Arizona State Basketball: Why Alston Mason is the most important team transfer for 2024-25

Generally speaking Arizona State hasn’t exactly been a stellar basketball program. The Sun Devils have been to a few NCAA Tournaments during Bobby Hurley’s run with in Tempe, though Arizona State is coming off their worst season under his leadership. Last year was just a 14-18 finish for the Sun Devils, as they’d finish just 9th in the final season of the Pac-12. Will they possibly fare better transitioning to a much tougher Big 12 this year?

Although last season was a disappointment, it’s a bit unnerving that very little of that talent returns this season. Leading scorer Frankie Collins was among a decent list of players in the Transfer Portal. Also included in that list were double-digit scorer Jamiya Neal and a slew of frontcourt talent like Kamari Lands and Akil Watson. The best player that’ll be back in Tempe next season is Adam Miller, a junior guard who missed part of last season after transferring from LSU.

With what was lost, Hurley busied himself with the Transfer Portal and added several pieces into the fold. The frontcourt needed a boost and certainly got it, with the Sun Devils adding Milwaukee’s BJ Freeman, USC’s Brandon Gardner, and former Ball State power forward Basheer Jihad. Arizona State landed more power conference talent with Austin Nunez, a former point guard at Ole Miss, though our attention turns somewhere else.

Alston Mason is no stranger to the Big 12, as the 6’2 guard from Kansas actually spent his freshman season at Oklahoma. He didn’t see the court much with the Sooners and transferred to Missouri State for the last two seasons. Mason grew into a major role as a junior with the Bears and is coming off a season where he averaged 17.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game, including solid shooting figures.

Mason has the raw talent to succeed in the Big 12 and proved his potential as the Bears’ leading scorer and breakout player last season. He was named Third Team All-MVC and was one of the league’s best offensive players and 3-point shooters. While he’s not exactly great on the boards, Mason is solid on and off the ball, has decent assist numbers, and will be a key cog for Arizona State’s backcourt this season.

The Sun Devils will lean heavily on Mason and Miller to head this backcourt, meaning there will be pressure on Mason to have another strong season. He truly took a massive step forward as a junior and will need productivity as a senior for the Sun Devils to succeed in the Big 12. By no means does everything fall on him, as there’s young talent in Tempe that we didn’t mention as well. This boils down to a lot of new faces needing to play well together, and these two guards really need to be the veteran leaders.

Arizona State jumps from a really tough campaign into the nation’s strongest conference. Even with the new additions in the offseason, it’s hard to imagine Hurley’s squad becoming a legitimate contender in this league right off the bat. Does Mason have another step forward in him and can he become a great leader with this program? Will Arizona State surprise the nation in their new league?