ASU Basketball: AJ Bramah withdraws from ASU commitment

The recruiting carousel continues to spin for Bobby Hurley. On Monday, another hole in the Sun Devil roster opened up with the announcement that AJ Bramah was withdrawing his transfer decision to Arizona State.

Bramah averaged 21 points and 10.3 rebounds per game last season for Robert Morris. He also shot an efficient 51 percent from the field.

As of May 11, the team had lost nine scholarship players, according to Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. Most, like Jaelen House and Remy Martin, transferred somewhere else.

Others, like Josh Christopher and Marcus Bagley, have the opportunity to be selected in the upcoming NBA Draft, and took it.

Bramah was named All-Northeast Conference second-team in 2019-20, when he led his team in scoring and rebounds.

He is not known for possessing much of an outside shot, but with the development of Jalen Graham’s shooting abilities, having a second stretch big would have been more of a luxury than a necessity.

Why Bramah’s Announcement Is No Surprise

When Bramah first committed to play for Hurley’s program in late March, Kimani Lawrence, the incumbent forward, had yet to announce his decision to return to Tempe.

Lawrence stayed in limbo only briefly, before declaring his intention to become a fifth-year senior for the Sun Devils.

That left Bramah in an awkward situation, and there was never a guarantee of a starting job, but a familiar presence such as Lawrence returning would certainly eat into Bramah’s potential minutes.

In addition, the impending arrival of promising freshman Enoch Boakye and another transfer, Alonzo Gaffney, was going to represent strong competition for a starting role.

Ultimately, he made the personal decision to seek a landing spot where he would get more touches.

What’s Next for the Sun Devils?

Given the nature of the transfer portal this offseason, there should be an expectation that the Sun Devil roster turnover is still far from its twilight.

Hurley told the media back in April that he had brought a whiteboard into his living room just to keep track of who was coming, who was leaving, and who was potentially doing one or the other. It has been a whirlwind.

The announcement of Martin’s departure for Kansas was surprising, given how beloved he is in the valley and his obvious affinity for the program and his coaching staff.

But incoming transfer Marreon Jackson’s arrival will provide scoring and playmaking in bunches at the point guard position next season. Graham, Boakye, and Lawrence will be the team’s premiere forwards to begin the year, too.

That leaves the biggest question mark at shooting guard. Jay Heath and DJ Horne don’t shoot the three-pointer as prolifically as Jackson, but they are efficient enough to command shots.

Whichever one of them performs best from behind the arc will likely land the starting role next to Jackson.