Devils in Detail
Fansided

ASU Basketball: Four-Star Romello White Given Academic Redshirt

By Zach Pekale

Feb 28, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley during the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Coors Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 28, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Bobby Hurley during the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Coors Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

After bringing in a top-25 recruiting class, it seemed the Arizona State men’s basketball team had taken a step in the right direction.

Instead, the program has taken two steps back in just over a month.

First, freshman stretch-forward Vitaliy Shibel suffered a tear of his anterior cruciate ligament on August 19, ending what looked to be a promising freshman campaign for the Ukraine native.

Now, four-star foward Romello White will sit out the 2016-2017 season on an academic redshirt after failing to meet NCAA academic requirements.

White, a top 100 prospect according to ESPN, was expected to immediately contribute to an ASU team that lacked depth in the post.

Following the departures of Eric Jacobsen, Willie Atwood and Savon Goodman, the Sun Devils were already struggling with frontcourt depth.

More from Devils in Detail

With White out for the season, head coach Bobby Hurley will have to rely on heavily on fellow four-star recruit Jethro Tsishumpa as well as Andre Adams and Ramon Villa.

None of the players listed have registered any court time for ASU.

White’s situation is very similar to that of former ASU guard Jahii Carson.

Carson was an academic redshirt his first season in Tempe. The point guard then played two seasons under Herb Sendek before declaring for the NBA Draft.

The player who now has the most pressure on him to perform is senior forward Obinna Oleka.

The Washington D.C. native put up 9.6 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game as a transfer in his first year with the Sun Devils.

Oleka showed his ability to fluctuate between the 3 and the 4 and was efficient a scorer in the paint and from beyond the arc.

Next: ASU Basketball: What if Thon Maker Was a Sun Devil?

White’s absence now places additional responsibility on one of Hurley’s two seniors in a year with a lot of new talent joining the team.

The Sun Devils open their season with a non-conference matchup against Portland State on November 11.

Home/ASU Basketball