Sun Devils make in-person immediate impact as 2021 forward commits

Michael Foster had no intentions committing during his unofficial visit to Tempe yesterday. Yet, the 6-9 Milwaukee (Wis.) Washington High School freshman saw an undefeated ASU in action prior and during their win over Vanderbilt and decided to make a quicker than expected decision.

“I was surprised he decided this early,” said Foster’s coach Chianti Clay, who accompanied the forward during his trip. I was going to let him do his own research and he told me that ‘I’m not committing to anybody’ when we went on this trip. I’m just going to watch some basketball.’ Being 6-9 he liked seeing how no. 3 (Mickey Mitchell) plays bringing the ball up the court and also posting up. He saw that stuff during the shootaround and that made him happy and he saw that in the game too. Mike is good at those things.”

Rivals.com’s basketball analyst Corey Evans said in a recent evaluation that Foster’s play is highlighted by his versatility in the frontcourt, toughness around the basket and intimidating skills in the lane.

“He’s playing on the varsity team and is doing really well,” Clay described. “He plays for a powerhouse in the state of Wisconsin, ranked no. 2 in the state. He averages a double-double (10.7 points and 10.3 rebounds a game) and he’s a big part of the team as a starter. He’s rebounding, blocking shots and dunking against older kids. He has a 40-inch vertical.

“He plays a lot like Kevin Durant, but he needs to post more. He has an NBA range three-point shot, but needs to get stronger and faster.”

Clay commented that ASU head coach Bobby Hurley has recruited a player from Milwaukee when he coached at the University of Buffalo, so this is a region where he continually searches for talent. Clay added that the Sun Devils have been recruiting Foster for over a month now and offered him a week ago.

“Mike is going to be a Top 5 national recruit,” Clay noted, “and Arizona State got on him early. He has nine offers from Purdue, UNLV, San Diego State, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Bradley, and others. He visited Bradley, Iowa, and Purdue so he had a good frame of reference prior to checking out Arizona State.

“Once he saw their practice style,” Clay remarked, “seeing how fiery Bobby Hurley was in practice, telling his guys to shoot the ball if they are open – he really liked that.”

Foster marks the first commitment for the Sun Devils in the 2021 class. The team already has another future class pledge in five-star 2020 guard Kyree Walker.