In recent years, few major conference basketball programs have been impacted as significantly – for good and bad – by the Transfer Portal as Arizona State.
The massive influence the Transfer Portal has had on the program has been clearly exemplified in just the last year alone, as the 2022-23 Sun Devil roster had seven players who previously played for at least one Division 1 program (Devan Cambridge, Desmond Cambridge, Frankie Collins, Alonzo Gaffney, DJ Horne, Luther Muhammad, and Warren Washington) with seven scholarship players – including three who came to ASU as transfers – opting to transfer out of the program after the season (Enoch Boakye, Duke Brennan, Devan Cambridge, Horne, Muhammad, Austin Nunez, and Washington).
These names remain fresh in the frustrated minds of many Sun Devil fans, with the window for portal entries closing last month, but what about some of the players from yesteryear who transferred away from Sun Devil basketball? In this edition of Sun Devil Science, we’ll take a look at how former members of the Arizona State basketball program performed at their new college homes this past season.
This Transfer Portal breakdown includes any former members of the Arizona State men’s basketball program who played college basketball at any level for the 2022-23 season, so this does not include the likes of Remy Martin, Romello White, and others who transferred out of the program in recent years but concluded their college playing careers prior last season.
Taeshon Cherry, Marian University
ASU: A marquee member of ASU’s 2018 signing class at a time Sun Devil basketball hit its greatest peak of popularity in several years, Cherry, the No. 37 overall recruit and a four-star prospect, was expected to be a major difference-maker for Arizona State.
He showed flashes as a freshman in 2018-19, appearing in 30 games as a key reserve, averaging 5.9 points per game and connecting on 40 three-pointers – tied for 10th all-time on ASU’s list of threes made by a freshman and just four fewer than the total made by James Harden in his first year as a Sun Devil.
Though his playing time increased his sophomore year when he started 11 of 24 total games played and averaged 18.9 minutes per game, most other numbers dipped as he averaged 4.7 points per game and shot just .365 from the field, and made only 15-of-61 three-pointers.
In his third and final season at ASU, Cherry played in seven games with three starts, averaging 16.0 minutes per game and 3.9 points per game.
Since: Following the 2020-21 season, Cherry, along with Holland Woods, transferred not far down the road to Grand Canyon University, but his productivity was similar at GCU compared to what he did at ASU. He appeared in 28 games all off the bench, averaging 5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 16.8 minutes per game. He had six double-digit scoring games, including a season-high 16 points against Abilene Christian.
For his final collegiate season, Cherry played for Marian University, an NAIA program located in Indianapolis. He averaged a team-best 18.8 points per game, along with 6.7 rebounds per game. He shot 32.8% from three-point range (42-of-128).
Caleb Christopher, Hope International University
ASU: Christopher came to Arizona State in 2019-20 in part due to his own credentials but also in what had to be considered a chess move to help secure the commitment of his younger brother Josh, a five-star prospect in the following recruiting class.
Caleb Christopher was on the Sun Devil roster in 2019-20 and 2020-21, spending his second season playing alongside his superstar brother at Arizona State. In total, he appeared in 18 games with 16 total points scored.
After Josh Christopher departed from the Sun Devil program following the 2020-21 campaign to become a first-round NBA Draft pick, Caleb also left Tempe by transferring away from ASU.
Since: After leaving Tempe, he spent the 2021-22 season at Tennessee Tech and averaged 2.1 points per game and 3.3 minutes played per game in eight contests.
In 2022-23, Christopher played for Hope International University, an NAIA program in Fullerton, Calif. He appeared in 29 games with two starts, averaging 5.0 points and 1.3 rebounds with 32 total steals in 12.5 minutes per game. He should have one remaining season of playing eligibility.
Pavlo Dziuba, Maryland
ASU: In his one season with the Sun Devils in 2020-21, Dziuba saw very limited time off the ASU bench as he averaged 4.1 minutes per game in eight appearances, scoring three total points and grabbing two rebounds.
Since: During the 2021-22 campaign at Maryland, his output was identical in many ways to his lone season at Arizona State as he again appeared in eight games, averaged 4.1 minutes per game, and scored three total points. In 2022-23, he appeared in six games, averaging 2.2 minutes per game without scoring a point.
He should have two remaining years of playing eligibility, and in early May, he entered the Transfer Portal once again.
Kyle Feit, New Mexico State
ASU: A member of the Sun Devil roster for three years from 2018-19 through 2020-21, Feit appeared in 14 total games and scored 16 total points for ASU.
Since: After leaving ASU, Feit played at the junior college level in 2021-22, leading the NJCAA with 121 made three-pointers for Indian River State College while averaging 12.3 points per game.
In 2022-23, Feit appeared in 21 games in his first season with New Mexico State, averaging 4.8 points in 15.1 minutes per game. He had four double-digit scoring efforts on the year, including a high of 16 points against Simon Fraser on Dec. 5.
Will Felton, North Carolina A&T
ASU: Felton came to ASU as a member of its 2021 signing class but did not see any game action in his one year in Tempe.
Since: Felton is not credited with any game appearances for 2022-23.
