Bobby Hurley Shares Views on ASU’s International Players

"It's the economics of this year's portal. I think was very expensive for American players. And, you know, international players are very happy making a bump, a significant bump, from where they were in Europe, and wanting to come over to the United States, get an education and play college basketball and the best conference in the United States.

So we felt like getting those guys that played a couple of years professionally, gave us an advantage. Like Noah (Meeusen) already has had a good impact in practice with his IQ, talking to his teammates, letting him know things that he sees on the floor. And that just shows that he's been very well coached."

The process behind the decision is completely understandable, as Hurley did what he could given the circumstances - and it certainly appears that the talent he collected is better than advertised.

Noah Meeusen

Meeusen is a 6'5" point guard out of Belgium - he is currently listed as a sophomore after enrolling late in the period, having not joined the program in an official capacity until August 15.

Meeusen is a projected starting player on the team and has useful combo-guard abilities, with Hurley praising him in particular for his pro-style approach and IQ that he displays in practice on a consistent basis.

Mor Massamba Diop

Diop is a 7'1" center that originally hails from Senegal, but had spent time recently playing professionally in Spain - where he averaged over 16 points, 7 rebounds, and short of two blocks a game.

Hurley has been incredibly complimentary of Diop's maturity in a similar vein to Meeusen - college basketball reporter Jon Rothstein was impressed as well when attending a practice in September.

Diop figures to slot into the starting lineup in his own right.

Dame Salane

Salane hails from Senegal himself - the 7'1" center played professionally in Switzerland last season - averaging 7.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game.

While Diop is receiving much of the attention in terms of bigs on the squad, Salane has an upside that can be tapped into with the right coaching.

Santiago Trouet

Trouet is an Argentinian forward that actually has two seasons of collegiate experience under his belt at the University of San Diego.

Trouet's 6'11", 218 pound frame is unique and somewhat in the same realm of Kevin Durant - the redshirt sophomore has an opportunity to break-out in his third season of college basketball.

Allen Mukeba

Mukeba is a 6'8" forward from Belgium - but has played three seasons of college basketball, most recently at the University of Oakland.

The forward's listed 247-pound frame makes him a continuous threat inside the lane as a scorer and rebounder - Hurley hopes to get the most out of the team in multiple avenues this season, especially when it comes to physicality.

Andrija Grbović is a 6'11" forward that hails from Montenegro, and Jovan Ićitović is a 6'9" forward that is from Serbia - that caps off the international presence on the squad.

The Sun Devils open up the 2025-26 season on November 4, when they welcome Southern Utah to Tempe.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on three major takeaways from the win over Texas Tech here.