ASU's impressive achievements in the 2020 recruiting class have not gone noticed by a coveted 2021 prospect who already has 19 scholarship offers. The Sun Devils have grabbed the attention of forward James Graham III who discussed with us his recruiting process with the Sun Devils.

“My AAU team director has been talking to them for a long time," Graham said, "and I just started talking to them this week. Coach Hurley and coach Burno are recruiting me. Their team identity is allowing players to express themselves, have fun, and embrace that type of play. The told me that they like how versatile I am, I can handle the ball, shoot it well, pass the ball…they see me as a scorer who plays with a lot of confidence.

“Everybody calls me ‘Baby Mello’ because people say that I play a lot like Carmelo Anthony. I love the isolation game, one-on-one situations. I got elite pull-up (jumper), elite hesitation moves, elite step-back (jumper), and obviously good isolation moves. I’m looking to develop more moves driving to the basket, not just jump over people…that’s what I want to get better at when I get to college. I have a 7-2 wingspan so I can play good defense and lock down my guy and contest shots, but I want to get better with my foot speed.”

With the current additions Arizona State has made, notably landing two five-star prospects in the previous recruiting cycle, Graham sees a bright future for the program and one that could make it an attractive destination for him.

“They added players like Marcus Bagley and Josh Christopher,” Graham noted, “I watched them play and I know they are fun players to watch and they would play for a school that is fun to watch. Their (ASU’s) style of play is pushing the ball, spacing the floor…that’s such a fun brand of basketball to play.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has naturally limited Graham’s visit schedule, thus Milwaukee and DePaul are the only two colleges he has been able to personally check out. Coming off a junior campaign where he averaged 22 points and seven rebounds per game, the interest level has been high with the forward garnering close to 20 scholarship offers.

“All the schools that offered me are recruiting me hard,” Graham commented, “I want to visit a lot more schools, and I’m pretty much open to visiting all of them. I want to make sure I commit to the right school.”

Many prospects in the 2021 class could see their recruiting process suffer a setback if the evaluation period that normally would have taken place in July, and right now, is still in doubt whether it will take place later this year. One would think that with the traction Graham has received with keen interest from a multitude of schools, that he would be oblivious if he will have one last chance to play with his Wisconsin Playground AAU club in front of college coaches. Yet, the forward’s competitive nature dispels that theory.

“I’m never satisfied, and I always want to show that I’m the best player out there,” Graham stated. “I know that having all these schools to choose from is a good problem to have, but I’m not satisfied, and I want to play so other schools could see me.

“I want to commit before my senior year and sign in November, so I want to take as many visits before then. But I can actually see myself committing to a school that I didn’t visit because I’m committing to a coach. Academics are very important to me. I want to play for a coaching staff that is proven, a staff that can develop me and has put players in the pros. I want to play for a winning coach in a winning environment and for a school that wants to win.”