I had a chance to attend an event today where Bobby Hurley was the featured speaker, wanted to share some of the stuff he said, which isn't much different from what I mentioned here previously, just more reinforcement to the narrative if you will.
I'll actually start with a name that has perhaps kind of flew under the radar in the group of transfers and that is DJ Horne. Admittingly I don't think his arrival was going to move the needle as other transfers (more on them later) but even prior to hearing what Hurley said, I heard from folks in the program that he was turning heads with his jump shooting. Hurley said that Horne kind of reminded him of Shannon Evans, which is a good comparison but at the same time Horne is slightly more physical. I happened to catch some of ASU's practice today too and Horne rarely missed from three-point range and also just from inside the arc. Keep this name in mind so he doesn't sneak up on you
Keeping up with the less mentioned players got to talk about freshman Jamiya Neal. His journey is kind of interesting (played locally at Phoenix Hillcrest) and ironically he's the only freshman Hurley got to see in person during the long recruiting dead period. As chance would have it, Hurley's son Bobby Jr. (also a walk-on on ASU this year) played on the same club team as Neal, and Hurley by default got to see him. Suffice to say that this first impression was a powerful one and the rest is history. Saw Neal again in practice today, and at 6-6 is an extremely gifted athlete with major hops but also has a nice shooting touch. He may have a hard time getting into the rotation on such a deep team, but if he does make any kind of impact remember you heard that potential scenario here...
Yes, I know that everyone wants to know about five-star freshman Enoch Boakye and as we reported here based on previous remarks Hurley made, the Canadian Center's development has been slow to progress due to a couple of injuries he's had in the off-season. He's all of 6-10 240 with a 7-2 wingspan, may start off as being a better rim protector than menace in the offensive paint, but just keep in mind that this won't be a hit the ground running situation that you would expect from a five-star recruit. Could be someone who doesn't fully hit his stride until Pac-12 play (i.e. full schedule in January) hits.
Alonzo Gaffney who is a very slim 6-9 200 with an even longer wingspan of 7-3, may be early one of the more dominant newcomers in the frontcourt. He caught an elbow from Boakye earlier this week (as did Jalen Graham by the way) in practice and had to have some stitches over his eye. He moves very well on the floor and definitely not the type of frontcourt player who will slow down the pace. We'll see if lack of physicality will be an issue, but a fringe top 50 player in his class who didn’t fit in all that well in Ohio State, didn't impress all that much in his junior college is still appearing as someone who can make be an impact player in Tempe. Maybe this is his redemption tour if you will. Again, with Boakye trying to get into the rhythm of things he can (and will have to be) a significant player on this team.
Staying in the frontcourt, Jalen Graham has been making strides and I think can benefit a lot if he was playing the power forward position alongside Boakye/Gaffney. Not saying it's a guaranteed lineup, but Hurley did say that he would like to play Kimani Lawrence and Marcus play at small forward more than he did last year (when he had no choice). Curious to see how that dynamic will work. Freshman Will Felton at 6-8 225 lbs. has a good frame, and could sneak into the rotation here and there but someone I think can be a good foundation for ASU's frontcourt. Bagley likey the top scorer on this team but with a much better supporting cast, should have an even better season.
The starting backcourt appears to be Marreon Jackson and Luther Muhammad, a tandem Hurley said that he doesn't envy opposing backcourt to go up against. These two are the most physical guards ASU has had since Lu Dort (Josh Christopher had a good frame but more of a small forward in his role at ASU), I expect them to play good defense and rebound at a high level. More importantly, Hurley said that the ball rarely sticks to Jackson's hand and sees him as a good facilitator. We know how important that is. Don't know if they will both wow you with shooting or athleticism as the Guard U days or later on with Remy Martin and Alonzo Verge, but a different style doesn't mean less effectiveness not only in their play but in their leadership.
“Secret Scrimmage” closed to the media taking place tomorrow in Tempe against New Mexico State. Transfer guard Jay Heath is mourning the loss of his grandma and won't play tomorrow.
