Devin Askew A Potential Hidden Gem for Texas Basketball This Season
Devin Askew has been a part of what many might consider being the best-of-the-best in basketball.
A native of Sacramento, he stayed in his home state to play at the prestigious Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Cali. Askew starred as one of the top point guards in the country his junior year, securing the No. 26 overall in ESPN's Top 100 best recruits in the class of 2020.
This ranking put him not far behind current NBA rookies Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, and Evan Mobley, who were the top three overall picks in this year's draft, respectively.
Askew took his hard-nosed playing style to Kentucky to play for an elite program with Wildcat's head coach John Calipari. Even as a freshman, he displayed the complete point-guard package with an ability to quickly get to the rim, make smart passes, and defend with intensity.
Askew played in every game last season and was third on the team in minutes per game (29.0) and second in total assists (73) while also averaging 6.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per contest. It was no doubt a solid freshman year for him.
But now, after transferring to the University of Texas to play for Chris Beard, Askew is ready for a new journey. He and his new head coach spoke on this and more when the two sat down for open media availability on Wednesday.
"Coming here was probably the best thing for me," Askew said.
Askew reclassified as a senior during his junior year at Mater Dei, allowing him to forgo his final year of high school to begin playing college ball at Kentucky. In his eyes, the upcoming season in Austin feels like a new collegiate beginning all over again.
“I feel like we re-setted, I feel like a freshman," he said. "I feel like I spent my entire senior year of high school playing college basketball at Kentucky.”
Askew is far from alone in feeling a bit of an adjustment period at Texas this season. He's one of seven new transfers on this year's team and by far the youngest out of them. It's safe to say he wouldn't have it any other way.
"It’s honestly amazing," Askew said of the transfers. "I get to learn from a lot of older guys that have a lot more experience than me, and I embrace that."
Though he likely won't be in the starting lineup to begin the season, Beard wasted no time raving about his new point guard's toughness and overall impact.
“When Devin walks into a room, the room is immediately brightened," Beard said. "He brings energy and pop.”
As a point guard off the bench, Askew's energetic role translates perfectly for a coach that craves aggressive defenders. Beard said this is exactly what the team will need if they want to win six games in the NCAA tournament this spring.
"He has a defensive identity where he's really good at on-ball defense," Beard said. "I mean, really good."
And Beard's expectations of Askew? Sky-high.
"I don’t want to put any weight on his shoulders, but I got no problem telling you that if he stays the course, he’ll end up being one of the all-time greats," Beard said of Askew.
"All-time greats?" Beard is of course confident in his young point guard, but Askew will likely be a major contributor off of the bench.
This might seem like the case on the surface, but Beard hasn't said anything of this magnitude for any of his players so far headed into the season, despite the fact that he reeled in one of the most experienced transfer classes in recent memory. It's clear that he sees something special brewing in Askew.
“We haven’t even played a game yet…but what I can tell you about Dev is that he’s all about the right things," Beard said. "He’s a guy that’s running his own race. I’m not going to put a time frame on his race, it could happen very soon.”
For Askew and the Longhorns, the beginning of their race is right around the corner. Texas officially begins its 2021-2022 season at home on Nov. 9 against Houston Baptist.
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