Just days after the surprising announcement that point guard Frankie Collins was entering the NBA draft (albeit maintaining his college eligibility), 6-6 guard/forward Jamiya Neal, the player who spelled Collins several times late last season, announced that he has exited the portal and us returning to the team.

The junior was one of the standout players for the Sun Devils late in the season, scoring a career-high 16 points (6-7 from the field) in a reserve role in ASU's First Four win over Nevada. He was also instrumental in the upset road win at Arizona, scoring 12 points. His role as Collins’ primary backup took on even more importance as guard Austin Nunez, who entered the portal following the culmination of the 2022-23 campaign, didn’t play in the team’s last eight contests due to a concussion.

Due to that tandem of players currently not with the team, along with backcourt teammates Desmond Cambridge Jr. who exhausted his eligibility, as well as DJ Horne, who is in the transfer portal, Neal realistically stands a good chance of switching his role from an effective six-man to a starter, playing alongside 6-4 Tallahassee Community College guard Malachi Davis.

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