ASU Basketball: Kansas transfer Carlton Bragg joins Sun Devils

PHOENIX — Bobby Hurley knows size was an issue for his Sun Devils during the 2016-17 season, and he’s made a point of addressing it this offseason.

Further proof came Wednesday in the form of his latest addition: forward Carlton Bragg Jr., who committed to Arizona State following his transfer from Kansas, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.

Bragg, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound big man from Cleveland, visited ASU earlier this week. He’ll sit out the 2017-18 season before having two years of eligibility remaining.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweeted last week that the 2015 McDonald’s All-American was visiting the Sun Devils on Monday and Tuesday. He then later tweeted that Bragg had ruled out North Carolina State and Xavier as options while mentioning his trip to the desert.

Bragg was also considering Cincinnati, Illinois and Ohio State prior to choosing ASU. He averaged 5.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game in 31 total appearances during his sophomore campaign.

The 21-year-old also started the first five games of the season for the Jayhawks last year, averaging 8.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per contest during that stretch.

He is reportedly seeking a “fresh start” in choosing a new school, as his time in Lawrence, Kan., was filled with much tumult.

In December, Bragg was dealt an indefinite suspension by Kansas head coach Bill Self that caused him to miss one game following his arrest on suspicion of domestic battery. He was cleared five days later, and a file for domestic battery was filed against his accuser after police obtained surveillance video of the incident, according to The Kansas City Star.

Bragg later sat out Kansas’s Jan. 28 and Feb. 1 victories over Kentucky and Baylor, along with a Feb. 4 loss to Iowa due to a suspension handed down in connection to an undisclosed violation of team rules. Bragg also did not play in the Jayhawks’ Elite 8 loss to Oregon at the NCAA Tournament.

There’s ample opportunity to be a difference-maker, should the former four-star recruit manage to stay on the court.

The Sun Devils only return one experienced frontcourt member in sophomore forward Ramon Vila who averaged 2.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in 12.3 minutes per game as a freshman. Underclassmen Romello White and Vitaliy Shibel as well as junior Mickey Mitchell will join the team for the 2017-18 campaign after each sitting out the 2016-17 season.

Following Bragg’s signing, the Sun Devils have now added four total transfers this offseason: JUCO center De’Quon Lake, Cleveland State guard Rob Edwards, and San Diego State forward Zylan Cheatham. Edwards and Cheatham, like Bragg, will sit out the 2017-18 season before debuting in the 2018-19 campaign.

The latest agreement sees the Sun Devils avenge the departure of guard Sam Cunliffe, who transferred to the Jayhawks in December. ASU will visit Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan., on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, in the first of a scheduled home-and-home series between the programs.