Former Saint Mary’s forward Paulius Murauskas is joining former coach Randy Bennett at Arizona State

Former Saint Mary’s forward Paulius Murauskas is joining former coach Randy Bennett at Arizona State.

Bennett was named Arizona State’s coach on March 23 and Murauskas announced Wednesday on Instagram that he will be following his coach to the desert.

“I followed my heart and chose the place where I trust the people and feel valued not just as a player, but as a person,” Murauskas wrote. “I want to finish my college journey with the people who made the last two years so amazing and helped me become who I am now as a person and a player.”

St. John’s also made a big splash in the transfer portal, adding former Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman, and Michigan State landed 7-foot-2 Anton Bonke from Charlotte.

The 6-foot-8 Murauskas saw limited action as a freshman at Arizona before thriving in two years at Saint Mary’s. The Lithuanian forward averaged 18.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists as a junior and twice played in the NCAA Tournament with the Gaels.

Murauskas was one of the most sought after players in the transfer portal and had several offers before deciding to join the Sun Devils. He is the first major addition for Bennett at Arizona State since he was hired to replace Bobby Hurley.

“A lot of people think decisions in the transfer portal are only about money, but for me it is about people,” he posted.

Freeman played two seasons at Syracuse, averaging 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds. The 6-9 forward averaged 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds last season, scoring at least 20 points eight times.

Freeman joins a program that won consecutive Big East championships and is coming off its first Sweet 16 run since 1999.

Bonke fills a critical need for the Spartans, who lose big men Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler and didn’t want to rely solely on 7-1 incoming freshman Ethan Taylor in the post. Bonke, a junior from the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, played limited minutes at Providence before transferring last year to Charlotte, where he averaged 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball