Arizona State Men’s Basketball Shakes Up Roster: Unexpected Exit and New Arrival Spark Fresh Controversy

Arizona State’s men’s basketball scene is in one heck of a turbulent phase, swinging between strides forward and surprising setbacks. This past weekend painted a vivid picture of that dance — snagging Anthony Johnson, an NAIA scoring phenom from the University of the Cumberlands, brought fresh hope. Yet, just as quickly, the program faced a tough blow when one of their prized young recruits rethought his path. Johnson’s numbers? Stellar. Leading scorer, first-team All-American, and a record-holder who left his mark on more than a few school stat charts. Meanwhile, the bittersweet news of wing-forward Jaion Pitt’s commitment switch underscores the unpredictable nature of college basketball recruiting. With a roster in flux and critical eligibility questions still hanging, Coach Bobby Hurley’s squad stands at a crossroads — balancing promise with the pressure of lost opportunities. Buckle up: ASU basketball’s rebuilding story is as compelling as ever. LEARN MORE

Pitt was a member of the Canadian U18 Men’s National Team and helped secure a bronze medal at the AmeriCup Championships last summer in Buenos Aires. He finished with 11 points and six rebounds in the third-place win over the Dominican Republic.Johnson etched his name in the school record books in multiple categories including the most made free throws in a season (214), top 10 in free throws made in a career (295), third most points in a season (779), and top 10 all-time in career steals (104) while also becoming the 38^th player to join the 1,000-point club.The weekend featured one addition as 6-foot-2 shooting guard Anthony Johnson, the leading scorer in the NAIA last season at University of the Cumberlands (Kentucky), committed to the school, but coach Bobby Hurley also appears to have lost one of his top high school recruits.

It seems to be one step forward and one step back for the Arizona State men’s basketball program these days.The transfer class includes:

The incoming freshmen include 6-8 power forwards Marcus Jackson (Word of God, Raleigh, N.C.) and Kash Polk (Argyle, Texas). Jackson originally committed to Maryland but reopened his recruitment after a coaching change there. He is a former high school teammate of Best, who enrolled at ASU in January.The Midfield, Alabama, native averaged 3.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds in his 33.3 minutes per game in leading his team to the NAIA round of 16, where it lost to Arizona Christian. He scored more than 20 points in 23 games. He finished the year with 11 straight performances of 20 or more, with a best of 36 points.

Wing-forward Jaion Pitt (6 feet 7, 220 pounds), a four-star prospect, hails from Canada but averaged 14 points and nine rebounds per game at Bella Vista Prep in Scottsdale. He shot 53% from the field and 40% from 3-point range.The roster now stands at 12 players, with freshman guard Trevor Best the lone holdover from last year’s team, which finished 13-20 overall.

The apparent defection on the roster comes in the form of one of the freshmen, who had originally committed to ASU.Pitt is the second player who backed out of an ASU commitment. The first was Leo Curtis (7-0), from Iceland, who signed with Nebraska.Johnson averaged 23.6 points per game, shooting 48.1% from the field, which included a 34.5% from long distance. In 33 games, he totaled 779 total points and 214 made free throws — both NAIA-leading figures. He was a first-team NAIA All-American and one of 12 players in the NAIA to earn a spot on the NABC All-American Team.ASU is still awaiting eligibility clearance for O’Neil, who averaged 13.1 points and 9.3 rebounds last year at Idaho State. He started his career at Boise State in 2019-20 as a golfer before transferring to NAIA College of Idaho to play golf and basketball, spending four years at the school before transferring to Idaho State. Division I athletes are given five years to complete four seasons from their initial enrollment, so O’Neil’s clock has expired. However, he spent only two years at the Division I level.

• SF Marcus Adams, 6-8, Cal State Northridge
• G Bryce Ford, 6-3, Toledo
• G Adante Holiman, 6-0, Georgia Southern
• F Allen Mukeba, 6-6, Oakland
• PG Moe Odum, 6-1, Pepperdine (Calif.)
• F Santiago Trouet, 6-10, San Diego
• G Vijay Wallace, 6-6, Triton CC (Ill.)
• G Jake O’Neil, 6-4, Idaho State
• F Andrija Grbovic, 6-9, international transfer from Montenegro

Pitt was announced as part of the signing class for the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, which competes in the West Coast Conference.