clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

ASU Basketball: Sun Devils losing depth heading into transfer season

It wasn't a banner week for the Arizona State basketball program as the Sun Devils received some surprising news.

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Every Sun Devil basketball fan knew that the 2013-2014 season would be the last for point guard Jahii Carson. What fans didn't know is that Carson wasn't the only Sun Devil who would be departing the program with eligibility remaining.

Two Sun Devils are leaving or expected to leave the team and while they won't be joining Carson in the NBA, coach Herb Sendek could be looking for new ways to improve Arizona State's depth.

On Friday morning, Sun Devil guard Bo Barnes tweeted an announcement that he was leaving the program. Barnes came to Arizona State as a transfer, and played his freshman season at Hawaii before joining the Sun Devils.

At the moment, is unclear whether the 6-foot-4 guard will continue his basketball career at another school. Last season, Barnes averaged 4.5 points per game, but made a sizable impact during the latter half of conference play.

The Arizona native scored in double figures on four separate occasions last season, and provided a much needed spark off of the bench down the stretch.

Barnes participated in Arizona State's senior day festivities and it was known that the Sun Devils could not guarantee him a scholarship for next season.

On Friday afternoon, Chris Karpman of asudevils.com reported that point guard Caelen Robinson is also likely to transfer away from the program. The asudevils.com article cited sources close to the situation that indicated Robinson's decision to transfer is imminent.

Robinson's loss would is relatively significant for Arizona State as the Sun Devils were going to depend on him to compete for playing time at point guard next season. With Carson's departure for the NBA, many had high hopes that the local product out of Corona Del Sol High School in Tempe would assume a starting role.

The Sun Devils expect to have intense competition to replace Carson at the point guard spot next season as highly touted recruits Tra Holder and Gerry Blakes are capable of stepping into starting roles.

Arizona State has struggled at times with player transfers during Herb Sendek's tenure, but the Sun Devils were the beneficiary of a transfer last season when former Penn State guard Jermaine Marshall stepped in and helped guide the program to the NCAA tournament.

Transfer rates are at an all-time high in college basketball, and it remains to be seen if the Sun Devils will make any significant additions following the losses or expected losses of players this week.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this article stated that forward Richie Edwards was leaving the program to pursue a career in New Zealand. House of Sparky would like to note that Edwards has exhausted his college eligibility and is not leaving the program.

The previous version also failed to mention that Bo Barnes participated in Senior Day activities. House of Sparky regrets these errors.