One day before the Sun Devils’ season opener, as well as the beginning of the early signing period, 6-4 guard Ketraleus (Bo) Aldridge committed to Arizona State days after visiting Tempe. The guard chose ASU over several other programs, such as Oklahoma, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State.
The fact that ASU’s newest 2024 addition plays for PHHoenix Prep and actually lives in Tempe a few miles away from Arizona State has certainly helped the Sun Devils’ cause in this recruitment process.
“Bo is very similar to (Phoenix Suns player) Saben Lee,” said PHHoenix Prep head coach John Ortega. “He’s a player that I had in the past. A combo guard with very similar size and downhill NBA-level athleticism. They’re both very good on-ball defenders, and I would not be shocked to see Bo be one of those guys who finds himself in the NBA draft in a few years. He’s got a very good pace for the game. He’s left-handed with a nice jump shot. He can score if he needs to, but also grab seven, eight rebounds, and hand out five, six assists. He’s got the full package.
“Obviously, for guys who have that next level athleticism, they tend to rely on that a lot. So, he has to do a good job picking those spots. He tends to play 100 miles an hour all the time. So, finding that change of speed where he lulls you for a second and then blows by you is something he needs to work on.”
Aldridge prepped at Highland Park High School in Topeka, Kan., and was the runner-up for the Kansas Player of the Year in 2022. Originally as a 2023 recruit, his dream was to stay home and play for Kansas or Kansas State, who both had him for multiple visits. Due to the fact that he had a couple of classes to complete before graduating high school, the recruiting process stalled with these programs and later came to a halt.
“He had offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Wichita State, Oklahoma, and a ton of other high major division one offers,” Ortega noted. “But being a Kansas kid, he kind of took their (two instate schools’) word on it and got his classes done. But then they didn’t have a scholarship available for the 2023 class.”
This prompted the guard to reclassify for the 2024 class so more doors would open for him. Ortega did pursue him to join PHHoenix Prep, and initially, Aldridge decided to stay home because he really wanted to play in the Big 12. When Ortega’s team and Aldrige’s met in the finals of a tournament that they were playing at, Alrdidge conveyed to his now-current coach that he hadn’t heard from both Kansas schools, which had him rethinking his plans of attending a prep school in that state.
“He was down to Ole Miss and Oklahoma,” Ortega recalled. “But he said that he really wanted to go to the Big 12. I told him that we had a spot open for him on our team and that maybe more doors would open for him if he played for us. He talked about it with his family, and about a week later, he called me to see if that offer still stands, and he came to play for us.”
Ortega said that his strong relationship with ASU head coach Bobby Hurley and the fact that Hurley did have some of Ortega's players suit up for the Sun Devils, including this year’s guard Brycen Long, naturally had that school as the first one Ortega introduced to AAldridgeonce the guard arrived in the Valley of the Sun.
“I told Bo, ‘When you get out here, I’m gonna make a call’ because ASU is going to the Big 12,” Ortega stated. “I sent some film to Bobby, and he called me and, and said that Bo was the type of guard that can really come here and be a guide for us. Bobby came out to watch practice, and then, one by one, he sent the staff out to watch practice and watch a couple of games. They all came to the consensus that they wanted him to visit campus and talk to him.
“Bo felt very comfortable on the visit. He liked the fact that he was talking to the head coach right away, and the head offered him. He wasn't working his way through some assistants before he talked to the head coach like other schools do. His mindset was, ‘My dream growing up in Kansas was to play in the Big 12. Those schools didn’t want me, and I feel bad for the rest of the Big 12 because I’m gonna go to Arizona State and make them all pay.”
Ortega, who is familiar with ASU's style of play, said that Aldridge’s versatility could be a formidable asset for the Sun Devils.
“Bo is kind of a combination of Frankie Collins and Jamiya Neal,” Ortega explained. “He’s got the ability to play with that freakish athleticism Frankie does, but then at the same time, he can get into a rhythm, be off the ball and stroke it and get buckets quickly as Neal does. So, just looking at the guards Bobby’s had, it’s very unique. They can all play multiple positions, which is why I think Bo fits perfectly with that style.
“With ASU, everything really happened quickly. Bo had blown up over the summer, and it’s not like he came out of nowhere. He did limit himself, though, saying where he wanted to go, and I think a lot of schools didn’t want to get involved. ASU said, ‘Look, we don’t care about these other schools or anything else. This is our roster. This is how we’re constructed. These are the guys who’ve had success with, and we want you to offer to come here. Bi trusted me, and he trusted my word because of my relationship with Bobby. He lives with all my players in Tempe, so he feels very comfortable with ASU, and he will sign with them this week.”
Aldridge is the fifth Sun Devil pledge in the 2024, joining four-star commits and forwards Sammie Yeanay and Amier Ali, junior college transfer Jeremiah Nyarko, and 6 11 center and high school prospect Jaden Smith.
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