the paint as well as rebounding.
ASU’s chances with Maker will become clearer once he visits here as expected in the fall. Nonetheless, the Sun Devils are undoubtedly have been and still are in a good position in the quest for his services.
Mario Kegler - Another front court player who has deep ties with Merritt, and that along with his relationship with ASU commit Cunliffe has put ASU is a very good position with the four-star prospect. In fact, both Cunliffe and Kegler were on the same unofficial trip that led to Cunliffe’s pledge just days later. This tandem now has a close relationship and that could ultimately help the Sun Devils’ chances. Word is that Kegler was genuinely happy for Cunliffe following his commitment, so that is another encouraging sign.
The 6-7 210-pound Kegler is a versatile forward with a formidable combination of strength and athleticism and can help fill the void that both Goodman and Oleka will eventually leave behind. There won’t be any shortage of suitors for ASU to battle with, and distance is another challenge in his recruitment. Yet, his familiarity with ASU and a potential official visit to Tempe could improve ASU’s chances here.
De'Ron Davis – the 6-9 235-pound forward is the top player in Colorado. Much like other forwards ASU is tracking, he’s another player that is can balance his post game with impressive athleticism. Indiana, UConn and Texas appear to be his favorite schools, but if he decided to stay in the Pac-12 Arizona is likely to be ASU’s main competition.
Taurean Thompson– the obvious factor that could favor ASU here is the fact that the 6-9 220-pound forward attends New Jersey’s St. Anthony’s High School and plays for Bobby Hurley Sr. This has allowed ASU to more than just get their foot in the door. ASU’s assistant Levi Watkins’ track record in developing front court players is another aspect that has resonated with Thompson and his camp early in the process. Distance could play a factor here too, but this is one recruiting battle that we can see the Sun Devils being a part of for a while.
Thompson is a high motor player who plays like a true front court player and crashes the glass early and often, yet has also shown to be a deft jump shooter that rounds out his game and makes him a challenge to defend as he can easily create mismatches.
Brendan Bailey– as we know the 6-7 200-pound forward from Utah committed to ASU under the previous staff and decided to re-open his recruitment following the coaching change. Bailey is extremely familiar with the program and the school, in no small part thanks to his sister who plays volleyball for the Sun Devils. Thus, the process with him was more of establishing a relationship with Hurley and his staff. All in all, the new regime has made it abundantly clear to Bailey that he is a priority recruit in this class.
Now, on the one hand Bailey’s decommitment helped him land quite a few of quality offers in recent months, and his recent play at various tournaments is in all probability pointing to his list of suitors to even further grow following the July evaluation period.
On other hand, Bailey is now likely to go on a LDS Mission following high school which would reclassify him as a 2018 prospect. If indeed he took that path, it could wipe the slate clean recruiting wise and potentially put ASU in a better position with him.
(continued on next message in thread)
The July evaluation period is divided into three segments:
July 8-12
July 15-19
July 22-26
During these segments the ASU staff will travel from coast to coast to various tournaments to evaluate prospects and also show their presence since no in-person contact is permitted during the evaluation period.
The breaks between the three segments allow coaches to reassess their prospect list and it’s certainly common to see that list have several names added and removed during the July and even August months.
Speaking of comings and goings, there has been a lot of player movement on the Sun Devils’ roster in recent months, so let’s go over the numbers and see where ASU stands it terms of allotted scholarships for the 2016 class.
Chances are that we won’t see any other player additions prior to the 2015-16 season. This puts ASU at 11 scholarships for this year and since the last two slots (towards the allowed maximum of 13) won’t be filled, they will be used for the 2016 class.
So available scholarship number for the 2016 class, barring attrition at the end of the season, is five, but in essence that number is really four with the commitment of Sam Cunliffe. Nonetheless, Hurley and his staff can truly look at a large number of prospects in this class as they continue to re-build this ASU program.
Due to the fact that ASU will only have two front court players coming back for the 2016-17 season (Savon Goodman and Obi Oleka), it’s a given that ASU will look to sign at least two prospects at the power forward/center position and have the remaining rides allocated to best players available at the guard and wing roles.
Here are the principal targets in the 2016 class:
Thon Maker - Ever since Hurley hired assistant coach Brian Merritt, who has known Maker for quite some time through his work at John Lucas Enterprises, the five-star prospect’s name has popped up on numerous ASU recruiting articles. Needless to say that landing him in Tempe would be a major coup for this first-year staff and currently it appears that Indiana is the only team standing in ASU’s way. The fact that Maker decided not to reclassify for the 2015 class shouldn’t hurt ASU’s chances, as long as he doesn’t plan to drag his recruitment and sign in April rather than November.
Maker, who is originally from Sudan stands at 7-0 210-pounds, and reminds observers of NBA player Kevin Garnett both in his frame and playing style. Nonetheless, in recent tournaments he has spent less time on the perimeter while being more aggressive in the paint as well as rebounding.
ASU’s chances with Maker will become clearer once he visits here as expected in the fall. Nonetheless, the Sun Devils are undoubtedly have been and still are in a good position in the quest for his services.
Mario Kegler - Another front court player who has deep ties with Merritt, and that along with his relationship with ASU commit Cunliffe has put ASU is a very good position with the four-star prospect. In fact, both Cunliffe and Kegler were on the same unofficial trip that led to Cunliffe’s pledge just days later. This tandem now has a close relationship and that could ultimately help the Sun Devils’ chances. Word is that Kegler was genuinely happy for Cunliffe following his commitment, so that is another encouraging sign.
The 6-7 210-pound Kegler is a versatile forward with a formidable combination of strength and athleticism and can help fill the void that both Goodman and Oleka will eventually leave behind. There won’t be any shortage of suitors for ASU to battle with, and distance is another challenge in his recruitment. Yet, his familiarity with ASU and a potential official visit to Tempe could improve ASU’s chances here.
De'Ron Davis – the 6-9 235-pound forward is the top player in Colorado. Much like other forwards ASU is tracking, he’s another player that is can balance his post game with impressive athleticism. Indiana, UConn and Texas appear to be his favorite schools, but if he decided to stay in the Pac-12 Arizona is likely to be ASU’s main competition.
Taurean Thompson– the obvious factor that could favor ASU here is the fact that the 6-9 220-pound forward attends New Jersey’s St. Anthony’s High School and plays for Bobby Hurley Sr. This has allowed ASU to more than just get their foot in the door. ASU’s assistant Levi Watkins’ track record in developing front court players is another aspect that has resonated with Thompson and his camp early in the process. Distance could play a factor here too, but this is one recruiting battle that we can see the Sun Devils being a part of for a while.
Thompson is a high motor player who plays like a true front court player and crashes the glass early and often, yet has also shown to be a deft jump shooter that rounds out his game and makes him a challenge to defend as he can easily create mismatches.
Brendan Bailey– as we know the 6-7 200-pound forward from Utah committed to ASU under the previous staff and decided to re-open his recruitment following the coaching change. Bailey is extremely familiar with the program and the school, in no small part thanks to his sister who plays volleyball for the Sun Devils. Thus, the process with him was more of establishing a relationship with Hurley and his staff. All in all, the new regime has made it abundantly clear to Bailey that he is a priority recruit in this class.
Now, on the one hand Bailey’s decommitment helped him land quite a few of quality offers in recent months, and his recent play at various tournaments is in all probability pointing to his list of suitors to even further grow following the July evaluation period.
On other hand, Bailey is now likely to go on a LDS Mission following high school which would reclassify him as a 2018 prospect. If indeed he took that path, it could wipe the slate clean recruiting wise and potentially put ASU in a better position with him.
(continued on next message in thread)
