ASU Basketball: Hurley lands seven-footer Shawn Phillips from LSU

ASU finally adds another big

From Tigers to Tempe, former LSU center Shawn Phillips will join his old teammate Adam Miller as former LSU players to transfer to Arizona State this offseason.

Phillips, a former four-star recruit, committed to play in Tempe for Bobby Hurley in 2023, per on3.com.

Phillips, a freshman last season, did not see much of the floor in his first collegiate season due to senior center KJ Williams eating most of the minutes in the front court along with junior Derek Fountains. Couple that with fellow-freshman big man Jalen Reed seeing significant minutes over Phillips on a nightly basis, and the transfer was imminent.

He averaged 1.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks in just 7.5 minutes per game behind those previously mentioned. He did get an opportunity to showcase his skills in the first round of the SEC Tournament in March against Georgia, though. Phillips put up 13 points while shooting 55.6% from the field, and added 10 rebounds and two blocks in 25 minutes of action.

The seven-footer from Dayton, Ohio, spent his high school career playing at Dream City Christian in Glendale. It is somewhat of a homecoming for a player that was highly sought after by many major programs around the country coming out of high school, including Indiana, Ohio State, Maryland and Ole Miss.

Before landing at LSU, Phillips had originally committed to play for the Wolfpack at NC State in 2021 before decommitting nearly seven months later. He had visits with Kansas State, LSU and Georgetown before announcing his commitment to the Tigers in May of 2022–– just one month after cutting ties with NC State.

Hurley has found his potential pick-’n-roll combination for the next few years in Phillips and Miller, given that Miller is going into his junior year and Phillips just his sophomore season. Miller was a main piece of the Tigers’ offense last year, averaging 11.5 points in 33 minutes per game. Although his assist numbers were a bit low for a starting guard, Hurley’s free-flowing offense may allow for Phillips and Miller to get experimental with how they attack the rim or pass out to the open shooter.

Phillips is nearly 25 pounds heavier than former Sun Devil Warren Washington, who also stands seven-feet tall. So, expect for his big body to play a larger role in the offensive rebounding category, which ASU really struggled with in games against bigger lineups.

He was a consensus four-star recruit for a reason coming out of high school, so now he’s going to get his opportunity to show off and grow his game in maroon and gold with little competition at the position.

A new nickname may arise from this next iteration of Sun Devil basketball, but landing three very promising transfers from this class is certainly a step in the right direction toward sustained success in Tempe.