Having just one more year of eligibility left put Desmond Cambridge’s college basketball career in perspective. He wanted to play for a program where he felt he could be best utilized for a potential professional career to follow, and the proverbial icing on the cake was getting an opportunity to team up with his brother Devan, something he hasn't done since their high school days.

The 6-4 Desmond Cambridge was a prolific scorer for the Wolfpack, averaging 16.2 ppg, which was good for second on his team, converting at a very impressive 52 percent clip on his 2-pointers. The 2-guard, who has one year of eligibility left, was also a formidable rebounder averaging 5.1 rebounds and posted 87 three-pointers last season with a 37 percent conversion rate.

His younger brother Devan Cambridge averaged 5.3 ppg and 3.6 rpg, as well as 19.5 minutes for the Tigers. The 6-6 Cambridge is a much different player who is highly athletic, and a very twitchy and can play well above the rim on both ends of the court.

“When I hit the transfer portal I was getting a lot of calls and texts,” Cambridge recalled. “So I really wasn't even answering all the calls, because I didn't know any of the numbers. Coach (Jermaine) Kimbrough was the first (ASU) coach I talked to. He told me that they need scorers , because they were losing a couple of guys and that it would be a good fit for me.

“When my brother and I went on the visit, that's when we met Coach Hurley and he has a video setup showing the time of style they run, how they get out in transition. In the last two years before this last season, they scored the most points in the league, and had the most possessions per game. They really like to run it up and down with their guards. And the way Bobby Hurley lets them play, the guards are really able to do whatever they can within their offensive repertoire. With my game being a scorer I didn't see a better fit anywhere.”

Cambridge described his game as a “three-level scorer” who doesn’t only rely on his athleticism. The versatility in his arsenal of skills, though, was an element he didn’t feel was able to be fully utilized throughout his college career.

“It’s been hard because, with different teams (Cambridge played at Brown before transferring to Nevada), I’ve been playing a bunch of system basketball,” Cambridge explained. “So I wasn’t able to fully showcase everything I could do. But here (at ASU), I have the freedom to really be myself. I’m a really energetic guy, both on defense and on offense. I’m a leader on my team. I was the oldest guy on the team this year, and in the year before that, so I was the team captain, and I’d never been in that role before. So I learned how to keep the team chemistry high, which is really important. Leadership is what I improved on the most when I was at Nevada.

“Coach (Steve) Alford was a shooter when he played, so he really emphasized to me what a good and bad shot was. It was always harder for me to make wide open standstill threes, and now if I get an open shot – it’s going in. My ball handling still needs some improvement, and I know under Coach Hurley it’s going to get way better.”

Cambridge’s lone connection to the Sun Devils was the fact that he played on the same AAU club as Marvin Bagley III, the current Detroit Pistons frontcourt player who is also the older brother of current ASU forward Marcus Bagley. The ASU newcomer from Nashville, Tenn., admitted that he watched SEC basketball much more frequently than he did the Pac-12. Nonetheless, Cambridge does remember watching the Arizona State squad from a couple of seasons ago with former players Josh Christopher and Remy Martin.

“When I was on the visit,” Cambridge noted, “Marcus was telling me and my brother how Coach Hurley operates and how he feels like that he always put the team in a good chance to win. Marcus told me that he was rehabbing (a knee injury) this whole year and is really focused on getting back right with his injury. That was really big because before he got hurt, I watched him…and man, he can really play.”

Needless to say that the Cambridge brothers wouldn’t have become the newest Sun Devil additions if the ASU coaching staff wasn’t able to make an indicate and significant impact when they started to first pursue this duo. Desmond Cambridge remarked that the vibe that existed all throughout the recruiting process created a great sense of comfort.

“The first time I talked to Coach Hurley, he came across as kind of quiet guy,” Cambridge said. “But when we got there on the visit, oh, he’s a funny guy. He’s super nice. He doesn’t waste voice his voice when he’s speaking, and when he’s speaking, that is something you want to listen to. And I didn’t know that he has such a prestigious career all-time assist leader in college basketball and a two-time national champion.

“I just love his approach and the way he develops his players. He’s really hands-on with skill development. He’s the one running the drills in practice and tailors his team based on the players he has. I really think that’s important because it’s not a (set) system. He changes his game based on who he has on the team. Seeing that approach, I couldn’t turn it down. Me and him have a really good relationship, and it’s building. He and the coaching staff always keep in touch, and they’re really nice, man. I can relate with them.”

The Nevada guard transfer admitted that it was no coincidence that he and his younger brother Devan entered the portal the same week (just one day apart from each other) since both were on a quest to play on the same college team. However, identifying a college team that truly suited both of their needs was somewhat of a challenge.

“Like I said, team chemistry is very important to win,” Cambridge stated, “and I’ve been playing with my brother since he was three. When we both entered the portal, we knew we could basically go anywhere in the country, and it was just basically finding the right fit for both of us. With the high octane offense, ASU runs, and how athletic we both are, and having that chemistry, knowing when t throw the lobs, knowing what each other is gonna do, I think that really is going to be beneficial for us.”

Cambridge added that Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Georgia were the main programs that, along with ASU, truly considered adding both brothers, who are expected to be In Tempe in June. While younger brother Devan is arriving from an Auburn team that did achieve quite a bit of success this past regular season, occupying the no. 1 spot in the polls for a couple of weeks, older brother Desmond didn’t want his college career to end this soon when his team had a less than a spectacular campaign.

“Coming back to play one more year, that was definitely a hard decision for me to make,” Cambridge confessed, “because I wanted to go pro this year. I’ve talked to (NBA) scouts, and they are still high on me. But I just felt like with us (Nevada) going 13-18, I would be so unsatisfied with my college career ending like that, and I just didn’t enjoy that year.

“But this next year, going to the same team with my brother and going to a play one last year, I feel like I can just focus on becoming a pro with my habits, doing everything I need to do every day in the gym. I realize we can make a lot of money just from playing this game, and I’m gonna play it until I literally can’t play anymore. ASU is an opportunity for me to really showcase what I could do because I couldn’t truly show that in the last couple of places I’ve been at.”

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