Plenty of new faces will hit Ned Wulk Court next year for Coach Hurley's squad. With two NCAA Tournament appearances in its past three chances (and a third taken away by COVID in 2020), the group coming in combined with returners will hope to have Desert Financial Arena jumping like it was for the previous three seasons, as attendance marks were broken and the Sun Devils style has racked up the most points per game (77.3) in the Pac-12 the past four seasons.
The fall signing class saw three high school seniors join the program with the signing of Demari Williams (Dream City Christian/Glendale, AZ), William Felton (Hargrave Military Academy/Chatham, VA) and Justin Rochelin (Heritage Christian/Northridge, CA). In the spring, two more high school players were signed, as Enoch Baokye (George Harris Prep (Mississauga, Ontario) and Jamiya Neal (Hillcrest Prep/Phoenix, AZ) inked.
Coming to Tempe soon via the transfer route are Boston College's Jay Heath (14.5 points per game in 2020-21), Toledo's Marreon Jackson (18.1 ppg. in 2020-21) and Illinois State's DJ Horne (15.1 ppg.), along with one-time Ohio State signee Alonzo Gaffney, who played junior college hoops last year after suiting up for the Buckeyes in 2019-20.
The Sun Devils have had great success with Division I transfers, and some proven scoring numbers are on they way. ASU signed the top scorer from those four schools who combined to average nearly 50 points per game last year. Also in the mix but not in the above categories: Ohio State transfer Luther Muhammad who sat last year with an injury after playing at Ohio State from 2018-20.
Belowis a look at who is on the way to Tempe for the 2021-22 season, as the Sun Devils are expected to also return Jalen Graham, Kimani Lawrence and Ohio State transfer Luther Muhammad, who sat the 2020-21 season.
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ENOCH BOAKYE (6-10/240 FROM GEORGE HARRIS PREP IN ONTARIO)
A 6-10, 240-pounder is what any team needs, and Boakye will try and equal the success of two recent Canadiens to wear the Sun Devil uniform. Lu Dort was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2018-19 and now is enjoying NBA success, while Jordan Bachynski helped lead ASU to the 2014 NCAA Tournament and became the Pac-12 blocked shots record holder along the way. He averaged 13 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks a game in 2019-20.
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WILL FELTON
Will Felton played his senior year at Hargrave Military Academy after signing with ASU in the fall of 2020 and averaging 13 points and eight rebounds at Millbrook High School in 2019-20. He had a very productive career at Millbrook before making the move to the highly respected Hargrave. He scored in double figures and in 22 of the 25 games played in his junior season. In 83 games at Millbrook High (Raleigh, NC) he scored 1,076 points and grabbed 675 rebounds while shooting 64 percent from the field. In 2019-20 he was named the CAP-7 Conference Player of the Year after averaging 20 points, 11.2 rebounds and two blocks per game. One website he has the potential to be a big surprise in the 2021 signing class. Averaged 15.6 points and 8.1 rebounds in 2020-21 for Thomas Messinger-coached team that went 31-2 and he shot better than 74 percent from the field and has a reported 7-0 foot wing span.
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ALONZO GAFFNEY (6-8/200 FROM NORTHWEST FLORIDA/OHIO STATE)
Played at Northwest Florida last season after seeing action in 17 games for Ohio State the prior season after prepping at Brewster Academy. The Cleveland native earned All-Ohio honors at Garfield Heights in his junior year after averaging 18.2 points, nine boards and four blocks. Simply put, he is long.
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JAY HEATH (6-3/175 FROM BOSTON COLLEGE)
In two seasons at Boston College Heath averaged over 30 minutes a game both years, scored more than 13 points per game and shot .365 from three-point range. He was the team's leading scorer in both of his seasons at Boston College. The Washington, D.C., native dropped 28 on No. 11 Florida State late last season. He averaged 13.1 in his freshman season and had 26 double-figure scoring games, including the final 15. His 13.1 ppg. mark was third-best by a freshman in the ACC in 2019-20 and his 65 three-pointers was an Eagle freshman record. He was a 30-game starter, with the only time he came off the bench was on Senior Day. ESPN.com ranked him as the No. 2 player in Washington D.C. No. 32 shooting guard in the country. A double-figure scorer in 41 of 50 games he shot over 77 percent from the free throw line in 2020-21.
