Cal Basketball: Mater Dei Coach Confident Devin Askew Will Boost Golden Bears
Mater Dei High School coach Gary McKnight, who watched Devin Askew score 43 points in a southern California playoff victory over Evan and Isaiah Mobley, says all the Cal-bound point guard needs to thrive is another opportunity.
“Devin was a very explosive player. He’s a strong point guard, able to use those strengths attacking the basket,” said McKnight, who has won 11 state titles at Mater Dei.
McKnight said he’s not sure why Askew transferred out of Kentucky after his freshman season in 2021. Askew opted out again after getting limited playing time this past season at Texas, announcing Friday he intends to enroll at Cal.
“He wants to play. I think that’s the most important thing,” McKnight said. “The more he’s on the court the better he’ll do. I don’t think he got enough minutes at Texas to show what he can do.
"He needs go have some freedom to shoot the ball and be a playmaker. He’ll have a chance to do both at Cal.”
The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder, who won't turn 20 until late July, will need a waiver to gain immediately eligibility at Cal after transferring for the second time.
Askew’s big night against the Mobley brothers powered Mater Dei to a 76-71 victory over Temecula Rancho Christian his junior season of 2019-20.
Evan Mobley is coming off his NBA rookie season in which he averaged 15.0 points and 8.3 rebounds for the Cleveland Cavaliers while younger brother Isaiah produced 14.3 points and 8.e rebonds as a junior at USC.
And Askew was good enough -- with help -- to lift his team past those two budding stars.
“His sophomore and junior years he played really well for us,” McKnight said.
Askew averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds for the Monarchs that junior season then reclassified before playing his senior season, graduating early to enroll at Kentucky that fall.
The consensus four-star prospect started 20 games for the Wildcats, averaging 6.5 points and 2.9 assists as a freshman. But Kentucky had a dreadful season, going 9-16, and Askew transferred to Texas.
His playing time diminished to less than 15 minutes per game last season with the Longhorns and, after averaging just 2.1 points and 1.3 assists, he opted to move on again.
Even though Askew didn’t find the success he wanted at either Kentucky or Texas, McKnight believes the process likely has matured him.
“He’s gained a lot of experience with the people he’s been around,” McKnight said. “He’s been around enough good people he’ll be in the mindset of how to run a team and pick his times when to be a scorer, too.
“He’s a pretty competitive kid. He hates to lose. He’s very competitive in games. He doesn’t back down to anybody.”
McKnight noted that Askew moved to Southern California just before entering high school and believes he will enjoy being back closer to home.
“It’ll be great for him up there where he grew up in Sacramento,” the coach said.
Cover photo of Devin Askew by Benny Sieu, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
