Arizona State starting center Warren Washington announced today that he is committing to Texas Tech from the transfer portal.
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Washington only played in one season for the Sun Devils and averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in 34 starts. Texas Tech is now his fourth team in his college journey.
Warren Washington played really well today. He finished with 18/6/2 and 5 Blocks. Washington was also efficient shooting 71% from the field. pic.twitter.com/Kt6bc84kPo
— KJ (@Kjpistons) December 19, 2022
He first played with Oregon State in 2018-19, then had two seasons with Nevada from 2020 to 2022 and played for the Sun Devils last season. He will have one more year of eligibility.
Washington commits to Texas Tech after visiting the school last week.
Arizona State transfer Warren Washington tells me that he just finished visits with TCU and Texas Tech.
Also considering the following programs:
Arkansas
Oklahoma State
Memphis
Michigan— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 7, 2023
The 7-foot, 225 pound center has a lot of potential that could be unlocked with the Red Raiders. He proved to be a force on defense with ASU, as he earned Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors this season.
Sun Devil fans watched a weird situation with Washington unfold earlier this offseason when he said he was declaring for the NBA Draft, and then he later did not appear on the list of NBA Draft entrants and joined the portal the next day.
Story on #ASU starting center Warren Washington reportedly entering the transfer portal after it appeared he would return to the Sun Devils when his name wasn’t on the NBA Draft early entrant list. #ForksUphttps://t.co/mpC7jDJC1t
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) April 26, 2023
Washington is the third starter to transfer to a different school with DJ Horne transferring to NC State and Devan Cambridge transferring to Oregon. Both of his backups, Duke Brennan (GCU) and Enoch Boakye (Fresno State) transferred as well.
Desmond Cambridge Jr., the team’s leading scorer last season, is out of eligibility. As of now, it appears that the team’s only returning starter will be point guard Frankie Collins, who posted some highlights of him in a scrimmage yesterday.
😈 pic.twitter.com/cLGHkkMyHl
— frankie💕 (@Frankiecollins0) May 12, 2023
ASU will also return key bench pieces Jamiya Neal and Alonzo Gaffney, who appear to be in line for starting jobs next season. Alongside these three, ASU currently has nine newcomers on scholarships next season.
IM BACK🔱😈 #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/0LjjzA6Q06
— Jamiya Neal (@jamiyaneal_) April 3, 2023
The Sun Devils will certainly miss Washington’s size, as they only have one true center on the roster next season in incoming LSU sophomore transfer Shawn Phillips, who played sparingly in his time with the Tigers.
Even with just one true center, ASU is set to have six players over 6-foot-8 to try to make up for the length they will miss in Washington. The Sun Devils appear to have one more scholarship spot should they try to fill it (explained more below).
ASU Roster Tracker
Players lost to the portal (7): F/C Warren Washington (Texas Tech), G Austin Nunez (Ole Miss), F Devan Cambridge (Oregon), F Duke Brennan (GCU), G Malcolm Flaggs (GCU), G DJ Horne (NC State), F/C Enoch Boakye (Fresno State)
Players gained from the portal (6): G Brycen Long, F Bryant Selebangue (Tulsa), F Shawn Phillips (LSU), F Zane Meeks (USF), G Adam Miller (LSU), F Kamari Lands (Louisville)
JUCO transfer added (1): G Malachi Davis (Tallahassee CC)
Players lost to eligibility (2): G Desmond Cambridge Jr., G Luther Muhammad
Players with names in NBA Draft (option to return) (2): G Frankie Collins, F Marcus Bagley
Unannounced players (1): F Alonzo Gaffney
Returning players (1): G/F Jamiya Neal (removed name from portal)
Incoming freshmen (2): Four-star G Braelon Green (CA), four-star PF Akil Watson (NJ)
My Predicted Rotation As of Now
1. Collins (6-1) / Long (6-2) / Davis (6-4) / Green (6-3) / Neal (6-6) / Miller (6-3)
2. Miller / Davis / Green / Neal / Long
3. Neal / Lands (6-8) / Watson (6-8)
4. Meeks (6-9) / Selebangue (6-8) / Lands / Watson / Gaffney (6-9)
5. Gaffney / Phillips (7-0) / Selebangue / Meeks
The Sun Devils can mix up these positions, as we saw them do several times last season. They still can look for a starting-caliber center without Washington, as they certainly have length but only one true center in Shawn Phillips. They like to play a lot of three-guard lineups, so there is a role for all of the guards on the team right now, and with the addition of Long, they appear to be set on guards. However, they could potentially seek out another small forward. Despite all of the departures, Hurley has done a terrific job of retooling the roster, going out and getting players from the transfer portal that fit ASU perfectly and have either proven themselves with experience or are young but were highly-rated recruits out of high school. Depth was a huge key for ASU’s success last season, and the Sun Devils will have it once again next season. Having what could be 12 quality players that make up the roster as of right now is a huge achievement that shouldn’t be overlooked, as Hurley said he wanted the roster to be complete by early May. Now, it is about trying to get these new players to gel together, as we saw them do terrifically last season. With Washington transferring and if Collins and Gaffney return, the Sun Devils only have one more roster spot they could choose to fill.
ASU lands Houston Christian transfer guard and Gilbert High School product Brycen Long
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Brendan Mau is a college sports insider and general assignment reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on twitter via @Brendan_Mau