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DJ HORNE (6-1/175 FROM ILLINOIS STATE)
A 6-foot-1 guard who led Illinois State in scoring last season as a sophomore, DJ Horne averaged 15.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 24 games while shooting 44.6 percent from the field, 42.4 percent from 3-point range and 85.4 percent from the free-throw line. He earned third-team All-Missouri Valley Conference despite finishing fourth in scoring, third in steals per game, second in 3-point percentage and first in 3-pointers made. In 2019-20, he made the MVC all-freshman team with averages of 8.7 points and 1.4 assists per game. Played at Trinity Christian High School in Fayetteville, N.C. In a six-game span last year, he made 18-of-32 three-point shots.
--Illinois State leading scorer DJ Horne plans transfer to ASU (by Chris Karpman, 247Sports.com/April 17, 2021)
--DJ Horne joins Sun Devils (by Jack Johnson, House of Sparky/April 17, 2021)
--Illinois State guard DJ Horne announces transfer to ASU (by Logan Newman, arizonasports.com/April 18, 2021)
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MARREON JACKSON (6-1/200 FROM TOLEDO)
Simply put, Marreon Jackson got buckets at Toledo and will have one year to play at ASU after leading Toledo to a 21-9 mark last year. The 2020-21 MAC Player of the Year averaged 18.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game and shot .348 from the three-point stripe and over 90 percent from the free throw line. As a junior in 2019-20, he averaged 19.8 points, 5.4 assists and 4.3 rebounds on his way to second-team All-MAC honors. The Cleveland native starred at Garfield Heights High School.
--MAC Player of the Year Marreon Jackson transferring to ASU (by Chris Karpman, Sun Devil Source/April 8, 2021)
--Toledo's scoring and assist leader Marreon Jackson pledges to Sun Devils (by Hod Rabino, Devils Digest/April 8, 2021)
--Toledo transfer Marreon Jackson commits to ASU basketball (ArizonaSports.com/April 8, 2021)
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JAMIYA NEAL (6-6/185 FROM PHOENIX HILLCREST PREP)
Solid length, great athletic ability and can play three positions for the local product and a top-50 small forward.
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JUSTIN ROCHELIN
Justin Rochelin signed in the fall and the Northridge, Calif., was coached by Paul Tait at Heritage Christian High School is a 6-5, 175-pound wing who is the son of former UCLA forward Charles Rochelin, who played for the Bruins from 1985-89. He will compete for playing time on the wings, and is described as "long and bouncy" by some in the business. Averaged 21 points and 13 rebounds in 2020-21.
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DEMARI WILLIAMS (6-6/210 FROM DREAM CITY CHRISTIAN IN GLENDALE, AZ)
Dream City wing Demari Williams is listed at 6-6 and has a 6-11 wingspan. He signed in the fall of 2020 and has a 6-11 wingspan and is a top 40 shooting guard according to 247 Sports Composite rankings.
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The fall signing class saw three high school seniors join the program with the signing of Demari Williams (Dream City Christian/Glendale, AZ), William Felton (Hargrave Military Academy/Chatham, VA) and Justin Rochelin (Heritage Christian/Northridge, CA). In the spring, two more high school players were signed, as Enoch Baokye (George Harris Prep (Mississauga, Ontario) and Jamiya Neal (Hillcrest Prep/Phoenix, AZ) inked.
Coming to Tempe soon via the transfer route are Boston College's Jay Heath (14.5 points per game in 2020-21), Toledo's Marreon Jackson (18.1 ppg. in 2020-21) and Illinois State's DJ Horne (15.1 ppg.), along with one-time Ohio State signee Alonzo Gaffney, who played junior college hoops last year after suiting up for the Buckeyes in 2019-20.
The Sun Devils have had great success with Division I transfers, and some proven scoring numbers are on they way. ASU signed the top scorer from those four schools who combined to average nearly 50 points per game last year. Also in the mix but not in the above categories: Ohio State transfer Luther Muhammad who sat last year with an injury after playing at Ohio State from 2018-20.
