ASU forward Jalen Graham enters the transfer portal
There may not have been a more improved player on the Sun Devil basketball roster from the beginning of the season until the culmination of the 2021-22 campaign that Jalen Graham. Yet, going into next season, ASU will have to be without the services of junior forward Jalen Graham, who today entered the transfer portal.
Graham, who prepped locally at Phoenix Mountain Pointe High School, excelled in the second half of the season. The 6-9 forward averaged 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds, shooting a 52 percent clip in the last 17 games for Arizona State (prior to the Pac-12 Tournament). His contributions were especially significant when ASU was on a hot streak, winning seven of the last regular season eight games.
Consequently, Graham, who started in 21 games, earned All-Pac-12 second-team honor for the first time in his career, an honor voted upon by the conference coaches (coaches are not permitted to vote for their own players for the honor). This past season he established a career-high in points (19), rebounds (10), Assist (6), and blocks (4). In an upset win against then-No. 3 UCLA on Feb. 5, Graham recorded his first double-double of his career with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high 6 assists.
Graham is expected to stay at the high major level and transfer to a program in those ranks. His departure now leaves a void in the frontcourt that is expected to be filed by junior Alonzo Gaffney and freshman Enoch Boakye, as well as walk-on John Olmsted. Local 6-10 center Duke Brennan who prepped at Phoenix Hillcrest, is to date the only newcomer frontcourt player for ASU, though there’s little doubt that the Sun Devil will now be actively looking for another addition in that role, likely from the transfer portal ranks.
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