Harden is a major coup for Pac-10 school
James Harden, one of the stars of the July period, is now off the board. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound shooting guard from Artesia High School did what everyone imagined he would do. The five-star guard committed to Arizona State.
Harden, the No. 18 player in the country according to Rivals.com, has been considered an ASU lean for some time and after a busy, and very successful summer showing, he decided to make it official.
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"I just felt it was time," Harden told Rivals.com publisher Chris Karpman. "I have really been talking about it with my family and I just knew that I wanted to go to Arizona State."
For Herb Sendek and the new Sun Devils staff, Harden is the highest rated recruit to pick the Pac-10 program in some time.
Harden, the winner of three MVP trophies from major tournaments this year, is a dynamic scorer that finds a way to get to the free throw line at will but also shines as a perimeter scorer that can do a lot with the dribble. Harden said he feels like he can shine in Arizona State's system.
"I've watched Coach Sendek's teams at NC State and they're all about team basketball and playing together and that's what I'm all about and the teams that I've been apart of," Harden said.
He's not kidding. He helped his Pump 'N Run Elite claim tournament titles at the adidas Super 64, Best of Summer and the Arizona Cactus Classic. He scored 34 points in the championship game at the Super 64, missing just one field goal.
Harden is the first player to commit to Arizona State in the 2007 class.