ASU Basketball's Recruiting Efforts Paying Dividends
As the month of August draws to a close, seasons begin to change. The Arizona State Sun Devils begin their 2021 football campaign next week, and the weather in the state of Arizona (hopefully) looks to cool down in the near future.
However, the Sun Devils' basketball team and their recruiting efforts are beginning to heat up, as the team confirmed a handful of visits and even snagged their first two commitments for the class of 2022.
Arizona State Basketball Gains Two Commitments
On Wednesday, Arizona State picked up its first two commitments for the class of 2022.
Hillcrest Prep (Ariz.) center Duke Brennan announced his decision to play his future college basketball at Arizona State. Brennan, widely considered to be one of the top big men in the country, chose the Sun Devils over schools such as Oregon State, Seton Hall, Wake Forest and Georgia.
Brennan, a 6-foot-10 center, committed to Arizona State at the same time as fellow Hillcrest teammate Malcolm Flaggs, a 6-foot-6 forward who is expected to walk on according to 247 Sports.
The two released a video with their commitment on social media:
One of the final lines in the announcement video that says, "Well, the weather here is pretty nice. Why would we leave?" got many ASU faithful fired up, and rightfully so. For any program, gaining in-state recruits and keeping them in your back yard is a priority. Arizona State did just that.
The Train Keeps Moving
The traction on the hardwood didn't stop there, as the Sun Devils also hosted top-ranked forward Kamari Lands (6-foot-8, 195 pounds) for an unofficial visit on Thursday. Lands was previously committed to Syracuse before revoking his verbal commitment last week.
Lands also received an offer from the Sun Devils Thursday.
In two weeks, the Sun Devils will again host another top-level recruit in Tempe.
Wing player Jordan Walsh (6-foot-7, 190 pounds), a composite top-10 player in the state of California, will make an official visit to Arizona State on Sept. 10. Walsh also has visits scheduled for Texas and Kansas in the near future.
The recent action seen by Arizona State's recruiting efforts this week follows a strong showing in the prior week, when ASU made the top-eight teams for coveted 2022 point guard Milos Uzan. The team also scheduled a visit for point guard Austin Nunez for Sept. 2 last week.
Football will dominate the coming headlines for the foreseeable future, but have no doubts about it: Arizona State's basketball recruiting efforts are paying dividends at this point in time.
Donnie Druin is a Deputy Editor with AllSunDevils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin, and AllSunDevils @AllSunDevils. Like and follow AllSunDevils on Facebook, and for more ASU news visit https://www.si.com/college/arizonastate/