Connecticut small forward Sean Durugordon discusses recent ASU offer
After more than a week of daily contact with ASU assistant coach Rashon Burno, 2021 three-star small forward Sean Durugordon, nabbed an offer from the Sun Devils on Wednesday night.
“It felt really good because Arizona State, that’s a school a school I watched while growing up,” Durugordon said. “That’s always been a college I followed … That offer really felt good.”
Durugordon’s offer list shot up over the summer. At the end of March, he was still short of double-digits, with San Francisco and UMass acting as the marquee programs after his services. Now in mid-June, Durugordon has piled in 23 offers, which include a trio of high-major schools -- Penn State, Georgia, and ASU.
“(ASU) pretty much looks at Josh Christopher as a one-and-done player, so he thinks I can come in and take his role in the next year,” Durugordon said Burno told him. “They see me as a big guard who can score the ball at a high level but can also defend well. That’s who they’re comparing me to.”
Durugordon will transfer to Putnam Science Academy for his senior year, a move he noted will allow him to play tougher competition consistently. But playing for the Canterbury School in nearby New Milford, Conn., Durugordon averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists last season while connecting on nearly 40 percent of his field-goal attempts.
“Right off the bat, the length and athleticism stand out. He is not a stiff-bodied wing but rather someone that uses his size well in getting places with the ball, finishing at the basket and defending all over in the half-court. The fact that he has made close to 40-percent from behind the 3-point arc and can pass it accurately on the go adds up to what is a super intriguing prospect,” Rivals’ basketball recruiting analyst Corey Evans wrote.
“Durugordon must refine his ball skills and handles in the coming months, but his plethora of tools and size equate to a high-upside recruit.”
Durugordon admitted that he would like to take a visit to his top schools before making a decision but with the rising uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted that there’s no timetable for his recruitment. If a school checks off all his needs and his relationship with a program’s coaches is solid, he said, he may just commit there out of the blue at any time.
As for ASU, it seems he and Burno have been in constant communication recently.
“We’ve been talking every day for the past two weeks,” Durugordon said. “I definitely learned a lot about him, and I feel like our relationship is really strong right now. Though we haven’t been talking for too long, the conversations have been deep ones.”
If Arizona State had a clear disadvantage, the obvious choice would be proximity. Tempe sits nearly 2,500 miles southeast of Durugordon’s home in Connecticut, whereas his family would be just a short drive away if he went to UConn, Providence or Seton Hall. But Durugordon admitted that staying in the northeast isn’t a priority to him.
Instead, his recruiting wish list comes down to three main points.
“The no. 1 thing for me before I choose a school is accountability … Like I just really like when people keep their word,” Durugordon said. “I also look at relationships with the head coach -- that’s big for me because I definitely want to have a strong relationship with him. After all, he’s deciding my minutes. And definitely, the play style of the school, seeing if I can fit into their system.”
