What to Know About ASU Men's Basketball Roster And Team Chemistry

"We'll text the group chat and we'll probably all go to, Eureka (Restaurant), late at night or something," ASU transfer forward Dillan Shaw said.

A German, an Ivorian, a Serbian, a few Lithuanians and Australians, some Californians, a guard from Chicago and a guard from Scottsdale all walk into a Tempe bar.

This is not a setup for some old joke; it's reality for the Arizona State men's basketball team.

After expedited roster construction, thanks to new head coach Randy Bennett and a new staff coming to town, team bonding comes at a premium for the Sun Devils. Even more so considering this roster comes from all over the map, with over eight international talents currently on the roster.

According to Shaw and the Sun Devils, building chemistry has been anything but a challenge. With the season a little over a month away, can this chemistry find its way to the Big 12 court?

Dining With The Devils

The heat was on for ASU to get up to speed after a frantic spring.

"We didn't get a spring, so all we could do was take care of the summer." ASU men's basketball associate head coach Rick Croy said about ASU's offseason prep.

Now, 26 days from ASU's first exhibition game, the only heat that appears on the Devils is the outside temperature.

"The heat," Shaw said about what has surprised him about Arizona so far. "Nothing else really."

When the heat dies down, the Devils come out to bond. After practices, the new-look roster makes their way from the athletic apartments to Novus Place. They eat at local places such as "Eureka" or "Flower Child," or out in each other's rooms or common areas.

"Connecting with them (the team) has been easy," Shaw said. "We all talk in the locker room, we all live in the same apartment. We go and chill, we all got to know each other. And then we all go out to eat, across the street, we will text the group chat and then go to, Eureka, or something."

While Shaw has helped out showing the ropes of a Bennett-run program, the few ASU returners have helped show the ways of Tempe.

Bryce Ford and Vijay Wallace have helped out in that department, knowing their way around town after spending last season with the program.

"They have been great," Shaw said. "Those are the two guys that if I need something, I'll go to them, for stuff around Arizona. They help us out, not just me but the whole team."

Embracing International Flavor

As mentioned, ASU is welcoming eight international talents to their roster for the 2026-2027 season.

#6 JRob Croy G 6′6″ / Freshman Riverside, California
#14 Ben Defty C 7′0″ / Junior Berlin, Germany
#4 Bryce Ford G 6′4″ / Senior Scottsdale, Ariz.
#3 Joel Foxwell G 6′1″ / Sophomore Melbourne, Australia
#35 Nate Garcia C 7′0″ / Sophomore Glendora, CA
#5 Emmanuel Innocenti G/F 6′5″ / Senior Petit Badien, Ivory Coast
#25 Filip Malesevic C 7′3″ / Freshman Belgrade, Serbia
#23 Paulius Murauskas F 6′8″ / Senior Kaunas, Lithuania
#9 Ajak Nyuon F 6′10″ Canberra, Australia
#7 Jokubas Rudaitis G 6′5″ / Freshman Lithuania
#11 Dillan Shaw G/F 6′7″ / Sophomore Northridge, California
#1 Marcus Vaughns F 6′8″ / Sophomore Melbourne, Australia
#2 Vijay Wallace G 6′6″ / Junior Chicago, Ill.

This is not new for a Randy Bennett team, creating quite the pipeline for international talent during his 25 seasons with Saint Mary's College. Lithuanian Paulius Murauskas followed Bennett to Tempe.

However, Bennett's best recruiting work has specifically come from the land down under: Australia.

Australian NBA talents such as Matthew Dellavedova and Patty Mills played under Bennett, as the Sun Devils now have three Australians on their current roster.

“The way internationals and Australians play, he just loves,” Australian ASU guard Joel Foxwell told the media.

Foxwell, originally from Melbourne, came to ASU from Portland because of Randy Bennett. The unselfish, smart play of international basketball fits like a glove with Bennett's style.

"I spoke to many teams who went through the Saint Mary's system," Foxwell said. "They said nothing but great things about Randy."

Ready for Desert Financial Arena

"We're all excited, we're all ready to compete in the Big 12," Shaw said.

Counting down the days til the season, the anticipation is building for the new-look Sun Devils to officially kick off the new era.

"We're just getting started here, we're just building something," Shaw said. "But by the time Big 12 season hits, we should be really good."

For some, the chance to play in the Big 12 was part of the draw to the desert.

"It's one of the best conferences in college basketball, if not the best," Foxwell said. "It's been a dream of mine to play at the highest level of college."

In Tempe, they are still waiting for the days of being more than a "Big 12 participant", still searching for their first winning season in conference play since leaving the PAC-12.

Nothing is for certain til the ball is tipped later this fall, but for right now, the Sun Devils are feeling pretty good.

Shaw, Foxwell and the rest of the new Sun Devils will hit the court on Oct. 25 for an exhibition against New Mexico, opening their regular season on Nov. 2 at home against East Tennessee State.

"I'm excited to see what this team can do," Shaw said. "We're going to be really good, I would say, in my opinion."

Add us as a preferred source on Google