It’s going to look a whole lot different on the hardwood in Tempe.
Transfer Marcus Adams Jr. has such an interesting story—one that could end up being valuable to the Arizona State Sun Devils in the 2025-26 season.
After a massively disappointing season this past year, it was only inevitable that a turnaround was coming, and it may just be Bobby Hurley's last chance in the desert.
Adams was a four-star recruit, originally recruited to play for Big 12 powerhouse Kansas. Before even enrolling, he found his way to two more schools—Gonzaga and BYU.
People started to wonder what the deal was.
After playing one game at BYU, he transferred out again, and a lot of it wasn't his fault.
"It was a little challenging being hurt during your freshman season," Adams said. "...All of [the injuries] got me out of shape, and I couldn't do as much... but what I could do was be on the scout team during March. So I was able to play at the end of the year, at least during practice."
It was a tough time that got even tougher. Adams revealed that he lost his father after suffering a stroke in February 2024. After the season, he realized he needed to be closer to home for at least a year.
Which is where Cal State Northridge comes in.
Adams was finally able to shine at CSUN, where he put up 16.1 points per game on 52% shooting and just under 40% from deep.
Not only that, he showed that he can be the main focus of an offense, developing as a high-end scorer and finisher.
Some of the abilities he has, you can't teach. He's an incredibly heady player on the offensive end, where he reads defenses at a high level and is elite at timing his cuts—something that ASU lacked.
According to KenPom, Arizona State was also one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the country, and Adams is the type of player to never give up on an opportunity to create a second-chance score.
His major strength, though, is his shooting ability, and he ranked in the 92nd percentile—among the most elite catch-and-shoot scorers in the nation.
Another transfer that Hurley brought in, Moe Odum, complements Adams to a tee. Odum plays at somewhat of a chaotic pace but has such a high IQ in creating open opportunities for his teammates.
Transitionally, these two are going to mix in perfectly, like two peas in a pod. Odum is the type of player to keep his head up to find the open man down the floor, and Adams is just the kind of guy to be where he's looking.
Not only that, ASU didn't shoot threes at a high rate, and with Adams on the floor, that's most certainly likely to change.
Adams has the chance to become the centerpiece of this team this season, and people will finally get to see what the former four-star recruit has to offer on a national stage.
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