I can answer any questions you may have and be on the lookout for my interview with Marreon Jackson.
I'll actually start with a name that has perhaps kind of flew under the radar in the group of transfers and that is DJ Horne. Admittingly I don't think his arrival was going to move the needle as other transfers (more on them later) but even prior to hearing what Hurley said, I heard from folks in the program that he was turning heads with his jump shooting. Hurley said that Horne kind of reminded him of Shannon Evans, which is a good comparison but at the same time Horne is slightly more physical. I happened to catch some of ASU's practice today too and Horne rarely missed from three-point range and also just from inside the arc. Keep this name in mind so he doesn't sneak up on you
Keeping up with the less mentioned players got to talk about freshman Jamiya Neal. His journey is kind of interesting (played locally at Phoenix Hillcrest) and ironically he's the only freshman Hurley got to see in person during the long recruiting dead period. As chance would have it, Hurley's son Bobby Jr. (also a walk-on on ASU this year) played on the same club team as Neal, and Hurley by default got to see him. Suffice to say that this first impression was a powerful one and the rest is history. Saw Neal again in practice today, and at 6-6 is an extremely gifted athlete with major hops but also has a nice shooting touch. He may have a hard time getting into the rotation on such a deep team, but if he does make any kind of impact remember you heard that potential scenario here...
Yes, I know that everyone wants to know about five-star freshman Enoch Boakye and as we reported here based on previous remarks Hurley made, the Canadian Center's development has been slow to progress due to a couple of injuries he's had in the off-season. He's all of 6-10 240 with a 7-2 wingspan, may start off as being a better rim protector than menace in the offensive paint, but just keep in mind that this won't be a hit the ground running situation that you would expect from a five-star recruit. Could be someone who doesn't fully hit his stride until Pac-12 play (i.e. full schedule in January) hits.
Alonzo Gaffney who is a very slim 6-9 200 with an even longer wingspan of 7-3, may be early one of the more dominant newcomers in the frontcourt. He caught an elbow from Boakye earlier this week (as did Jalen Graham by the way) in practice and had to have some stitches over his eye. He moves very well on the floor and definitely not the type of frontcourt player who will slow down the pace. We'll see if lack of physicality will be an issue, but a fringe top 50 player in his class who didn’t fit in all that well in Ohio State, didn't impress all that much in his junior college is still appearing as someone who can make be an impact player in Tempe. Maybe this is his redemption tour if you will. Again, with Boakye trying to get into the rhythm of things he can (and will have to be) a significant player on this team.
Staying in the frontcourt, Jalen Graham has been making strides and I think can benefit a lot if he was playing the power forward position alongside Boakye/Gaffney. Not saying it's a guaranteed lineup, but Hurley did say that he would like to play Kimani Lawrence and Marcus play at small forward more than he did last year (when he had no choice). Curious to see how that dynamic will work. Freshman Will Felton at 6-8 225 lbs. has a good frame, and could sneak into the rotation here and there but someone I think can be a good foundation for ASU's frontcourt. Bagley likey the top scorer on this team but with a much better supporting cast, should have an even better season.
The starting backcourt appears to be Marreon Jackson and Luther Muhammad, a tandem Hurley said that he doesn't envy opposing backcourt to go up against. These two are the most physical guards ASU has had since Lu Dort (Josh Christopher had a good frame but more of a small forward in his role at ASU), I expect them to play good defense and rebound at a high level. More importantly, Hurley said that the ball rarely sticks to Jackson's hand and sees him as a good facilitator. We know how important that is. Don't know if they will both wow you with shooting or athleticism as the Guard U days or later on with Remy Martin and Alonzo Verge, but a different style doesn't mean less effectiveness not only in their play but in their leadership.
“Secret Scrimmage” closed to the media taking place tomorrow in Tempe against New Mexico State. Transfer guard Jay Heath is mourning the loss of his grandma and won't play tomorrow.
I can answer any questions you may have and be on the lookout for my interview with Marreon Jackson.
