(Springfield, MA) The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame included a pair of Sun Devils on the preseason watch lists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving Award.
Freshman Jayden Quaintance is one of 20 initial candidates for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given out annually the nation’s best center. Senior BJ Freeman is one of 20 players selected to the Julius Erving Award preseason watch list, which recognizes the top small forward in the country. The duo represent the first Sun Devils to land on a national award preseason watch list since 2021.
Jayden Quaintance, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center of the Year)
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 20 watch-list candidates for the 2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award on Friday. The annual award, named after the Class of 1995 Basketball Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion, celebrates its 11th year by honoring the top centers in Division I men’s college basketball.
2024 winner: Zach Edey, Purdue
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Candidates
| Jayden Quaintance | Arizona State |
| Clifford Omoruyi | Alabama |
| Motiejus Krivas | Arizona |
| Jonas Aidoo | Arkansas |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | Creighton |
| Khaman Maluach | Duke |
| Oumar Ballo | Indiana |
| Hunter Dickinson | Kansas |
| Amari Williams | Kentucky |
| Derik Queen | Maryland |
| Vladislav Goldin | Michigan |
| Dawson Garcia | Minnesota |
| Malik Dia | Ole Miss |
| Robbie Avila | Saint Louis |
| Mitchell Saxen | Saint Mary’s |
| Maxime Raynaud | Stanford |
| Eddie Lampkin | Syracuse |
| William Kyle III | UCLA |
| Samson Johnson | UConn |
| Efton Reid III | Wake Forest |
Get Ac-Quainted
- The highest-ranked recruit to ever sign with ASU according to 247 Sports
- Ranked as the No. 9 overall prospect in the entire class of 2024 and the No. 2 center prospect by 247 Sports
- Rivals tabbed him as the No. 8 overall prospect and No. 1 center in the 2024 class
- Consensus five-star recruit and No. 1 prospect out of the state of North Carolina among all the major recruiting services
- No. 17 overall prospect and No. 2 center in the class of 2024 according to ESPN
- 2024 McDonald’s All-American
- Massively long arms, boasting a 7-foot-3-plus wingspan
- Youngest player in all of college basketball (17 years old)
- Took part in training camp and named a finalist on May 25, 2024, for the 2024 USA Men’s U18 National Team.
- Member of the 2024 USA Men’s Nike Hoop Summit team that defeated the World Select squad 98-75
- Recorded 7 points (3-3 FG) and 4 rebounds in 9 minutes
- Participated at the 2023 Men’s Junior National Team October minicamp in Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Helped the 2023 Men’s U16 National Team win gold at the 2023 FIBA Men’s U16 Americas Championship in Merida, Mexico
- Tied with Karim Lopex (MEX) for the most blocks at the event (2.8 bpg)
- Attended the 2023 Men’s Junior National Team April minicamp in Houston
- Part of Arizona State’s Top-10 recruiting class signed by Coach Hurley, the highest in program history
BJ Freeman, Julius Erving Award (Small Forward of the Year)
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 20 watch-list candidates for the 2025 Julius Erving Award on Wednesday. The annual Julius Erving Award, named after the Class of 1993 Basketball Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player, celebrates its 11th year by recognizing the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball.
2024 winner: Dalton Knecht, Tennessee
Julius Erving Award Candidates
| BJ Freeman | Arizona State |
| KJ Lewis | Arizona |
| Chad Baker-Mazara | Auburn |
| Tyson Degenhart | Boise State |
| Cooper Flagg | Duke |
| Michael Ajayi | Gonzaga |
| Mackenzie Mgbako | Indiana |
| Payton Sandfort | Iowa |
| Milan Momcilovic | Iowa State |
| A.J. Storr | Kansas |
| Jaxson Robinson | Kentucky |
| Matthew Cleveland | Miami |
| Frankie Fidler | Michigan State |
| Mark Mitchell | Missouri |
| Ian Jackson | North Carolina |
| Drake Powell | North Carolina |
| Ace Bailey | Rutgers |
| Arthur Kaluma | Texas |
| Liam McNeeley | UConn |
| Tucker DeVries | West Virginia |
The Freeman File
- One of the most productive available transfers on the market
- Contributed in many facets of the game over his past two season at UW Milwaukee
- Played in 59 total games, making 48 starts in a Panthers’ uniform
- Averaged 19.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 31.3 minutes over two seasons
- Named Second Team All-Horizon League after one of the most prolific offensive seasons in school history in 2023-24
- First Panther to earn career all-league honors twice since Joah Tucker (2005-06/2004-05)
- Despite missing time due to injury, he averaged 21.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game
- The 21.1 points per game not only led the Horizon League, but was also the highest for a Panther since 1994-95 and third-highest in school history
- Finished 17th in the NCAA in scoring average
- Led team in scoring (21.1 ppg), rebounding (6.6 rpg), and assists (4.1 apg), the first Panther since Clay Tucker in 2001-02 to lead the way in all three categories
