Making hospitable homes in NCAA basketball continues to become more important in light of the transfer portal, and ASU has struggled to be that home for many players. Many guys have suited up for the Sun Devils and did their best to keep the boat afloat, but they eventually moved on.
There is no telling as to the future of ASU with lineups and players of the past. The program has lost some guys who are now balling out at new schools, and it begs the question, what could have been?
Among the handful of guards who moved on from ASU is DJ Horne. He spent two seasons with the Sun Devils, averaging 3.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 12.5 points during the 2022-23 season, his last in an ASU uniform.
Horne would transfer to NC State on April 17, 2023. Now, a key part of the Wolfpack, Horne is averaging 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and a career-high of 16.9 points.
He was the star of the show in NC State's recent run to the ACC title. The Wolfpack defeated Duke, then Virginia, and completed the gauntlet against UNC, beating the Tar Heels 84-76 in the final to win their first ACC championship since 1987. Horne had 29 points in the final.
ASU lost another guard who led their team to a conference championship, Jaelen House. House played for the Sun Devils during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons before transferring to the University of New Mexico.
In the Lobos' recent Mountain West Championship game against the 2023 March Madness runner-up, San Diego State, House had 28 points and 5 rebounds. Over his three seasons as a Lobo, he is scoring more than triple the points he was averaging in his two seasons at ASU along with 3.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
One big problem that the Sun Devils had in the 2023-24 season was their lack of a top-tier big guy.
READ MORE: Sun Devil's tournament hopes are fading by the game
Over the past couple of seasons, ASU has lost a couple of forwards and centers who are now flourishing in different environments that could've potentially filled that void.
First is Warren Washington, a guy who started every game he played during his one-and-done 2022-23 season with ASU where he made a big impact averaging about 9 points and almost 7 rebounds.
Now at Texas Tech, he averages almost 10 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 62% from the field, a career high. The Red Raiders have floated around the lower end of the AP Top 25 this season, ending the season at No. 22.
He has started every game as a Red Raider and helped them reach the semifinals in the Big 12 conference tournament and snag a spot in March Madness.
Alongside Washington is Devan Cambridge, a forward who also took his talents to Texas Tech. He's now averaging career highs in points at 10.5, blocks at 0.9, assists at 1.1, and free throw percentage at 69.4%. He is also averaging 4.5 rebounds.
Duke Brennan, who now starts every game at Grand Canyon University, averaged just 9.1 minutes and almost 2.5 points last season when he only started a single game at ASU.
After the season ended, he made the short trip over to GCU. He is now averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals. He has helped the Lopes to a spot in the March Madness tournament and a WAC championship.
With all these guys having a spot in March Madness and succeeding in conference tournament play, as ASU lost in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament with a losing record, it shows how the transfer portal can hurt and help teams and individuals. There is no saying what ASU may have been if these players stayed or who the Sun Devils could pick up next.
Edited by Vinny DeAngelis, Alysa Horton and Caera Learmonth.
Reach the reporter at hjsmardo@gmail.com and follow @HenryJSmardo on X.
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