Looking back at the last 25 years of basketball at Arizona State shows a lot of potential and stability, though the Sun Devils haven’t exactly had their big postseason break. Both Herb Sendek and Bobby Hurley put together some very talented rosters, but neither got past the second round of the Big Dance and it wasn’t like the trips were frequent. Regardless, there were still some very talented players passing through the halls in Tempe.
Let’s take a few moments and reflect back on the very best of that talent by showcasing the top four players for Arizona State since the turn of the century. Our latest Mount Rushmore focuses on the very best Sun Devils. You didn’t see this program winning Pac-12 titles or stunning teams during March Madness but you should have seen a few of these players both in Tempe and in their careers beyond.
Jahii Carson
He may have only stayed at Arizona State for three years but Carson really made it count, especially considering he had to redshirt after being academically ineligible. The former Top 30 recruit was finally on the court in 2012 and quickly became one of the best point guards in the Pac-12. The Sun Devils won at least 21 games in each of his two seasons on the court, with Carson earning plenty of honors and attention as an underclassman.
Nobody in the Pac-12 played more minutes on the court than Carson did as a redshirt freshman while averaging 18.5 points and 5.1 assists per game. Carson earned the first of his two First Team All-Pac-12 honors while putting up similar figures the following season. Carson played well in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, dropping 19 points and 9 assists in what would be his final game as a Sun Devil before heading to the NBA. Had he stayed a third or fourth year he just might have rewritten a few Arizona State records and yet his impact was clearly felt in those two seasons.
Ike Diogu
Back before Sendek or Hurley ran the show, Rob Evans had a few solid seasons helming the Sun Devils and this 6-8 forward was a big reason why. Diogu adhered himself quickly to Arizona State basketball and would start all 91 games across his three seasons in Tempe. He was an efficient scorer who rarely left the court, helping Arizona State to the NCAA Tournament in his freshman year in 2003 before putting up some mind-boggling numbers the next two seasons.
For his career, Diogu made 59% of his 2-pointers and wasn’t too bad from outside the arc, but let’s focus on those individual seasons. While the Sun Devils didn’t return to the Big Dance, Diogu put up more than 22 points a game in each of his final two campaigns. As a junior, he averaged 22.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game, leading the Pac-10 in all three figures. Unsurprisingly named Pac-10 Player of the Year, Diogu still sits among the top leaders in the conference in points, rebounds, and field goal percentage and capped off his career with All-American honors before becoming the 9th pick of the 2005 NBA Draft.
James Harden
A basketball figurehead who barely needs an introduction, Harden was considered a Top 20 prospect when he arrived at Arizona State way back in 2007. He spent his two seasons with the Sun Devils putting in the work and becoming one of the most notable weapons in recent memory for the program. Harden was the first big recruit for Sendek and helped get Arizona State back into the national rankings and in the Big Dance in his second season.
Harden made nearly 41% of his 3-pointers while averaging 17.8 points a game as a true freshman, but he built on that success for year two. Sophomore Harden was even better, showing up nightly for 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.7 steals, leading the Pac-10 in scoring, steals, and plenty of other metrics. He was a First Team All-American, Pac-10 Player of the Year, and got the Sun Devils dancing for the first time in six years. He’d struggle in that field but has built quite the NBA career over the last 17 years.
Remy Martin
We almost had to mention someone from Hurley’s years in Tempe, and there certainly was great talent being brought to the state of Arizona. Martin might be remembered by some as a national champion after transferring to Kansas but we cannot gloss over the success and importance of his four seasons with the Sun Devils. He worked his way from a key bench piece as a freshman to one of the best scorers in the land as an upperclassman.
A key part of several notable Arizona State moments, Martin played in that big upset over Kansas as a sophomore and in the Big Dance in his underclassman seasons. While the pandemic shortened his final two seasons, Martin averaged 19.1 points per game in both years and was an effective floor runner and scorer for the Sun Devils. He earned a pair of First Team All-Pac-12 honors, was the league’s top scorer as a senior, and left Arizona State among the program’s all-time leaders in free throws, assists, and various other figures.
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