Mississippi State continued to rebuild its roster through the transfer portal Thursday, securing a commitment from former Arizona State wing Amier Ali.
Ali mostly played off the bench in his freshman season with the Sun Devils, averaging 5.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. He was a volume shooter who was not afraid to fire away from 3-point range, finishing 29-for-89 (32.6 percent) from behind the arc. Playing just over 20 minutes on average, Ali had a season-high 18 points in 35 minutes against an excellent Texas Tech team, going 4-for-5 from deep in that game.
Down the stretch, Ali began to earn more playing time, starting four of Arizona State’s last six games. The Sun Devils fell to Nebraska in the first round of the inaugural College Basketball Crown, a consolation tournament held in Las Vegas.
Ali stands 6 feet, 8 inches and is from Little Elm, Texas, though he attended Canyon International Academy in Arizona, where he was the only American player in 2023-24. His teammates were mostly from Canada, with one each from Australia and South Sudan.
Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans has already added Ja’Borri McGhee from UAB and Quincy Ballard from Wichita State in the transfer portal. MSU is losing at least six key rotation players from the 2024-25 team that lost to Baylor in the NCAA Tournament first round, pending star guard Josh Hubbard’s decision on the NBA Draft.
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