- In addition to leading the Horizon League in scoring, ranked fourth in free-throw percentage (.824), fifth in assists (4.1 apg), fifth in 3’s made per game (2.4 pg), and eighth in rebounding (6.6 rpg)
- Became the 30th player in school history to go over the 1,000-point mark in a career, finishing with 1,151 points
- His 19.5 ppg career scoring average finishes as the highest in Milwaukee’s NCAA Division I history for players that played more than one season
- Named Horizon League Player of the Week three times – a first in program history
- Recorded eight double-doubles on the season, including a stretch at the end of the season when he became the first player in school history to record four consecutive double-doubles
- Led the team in scoring on 19 occasions, finishing with 25 games of double-digit scoring, eleven 20-point outings, and four 30-point outbursts
- Netted 30 against Detroit Mercy March 5 and then 32 against Green Bay March 7 to become the first Panther with back-to-back 30-point efforts since February of 1995
- Tied the program record with 10 consecutive contests of 20-or-more points near the end of the season, with his 16 games of 20-plus points the third most in program history
- Finished with 103 points in the Horizon League postseason (4 games), establishing a new Horizon League record in the event (breaking record set in 1987)
Selection process
In early February, the watch list of 20 players for both awards will be narrowed to 10, and then in early March, to just five. Later in March, the five finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and Erving as well as the Hall of Fame’s selection committees, where winners will be selected. The Selection Committees for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving Awards are composed of top men’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2025 Abdul-Jabbar and Erving Awards will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s and Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy and Nancy Lieberman Awards (Point Guard), Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards (Shooting Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward), the Karl Malone and Katrina McClain Awards (Power Forward), and the Lisa Leslie Award (Center). Fans can support their favorite player by participating in Fan Voting starting today. Visit hoophallawards.com/men/vote or follow @hoophallu on social media for more information on how to vote.
Impact transfers
A five-man transfer class immediately bolstered the Sun Devil Men’s Basketball roster. It is one of the premier transfer classes in program history. BJ Freeman, Alston Mason, and Basheer Jihad join the fold after leading their teams in scoring a season ago. Brandon Gardner and Austin Nunez return to Arizona State after making strong connections with the connections in their previous recruitment process.
F Brandon Gardner, USC
G/F BJ Freeman, UW Milwaukee
G Alston Mason, Missouri State
F Basheer Jihad, Ball State
G Austin Nunez, Ole Miss
Youth movement
Arizona State freshman forward Jayden Quaintance enters the 2024-25 season as the youngest player in college basketball. He is over six months younger than the second-youngest on the list, which is projected No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft Cooper Flagg from Duke.
| Name | School | Birthdate |
| Jayden Quaintance | Arizona State | July, 2007 |
| Cooper Flagg | Duke | December, 2006 |
| Colt Langdon | Butler | November, 2006 |
| Bryce Heard | NC State | October, 2006 |
| Khaman Maluach | Duke | September, 2006 |
Roster snapshot (numerical)
#0 Brandon Gardner (Redshirt Freshman/Forward/USC/Waynesboro, GA)
#1 Alston Mason (Senior/Guard/Missouri State/Phoenix, AZ)
#2 Austin Nunez (Junior/Guard/Ole Miss/Garden Ridge, TX)
#3 Joson Sanon (Freshman/Guard/Saxton Rivers, VT)
#5 Amier Ali (Freshman/Guard/Forward/Little Elm, TX)
#6 Connor Braun (Graduate/Forward/Northeastern/Tempe, AZ)
#8 Basheer Jihad (Senior/Forward/Ball State/Detroit, MI)
#9 Shawn Phillips Jr. (Junior/Center/Dayton, OH)
#10 BJ Freeman (Senior/Guard & Forward/UW Milwaukee/Selma, NC)
#11 Bobby Hurley (Senior/Guard/Scottsdale, AZ)
#14 Chianti Clay (Senior/Guard/University of Fort Lauderdale/Milwaukee, WI)
#21 Jayden Quaintance (Freshman/Forward/Raleigh, NC)
#22 Quentin McCoy (Freshman/Guard/Chicago, IL)
#25 Jordan Williams (Senior/Guard/Los Angeles, CA)
#33 Brycen Long (Graduate/Guard/Gilbert, AZ)
#44 Adam Miller (Redshirt Senior/Guard/Peoria, IL)
5 returners; 7 transfers; 4 incoming freshman
Constant competition
Head Coach Bobby Hurley and his staff have once again constructed an extremely challenging slate that sees Arizona State hosting winning programs and taking on strong competition away from home. The 11-game schedule features seven contests away from home and four at Desert Financial Arena in addition to a highly-anticipated Exhibition matchup with Duke prior to the season on Oct. 27. ASU will take on 2024 NCAA Tournament participants Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, New Mexico, and Florida with a showdown against St. Mary’s possible as well.
