Freshman forward Allen Morill has academically qualified for the upcoming season, more than nine months after signing with the ASU men's basketball program.
The 6-foot-6, 226-pound product from Sam Houston High School (Arlington, Texas) marked a high enough score on his college entrance exam this summer. He arrived on campus earlier this month and started classes this week.
"Allen will be able to help us at three positions, but the best part of his game might be his defensive abilities. He can guard any position on the floor," ASU head coach Rob Evans said last fall after landing Morill and two others during the early signing period. "He has a nice medium-range jumper and is a great finisher. He also has played football in high school, which tells you how competitive he is."
Although Morill has been cleared for ASU's 2002-03 campaign, he may utilize a redshirt year because of the logjam at the forward position. With freshman Serge Angounou, junior Jamal Hill and senior Donnell Knight in tow, the Sun Devils have more than enough depth.
"We'll have a number of guys that have been through this program," Evans said. "Their experience will pay dividends for the young kids we have coming in."
Morill impressed scouts in April 2001 at an Amateur Athletic Union tournament in Las Vegas, but he had already made a name for himself at Sam Houston by averaging 14 points and seven rebounds per game during his junior season. Morill upped his average to 18.3 points per game in his senior year. He was later named a second-team Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 5A selection.
Recruits to visit campus: The Sporting News reported Monday that power forward Keith Wooden, an incoming senior at Free State High School (Lawrence, Kan.), will take an official recruiting visit to ASU this weekend.
The 6-foot-8, 220-pound product, who participated this summer in the adidas ABCD camp, Nike All-American Camp, Great American Shootout, AAU Super Showcase and Kansas City Prep Invitational, averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks per game last season. He also listed Xavier, Indiana, DePaul, Kansas and Connecticut as some of his potential schools.
"Nobody else has really offered me," Wooden told The Sporting News. "I feel real comfortable with coach Evans and (assistant) coach (Russ) Pennell, and I am looking forward to meeting some of the players on my visit there."
Accompanying Wooden will be power forward Wilfried Fameni, an incoming senior at Amelia (Va.) Academy. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound product marked all-state honors in each of the past two seasons. He has been heavily recruited by Virginia Tech.
Walk-on will use redshirt year: Sun Devil freshman walk-on Kevin Kruger will redshirt this season. The 6-foot-1 guard from Walton High School (Marietta, Ga.), who is the son of Atlanta Hawks coach Lon Kruger, averaged 19 points, eight assists and 3.5 assists per game as a junior.
Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@asu.edu.