Ranked the top 40 committed transfers so far in college basketball.
— David Cobb (@DavidWCobb) April 13, 2021
This was a substantial undertaking involving a lot of subjective evaluation, and it will evolve over time.https://t.co/g0q7GL27iR
Belowis a look at who is on the way to Tempe for the 2021-22 season, as the Sun Devils are expected to also return Jalen Graham, Kimani Lawrence and Ohio State transfer Luther Muhammad, who sat the 2020-21 season.
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ENOCH BOAKYE (6-10/240 FROM GEORGE HARRIS PREP IN ONTARIO)
A 6-10, 240-pounder is what any team needs, and Boakye will try and equal the success of two recent Canadiens to wear the Sun Devil uniform. Lu Dort was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2018-19 and now is enjoying NBA success, while Jordan Bachynski helped lead ASU to the 2014 NCAA Tournament and became the Pac-12 blocked shots record holder along the way. He averaged 13 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks a game in 2019-20.
Enoch's got next.
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) July 30, 2021
The big man on campus is ready to be Tempe's next great Sun Devil. ????@EnochBoakye11 // #MeetTheDevils pic.twitter.com/I25W4lxdZK
GO SUNDEVILS ???? pic.twitter.com/3B9OVrj5ok
— Enoch Boakye (@EnochBoakye11) March 25, 2021
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WILL FELTON
Will Felton played his senior year at Hargrave Military Academy after signing with ASU in the fall of 2020 and averaging 13 points and eight rebounds at Millbrook High School in 2019-20. He had a very productive career at Millbrook before making the move to the highly respected Hargrave. He scored in double figures and in 22 of the 25 games played in his junior season. In 83 games at Millbrook High (Raleigh, NC) he scored 1,076 points and grabbed 675 rebounds while shooting 64 percent from the field. In 2019-20 he was named the CAP-7 Conference Player of the Year after averaging 20 points, 11.2 rebounds and two blocks per game. One website he has the potential to be a big surprise in the 2021 signing class. Averaged 15.6 points and 8.1 rebounds in 2020-21 for Thomas Messinger-coached team that went 31-2 and he shot better than 74 percent from the field and has a reported 7-0 foot wing span.
#BuiltbyDesign #SunDevils #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/VFFrk39Nfe
— Will Felton (@EasyFelton) September 20, 2020
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ALONZO GAFFNEY (6-8/200 FROM NORTHWEST FLORIDA/OHIO STATE)
Played at Northwest Florida last season after seeing action in 17 games for Ohio State the prior season after prepping at Brewster Academy. The Cleveland native earned All-Ohio honors at Garfield Heights in his junior year after averaging 18.2 points, nine boards and four blocks. Simply put, he is long.
Alonzo has been very impressive in our summer program. Zo has stood out with his versatility & ability to impact the game in a variety of ways. ???? https://t.co/kB5FRU8I07
— Bobby Hurley (@BobbyHurley11) July 27, 2021
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JAY HEATH (6-3/175 FROM BOSTON COLLEGE)
In two seasons at Boston College Heath averaged over 30 minutes a game both years, scored more than 13 points per game and shot .365 from three-point range. He was the team's leading scorer in both of his seasons at Boston College. The Washington, D.C., native dropped 28 on No. 11 Florida State late last season. He averaged 13.1 in his freshman season and had 26 double-figure scoring games, including the final 15. His 13.1 ppg. mark was third-best by a freshman in the ACC in 2019-20 and his 65 three-pointers was an Eagle freshman record. He was a 30-game starter, with the only time he came off the bench was on Senior Day. ESPN.com ranked him as the No. 2 player in Washington D.C. No. 32 shooting guard in the country. A double-figure scorer in 41 of 50 games he shot over 77 percent from the free throw line in 2020-21.
the Sun Devil from The District ????