2024-25 Arizona State Men’s Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
Oct. 27 – at Duke (Brotherhood Run Exhibition; Cameron Indoor Stadium)*
Nov. 5 – vs. Idaho State (Home/Regular Season Opener; Desert Financial Arena)
Nov. 8 – Santa Clara (Lee’s Family Forum; Las Vegas, NV)
Nov. 10 – at Gonzaga (McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, WA)
Nov. 14 – Grand Canyon (Hall of Fame Series; Footprint Center in Phoenix)
Nov. 17 – vs. St. Thomas (Desert Financial Arena)
Nov. 20 – vs. Cal Poly (Desert Financial Arena)
Nov. 28 – New Mexico (Acrisure Classic; Palm Springs, CA)
Nov. 29 – St. Mary’s or USC (Acrisure Classic; Palm Springs, CA)
Dec. 3 – vs. San Diego (Desert Financial Arena)
Dec. 14 – Florida (Holiday Hoopsgiving; Atlanta, GA)
Dec. 21 – UMass (Basketball Hall of Fame Classic; Springfield, MA)
*Exhibition contest
Arizona State makes the transition to the Big 12 Conference and have six conference games scheduled against preseason Top-25 competition. Four of the preseason Top-10 teams (Iowa State, Houston, Baylor, Arizona) will all come to Desert Financial Arena. Of their 20 league games, 15 will come against opponents that made the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
2024-25 Sun Devil Men’s Basketball Big 12 schedule
Dec. 31 (Tues.) – at BYU
Jan. 4 (Sat.) – vs. Colorado
Jan. 8 (Wed.) – at Kansas
Jan. 11 (Sat.) – vs. Baylor
Jan. 14 (Tues.) – vs. UCF
Jan. 18 (Sat.) – at Cincinnati
Jan. 21 (Tues.) – at West Virginia
Jan. 25 (Sat.) – vs. Iowa State
Jan. 28 (Tues.) – at Colorado
Feb. 1 (Sat.) – vs. Arizona
Feb. 4 (Tues.) – vs. Kansas State
Feb. 9 (Sun.) – at Oklahoma State
Feb. 12 (Wed.) – at Texas Tech
Feb. 15 (Sat.) – vs. TCU
Feb. 18 (Tues.) – vs. Houston
Feb. 23 (Sat.) – at Kansas State
Feb. 26 (Wed.) – vs. BYU
March 1 (Sat.) – at Utah
March 4 (Tues.) – at Arizona
March 8 (Sat.) – vs. Texas Tech
Big 12 teams in Preseason AP Top-25
1. Kansas (Jan. 8 road game)
4. Houston (Feb. 18 home game)
5. Iowa State (Jan. 25 home game)
8. Baylor (Jan. 11 home game)
10. Arizona (Feb. 2 home game; March 4 road game)
20. Cincinnati (Jan. 18 road game)
Big 12 teams in USA Today Top-25
1. Kansas (Jan. 8 road game)
4. Houston (Feb. 18 home game)
6. Iowa State (Jan. 25 home game)
8. Baylor (Jan. 11 home game)
9. Arizona (Feb. 2 home game; March 4 road game)
20. Cincinnati (Jan. 18 road game)
Big 12 matchups
Arizona (1 road; 1 home game)
Baylor (1 home game)
BYU (1 road; 1 home game)
Cincinnati (1 road game)
Colorado (1 road; 1 home game)
Houston (1 home game)
Iowa State (1 home game)
Kansas (1 road game)
Kansas State (1 road; 1 home game)
Oklahoma State (1 road game)
TCU (1 home game)
Texas Tech (1 road; 1 home game)
UCF (1 home game)
Utah (1 road game)
West Virginia (1 road game)
Here to stay
The Arizona State Board of Regents announced in March of 2023 that Sun Devil Men’s Basketball Head Coach Bobby Hurley has agreed to an extension that will keep him with the program through the 2026 season.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Connor Smith
