Arizona State may get a game-changing blue chip recruit in Thon Maker, thanks to the efforts of coach Bobby Hurley.
There's a lot of hype surrounding Thon Maker. The young seven-footer has been deemed as the next breed of big man with his length and speed. It is natural that most college programs would love to recruit him.
College basketball's "usual suspects" on blue chips recruiting have shown interest in him like Kentucky, Duke and Kansas. But the two teams that have proved to be the most persistent were Indiana and Arizona State.
Arizona State is slowly making waves on the recruiting trail this year when Bobby Hurley took the reins as head coach.
Hurley already has more Top 150 ranked players this year than the program had in four years under previous Herb Sendek, according to Sporting News.
Now, the "Sun Devils are involved with more top tier talent than they ever have been before," but Hurley and his staff are not finished. While they are already one of the frontrunners, the coach is pulling out all the stops to make sure he seals the deal with Thon Maker.
Maker has been criticized for his thin frame, which cast doubt on his capacity to bang with college-sized big men. However, ESPN noted that he had great performances this summer in events like the Under Armour Finals.
His recruitment has become piqued national interest, and now ESPN noted that "Arizona State has made the strongest move since Bobby Hurley took over -- as he hired Brian Merritt as an assistant coach. Merritt, who was John Lucas' right-hand man, is very close with Ed Smith, Maker's guardian, and has helped get the Sun Devils into the mix."
Using these connections and the possibility of being a contender with the strong team Hurley assembled, the Sun Devils are bound to shine.