The story at Arizona State has been underwhelming for much of the decade that Bobby Hurley has spent as head coach. He’s led the Sun Devils to some notable moments, with three trips to the NCAA Tournament and a number of 20-win seasons, but the bad has been just as painful. This past season was Arizona State’s first in the Big 12 and it did not go according to plan, resulting in just 13 wins and a 15th place finish in their debut.
Hurley put together a phenomenal recruiting class, but Top 25 prospects Jayden Quaintance and Joson Sanon both underachieved and left town. They’re far from the only ones opting to use the transfer portal as a dozen Sun Devils departed in recent months. Leading scorers Alston Mason and BJ Freeman are gone and Arizona State is basically starting over in many aspects.
In its current form, the new roster has a slew of freshmen and a number of veteran players from the transfer portal. In the backcourt, they grabbed Pepperdine’s Moe Odum, Anthony Johnson from the Cumberlands, and Adante Holiman out of Georgia Southern. The Sun Devils didn’t grab any of the major transfers, but also nabbed Allen Mukeba from Oakland and got another prominent piece for the frontcourt.
Marcus Adams Jr. reclassified and was considered a fringe Top 50 prospect in the Class of 2023, but the 6-8 forward from Torrance, California didn’t last long at his first school. He saw action in just one game as a freshman at BYU before finding his footing last season at Cal State Northridge. Adams averaged 16.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while making nearly 62% of his 2-pointers and just under 40% from outside the arc.
There’s no telling what direction this season will go for Hurley’s new group of talent but Adams is certainly going to be a major key. Formerly a highly-regarded prospect, Adams has raw talent and ability and showcased that with the Matadors and the Sun Devils will need him to continue growing as an athlete. Pieces like Odum and Johnson may be just an important but Adams could be the piece this team really needs to be competitive next season.
From the outside, it’s easy to be underwhelmed yet again by what’s happening in Tempe. The Sun Devils were not competitive in a strong Big 12 with a roster with more talent and experience. If they’re going to surprise some people in 2026 then Adams needs to come into form and be a frontcourt presence that can really challenge defenses in the Big 12. Many things need to go right for Arizona State but perhaps Adams can motivate this piecework lineup.