Duke Brennan may have been born and raised in the Valley of the Sun, but while living here for the last four years, he has quickly developed an affinity for the Arizona State program. His great sense of comfort not only with a place that he calls home but also his impressions of the campus its basketball facilities led the 6-10 260-pound center to give his pledge to ASU.
“Arizona is my home, and I love it,” Brennan said. “But I would also say there were other things that showed me that Arizona State was a good fit for me. Coach Bobby Hurley and coach Jermaine Kimbrough really liked me, and the way they are going to play this season coming up and the seasons after that shows me that I fit in just right with the program. Even though I’m a physical, hardhat, and lunch pail player, I like how they push the ball and play fast-paced. I will get rebounds and throw outlet passes fast and get us up on the court fast.
“You could say that I wanted to stay home, and it's the hometown school, but I'm originally from Oregon and I lived there for 14 years in my life. But in the last four years, I have been an Arizona State fan. I was going to about five games a year; I've been in Tempe a lot, and I love the town. What also intrigues me about Arizona State is that they are in a great conference, they have a great coach coaching staff, and that's why I'm super excited about my decision.”
Brennan prepped at Gilbert Perry up until last year, and due to the pandemic, he decided to transfer to a local prep school to further his career. After a brief stop at AZ Compass Prep, he transferred to Phoenix Hillcrest Prep, a move he knows, has helped him advance his skills on many levels. His play on the AAU circuit with the Oakland Soldiers only enhanced his visibility.
“It was a tough process because COVID really messed up a lot of things,” Brennan recalled. “But as the year went on, I just kept on trusting myself. I found myself at Hillcrest, and it was the best fit for me. I love it there. I love everyone in the Hillcrest family, and they made me feel at home and made me feel accepted. Going from the AIA level to Hillcrest, the level of play is night and day. But in my mind, it’s fun because they play at a faster pace, and it’s a better game of basketball that gets me ready for college. Obviously, it takes a couple of games of adjusting, but once you're adjusted to it, then it's Game On.”
Last season at Hillcrest, ASU’s newest addition became good friends with Sun Devil freshman forward Jamiya Neal, a player Brennan admitted played a big factor in tonight’s pledge.
“Jamiya is my guy,” Brennan noted, “and I want to say that he was a big, leading point for me to commit but. I'm super happy to play with him in college because he was my guy last year. We're really good friends, so it's gonna be cool to play with him again.”
Hillcrest Prep Athletic Director Nick Weaver called Brennan “an absolute steal” who will fulfill a vital need for the Sun Devils.
“He's gonna be a guy that we look back on and say that he had a hell of a college career,” Weaver said. “At 6-10 250 lbs. he's built for college basketball. I don't think he got the love in high school just because he transferred around before he got to us. But he's a kid that is as good as any player that I have seen, and he’s gonna make a lot of money when he's done in college.
“He brings a physical presence that Arizona states never had in the paint in years. He's a strong player that is a rim protector. So he's gonna play immediately because he can block shots, rebound, and he can score in the paint. He can set screens, and with the type of guards that Hurley is bringing in now, he's gonna get a lot of easy buckets just because they're rolling and doing the right things.
“Hurley told me that he loves his physical presence and his ability to rebound and block shots. He's really big on the fact that Duke is a physical player. I looked up the EYBL (a premier AAU summer tournament) stats and he was top-10 in rebounds per game, and that says a lot. He's a guy that I think if Arizona State had a couple of years ago, maybe they make a Sweet 16 run. That’s the type of player Arizona State was missing because they always had the guard play but didn’t have this type of centers.”
Weaver reiterated the fact of how important it was for Brennan to play in his backyard, even though he had no shortage of high major program attention.
“In the next few weeks, he was supposed to visit Wake Forest, Seton Hall, and Louisiana Tech, and all in the next like three, four weeks. Cal was trying to get in the mix with a visit too. And then he goes, ‘Coach, you know what? I love Hurley, I love the staff, and it feels right. I want to stay home. I love Phoenix. I don't even want to mess around with it. ASU is the right place for me.’ and I told him, ‘Alright, let's commit. Let's get it done.’ I also think that the transfer has a lot to do with that nowadays. A lot of high school kids aren't gonna mess around with their decision.”
As the primary recruiting contact for the last 12 years at one of the powerhouse basketball programs in the valley, Weaver, is naturally very familiar with Hurley and how he has recruited to the Sun Devil program. And according to the Hillcrest Prep Athletic Director, not only has he been impressed with how involved Hurley has been in pursuing Brennan, but also with the job that his new assistant, Jermaine Kimbrough, and the effectiveness of his involvement.
“Jermaine Kimbrough…. is probably the most…what's the word I'm looking for? He’s an insane recruiter,” Weaver commented. “He’s one of the best recruiters I've been around. He literally calls and checks in every day. Don't be surprised if ASU lands some top kinds in our program; wink, wink. He and Hurley did a fantastic job recruiting Duke and recruiting other guys right now.
“This new staff though at ASU, it's a different vibe, man. In all my years of doing this, it's a completely different vibe with this assistant coaching staff. I think they have something special going there. I really do. I've seen a lot of my (Hillcrest) guys go to Arizona. But you know, and you can quote me on the record, I think Arizona State with all the stuff they have going on, I think they're going to take over the state. Hurley has made a play; he's brought in the right recruiting pieces in as far as the coaching staff. I think right now they've surpassed Arizona, honestly. And I'm not partial. I'm an Ohio guy from Ohio State. I’m just telling you from what I've observed from the ASU assistants, their mannerisms, and how they're going after it. They're not playing around, and they're extremely good at what they do.”
Like any young player, Brennan does have a to-do list in terms of skill improvement, yet that doesn't’ diminish Weaver’s outlook on the Hillcrest standout.
“He can shoot the three, but I want to see him expand that more consistently,” Weaver remarked, “just because that's going to open up more avenues in college for him, especially in Hurley’s system. I want to see him work on being able to guard the high pick and roll consistently. I know he can do it, and we're really gonna harp on that this year with him. We're gonna really try to switch everything and get him moving his feet which he can do. If can improve on that, he’ll be an impact guy from day one opposed to two, three years down the road.”
Understandably, Brennan is humble concerning the notion that he fulfills a significant role for ASU’s roster and discusses in general terms his aspirations of merely being a teammate who will try and contribute as much as he can.
“Maybe me coming over can make us a great basketball team,” Brennan said, “But I can't really say that right now. I'm going to go out there and try my best and try to get the team to go as far as we can go, hopefully winning a Pac-12 championship. I would love to get our team back to the NCAA tournament.
“Those are my dreams and goals.”
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