Mar 8, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley reacts during the second half at Desert Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

Arizona State Basketball Star Battling Injury

Originally posted on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI
By Kevin Hicks | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 1:00 PM ET

TEMPE -- Bobby Hurley's 11th regular season at the helm of Arizona State's men's basketball program is just over a month away from beginning, as they open with Southern Utah on November 3.

The 2025-26 season has presented unique challenges for the longtime coach, as nearly every player from last season's squad either transferred elsewhere or completed eligibility - this forced Hurley to scour the transfer portal and international waters to curate his upcoming roster.

One of the most intriguing additions from the offseason was Marcus Adams Jr., who was a former four-star recruit who spent time with BYU and Kansas before playing at Cal State Northridge. The forward averaged north of 16 PPG while also shooting above 39% from three-point range.

The hope is that Adams will emerge as a legitimate scoring threat at the wing spot, but college basketball insider Jon Rothstein has reported that the former highly touted recruit is out for the next month due to an injury, but should be cleared to return for the regular season.

More detail from Rothstein below:

"Arizona State’s Marcus Adams (foot) is expected to be OUT until late-October, but could return for the Sun Devils’ Exhibition Game against Texas A&M on October 26th, per Bobby Hurley. Transfer from CSUN who averaged 16.1 PPG and 4.9 RPG last season."

Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hurley's roster-building this season has been significantly different compared to prior seasons, as Moe Odum brings a traditional point guard to the table who averaged over seven assists per game last season.

Another major quirk of this roster is that seven players are set to play in Tempe after stints overseas, while Hurley utilized every single roster spot he had access to after opting not to do so last season.

Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Adams is sure to be a key to the Sun Devils shocking the college basketball world - if they are able to do so while being sure to get picked near the bottom of the Big 12 in the preseason poll.

Read more on major takeaways from Arizona State football's clutch-time victory over Baylor here, and more on why Arizona State fans should be feeling confident about the outlook of the season following the win here.

This article first appeared on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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