Four-star commit impressed with the family atmosphere on his visit to Tempe
Moberly Area (Mo.) Community College standout guard Alonzo Verge may have not known much about Arizona State prior to the recruiting process with the school. Yet, the more he learned about the program the last few weeks only intrigued him more and more. An official visit last weekend to the Sun Devils virtually sealed the deal as he announced his pledge Tuesday afternoon.
“The school had a lot of good people to be around,” Verge said. “It’s like a family and they really care about their athletes. I knew this would be a good fit because they are interested in what’s going on in your life and they want to make you a better person, not just a better player and that was big for me. I really liked all of that and how much love they were showing me. All the people I met were very genuine and there's a lot of positive energy everywhere. That really stuck out for me.
“I went to the same high school (Arlington Day) as Lu (ASU freshman Luguentz Dort) and I talked a lot to him during the visit as well as Rob (Edwards). They were letting know the ins and outs of the school and how much of a good place it is. I know the facilities are great, the campus is nice and it has beautiful weather.”
Verge, who hails from Villa Park (Ill.) said that he didn’t previously know of the pedigree of ASU’s head coach Bobby Hurley, but the Sun Devil staff starting pursuing him he was certainly enamored with what he had found out about his future head coach.
“I started learning more about him as I looked into the school,” Verge commented. “I saw that he was a very good point guard in college, a great passer and he has the assists record. I looked at all of that stuff and me being guard learning from a coach like that he’s a big advantage. I can learn a lot from him because he has been to where I want to go.
“I know he can make me a better point guard.”
In his freshman year at Moberly Area Verge averaged 20.8 points, 6.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game, shooting 55.8 percent from the field, 32 percent from three-point range and had a 75 percentage rate from the free throw line. His achievements earned him a nod on the Second Team NJCAA All-American list.
Brendan Walker from JucoRecruiting.com feels that ASU is getting one the most competitive players in the nation and gifted scorer.
“He has a great handle,” Walker said, “and he has the ability to get to the paint at will and finish at the rim or create for others. He is great in transition too.”
Verge said that Hurley sees him an instant impact player because of his vocal leadership which complements his skill set.
“I’m going to push everyone on my team to be better,” Verge described. “I’m going to affect the game in any different way. I’m a good rebounding guard, I can get to the rim, shoot from the perimeter…whatever the team needs me to do I’ll do it.”
Verge said that Arizona State had only recruited him for a few weeks and he was surprised to hear from them. His only other offer was the University of Central Florida, and he mentioned that Gonzaga and Saint Louis were showing a lot of interest recently.
“I know I was going to get more offers in my sophomore year,” Verge said, “and I was just waiting to see who was going to step up and offer me.”
Verge is eager to sign with ASU in the early signing period which begins November 14th and will have two years of eligibility once he arrives on campus.
“I want to sign right away and lock into my sophomore season and to worry about anything else. I want to get stronger this year and get my shot to be more consistent. If I do all that I’ll be fine.”
Verge is ASU’s second pledge in the 2019 recruiting class and he joins fellow four-star prospect Jaelen House.