Jalen Graham, Arkansas
ASU: A local product from Phoenix’s Mountain Pointe High School, Graham spent three seasons at Arizona State, appearing in 78 career games as a Sun Devil with 43 starts. He grew from a key depth player to a solid starter with an intriguing upside, and in 2021-22 Graham averaged 9.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Since: After his third season at Arizona State, Graham opted to transfer – a decision that at the time was shocking and frustrating to many Sun Devil fans – and ultimately chose Arkansas as his new home.
In his first season with the Razorbacks, Graham’s role diminished dramatically compared to what he did at Arizona State, as he appeared in 31 games with no starts and averaged just 9.4 minutes, 5.2 points, and 2.3 rebounds per game for the year. A solid chunk of his season-scoring total came in one standout performance when he had 26 points in a February win over Florida. On the year, he had six total double-digit scoring efforts.
He should have one season of playing eligibility remaining.
Jay Heath, Georgetown
Before ASU: Heath came to ASU prior to the 2021-22 season after spending the previous two seasons at Boston College, where he appeared in 50 games with 49 starts and averaged 13.6 points per game.
ASU: In his lone season in Tempe, Heath appeared in 28 games with 17 starts, averaging 10.6 points per game while connecting on 43.0 percent of his three-point attempts.
Since: Heath’s short stay at Arizona State concluded when he transferred yet again, this time to Georgetown for the 2022-23 season. He averaged 12.3 points per game in his first season with the Hoyas and should have one remaining season of eligibility left to play.
Jaelen House, New Mexico
ASU: The son of Sun Devil hoops legend Eddie House, Jaelen House checked multiple exciting boxes when he made his way to ASU as not only a legacy athlete whose father is the program’s all-time leading scorer but also a local recruit from Phoenix’s Shadow Mountain High School.
House was a solid “spark plug” of a reserve player in 2019-20 and 2020-21, appearing in 50 games, averaging 17.0 minutes per game and 4.6 points per game, along with 71 total steals while shooting 33.0% from three-point range.
After his second season, however, House opted to transfer to New Mexico.
Since: Immediately upon relocating to UNM, House began to show his hereditary scoring prowess, as he scored 30 points in his 2021-22 debut and later that year had a 42-point outburst on his way to averaging 16.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 steals in 32.2 minutes per game while earning Third-Team All-Mountain West Conference honors.
Last season, his scoring average was a carbon copy of his ’21-’22 output as he again averaged 16.9 points along with 4.7 assists and 2.7 steals (good enough for second nationally last year) in 31.4 minutes per game on his way to Second-Team All-MWC recognition.
A starter in all 63 games he’s played at New Mexico, in his two years at UNM, House has had 18 games with at least 20 points, including four games with 30 or more.
He should have one remaining season of eligibility due to the COVID waiver for the 2020-21 campaign.
Chris Osten, IUPUI
ASU: Osten came to ASU for the 2020-21 season after having spent the 2017-18 and ’18-’19 seasons at NAIA program LSU-Alexandria and then the 2019-20 season at Lee College, a community college in Baytown, Texas.
In his one season at Arizona State, he appeared in 24 games with six starts and averaged 16.0 minutes, 2.7 points, and 2.3 rebounds per game, providing a scrappy inside presence that generated some fan appeal during an otherwise woefully disappointing season for the Sun Devils.
Since: After his lone season with the Devils, Osten followed ASU assistant coach Rashon Burno to Northern Illinois, where Burno was named head coach after the 2020-21 season. In 2021-22, Osten appeared in 13 games with three starts for NIU, averaging 8.2 minutes, 1.6 points, and 1.5 rebounds per game.
For his final season, Osten hit the road yet again – his fifth total collegiate stop – this time to IUPUI, where he started all 31 games he played, averaging 9.0 points per game while leading the team with 5.3 rebounds per game and setting a school record by shooting 69.1 percent from the field. He had 15 double-figure scoring games, including a high of 21 points against Robert Morris, and on the season, he notched five double-doubles.
Uros Plavsic, Tennessee
ASU: The 7-foot member of ASU’s 2018 signing class redshirted the 2018-19 season, his only in Tempe.
Since: Entering the 2022-23 season, Plavsic appeared in 67 games with 25 starts for Tennessee, averaging 3.1 points in 10.2 minutes per game. In 2022-23, Plavsic appeared in 34 games with 20 starts, averaging 4.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game for Tennessee’s Sweet-16 squad.
With the extra season of eligibility due to the COVID pandemic, Plavsic should have one year left to play.
Justin Rochelin, Oregon State
ASU: Rochelin came to ASU as a member of its 2021 signing class but did not see any game action in his one year in Tempe.
Since: Rochelin was credited with ten game appearances in 2022-23, averaging 2.8 points in 13.2 minutes per game.
Demari Williams, Oral Roberts
ASU: Williams came to ASU as a member of its 2021 signing class but did not see any game action in his one year in Tempe.
Since: He appeared in 19 total games in 2022-23, averaging 2.2 points in 4.9 minutes per game.
Other: A four-star member of ASU’s 2018 signing class, Elias Valtonen played 40 games for ASU in 2018-19 and 2019-20, and last season would have been his final year of collegiate eligibility, but he has been playing professionally in Europe since leaving Arizona State in 2020.
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