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) July 19, 2021
Sun Devil Nation, meet Jay Heath!@TheRealJayHeath // #MeetTheDevils pic.twitter.com/FwlBmKs1Jh
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DJ HORNE (6-1/175 FROM ILLINOIS STATE)
A 6-foot-1 guard who led Illinois State in scoring last season as a sophomore, DJ Horne averaged 15.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 24 games while shooting 44.6 percent from the field, 42.4 percent from 3-point range and 85.4 percent from the free-throw line. He earned third-team All-Missouri Valley Conference despite finishing fourth in scoring, third in steals per game, second in 3-point percentage and first in 3-pointers made. In 2019-20, he made the MVC all-freshman team with averages of 8.7 points and 1.4 assists per game. Played at Trinity Christian High School in Fayetteville, N.C. In a six-game span last year, he made 18-of-32 three-point shots.
a North Carolina kid on a mission.
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) July 21, 2021
DJ's ready to show out for Sun Devil Nation ??@djhorne0 // #MeetTheDevils pic.twitter.com/Fl0UJE0OrG
--Illinois State leading scorer DJ Horne plans transfer to ASU (by Chris Karpman, 247Sports.com/April 17, 2021)
--DJ Horne joins Sun Devils (by Jack Johnson, House of Sparky/April 17, 2021)
--Illinois State guard DJ Horne announces transfer to ASU (by Logan Newman, arizonasports.com/April 18, 2021)
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MARREON JACKSON (6-1/200 FROM TOLEDO)
Simply put, Marreon Jackson got buckets at Toledo and will have one year to play at ASU after leading Toledo to a 21-9 mark last year. The 2020-21 MAC Player of the Year averaged 18.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game and shot .348 from the three-point stripe and over 90 percent from the free throw line. As a junior in 2019-20, he averaged 19.8 points, 5.4 assists and 4.3 rebounds on his way to second-team All-MAC honors. The Cleveland native starred at Garfield Heights High School.
Can't wait!?? ForksUP!?? https://t.co/mVr8HthHDd
— Marreon Jackson (@Marreon_Jackson) July 16, 2021
Forks Up??! Time to tap into a whole other level.. #OwnZone pic.twitter.com/T2XhZ6dWAW
— Marreon Jackson (@Marreon_Jackson) April 8, 2021
--MAC Player of the Year Marreon Jackson transferring to ASU (by Chris Karpman, Sun Devil Source/April 8, 2021)
--Toledo's scoring and assist leader Marreon Jackson pledges to Sun Devils (by Hod Rabino, Devils Digest/April 8, 2021)
--Toledo transfer Marreon Jackson commits to ASU basketball (ArizonaSports.com/April 8, 2021)
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JAMIYA NEAL (6-6/185 FROM PHOENIX HILLCREST PREP)
Solid length, great athletic ability and can play three positions for the local product and a top-50 small forward.
The pandemic forced ASU's incoming freshman forward @jamiyaneal_ to make a near 2,000-mile move away from his Toledo, Ohio home to Phoenix @hillcrest_prep. It was also a basketball career move that paid dividends for the Sun Devils' newest 2021 signee https://t.co/ZynnI6dtec
— DevilsDigest.com (@DevilsDigest) April 23, 2021
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JUSTIN ROCHELIN
Justin Rochelin signed in the fall and the Northridge, Calif., was coached by Paul Tait at Heritage Christian High School is a 6-5, 175-pound wing who is the son of former UCLA forward Charles Rochelin, who played for the Bruins from 1985-89. He will compete for playing time on the wings, and is described as "long and bouncy" by some in the business. Averaged 21 points and 13 rebounds in 2020-21.
Committed ?? #respectmydecision pic.twitter.com/0YdLg6APLs
— Justin Rochelin ???? (@justin_rochelin) October 17, 2020
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DEMARI WILLIAMS (6-6/210 FROM DREAM CITY CHRISTIAN IN GLENDALE, AZ)
Dream City wing Demari Williams is listed at 6-6 and has a 6-11 wingspan. He signed in the fall of 2020 and has a 6-11 wingspan and is a top 40 shooting guard according to 247 Sports Composite rankings.
110% Committed???? pic.twitter.com/lGfZ9tWukL
— ???????????? ???????????????? (@Demari_2) September 4, 2020
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