ASU viewed as a good fit for five-star 2020 guard Josh Christopher
This isn’t the first time Josh Cristopher and his family have seen the Arizona State basketball team in-person and it will probably not be the last. Yet, there was still plenty to come away impressed from for the prized recruit who took his official visit this past weekend.
“It was a good time,” said Josh’s father Laron Christopher. “Anytime you’re around your family, seeing you son (ASU freshman guard Caleb Christopher) play, it’s a good time. Got to see Caleb, got to see the team bounce back from adversity and that’s a good space to be in. We saw how the team dealt with pressure and what these players are really made of.
“We’ve been on campus a lot and this visit wasn’t much different than the others (ASU visits). But we got to see the film session with Bobby Hurley (after the Colorado loss) which was quite rewarding. I really enjoyed how he embraces and empowers his guys. Even after a loss, he spoke to them in a positive tone. He held them accountable and built them up at the same time. He’s a teacher and wants the kids to play the game right because he played the game right, so he doesn’t tear them down like other coaches would do with their teams. His father (Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley) held him to higher standards and those are the standards he holds his kids to.”
Christopher said that not only seeing ASU beat Utah 83-64 was encouraging, if not enjoyable to witness, but also the fact that senior guard Rob Edwards was the high scorer with 24 points, playing the role his son could assume if he did ink his name with the Sun Devils.
“Bobby Hurley told us that Josh is a kid that can come in and make an impact,” Christopher stated. “The reason he would make that impact is their style of play. Visiting a team is always connected to their style of play. Why visit a team that you know you wouldn't able to succeed in their system? So, knowing that a team has the right coach and the right style that would elevate Josh is a major (aspect) in our decision. It just makes a lot of sense.
“I was very pleased with Rob and the way he played. You could tell his confidence level shot through the roof. I know Josh is a kid that can come into that situation and just excel immediately. Josh has a college-ready body and loves the lights. He'll never walk away from the lights. He is averaging 30 points and 13 rebounds. He’s a true two-way player.”
While Josh Christopher only began his official visit to ASU on Friday and attended the Utah contest, his father did actually attend both that game and the Colorado one. Laron Christopher said that he wasn’t discouraged by the loss he witnessed on Thursday, and if anything he knows that Saturday’s performance, in fact, showed the enormous potential this ASU team has.
“It was beautiful to watch the kids come back and compete,” Christopher commented. “That to me can be contagious in the gym. Utah is a team that beat Kentucky this season. If ASU shows consistency it can get to the tournament. Like I said, you don’t take visits to teams you’re not interested in. If you visit a team, you have to be able to see yourself in that space. You’re not going to waste your time or the team’s time. You already know that your style of play will match the team’s style of play.
“We’re down to our last four teams, so the narrative is already established. You’re only looking at the limited number of teams. But we’re taking our time and like I said before we’re going to watch more basketball than we have ever watched. We’re extremely patient with everything and Josh will make the right decision. He knows the style of play that he wants to play in.”
Howard and Michigan are the only two other official visits that Christopher has taken to date, aside from ASU. UCLA is scheduled to be his next official visit on Friday the 24th and Missouri will represent his fifth and last official visit at a date to be determined later. Christopher noted that his son will sign his Letter of Intent on the first available day of the later signing period which is April 15th, 2020.
Christopher sees a few specific aspects that will ultimately determine his son's school of choice.
"Style of play," Christopher said, "access to the league (NBA) - who can best prepare him for that level and have him be an elite athlete. Which coaches can have him play the right way? These are types of things we have to look at. "
