Eric Sorenson
What better place than here in Las Vegas for Jahii Carson to put on his best poker face regarding his future at Arizona State.
Moments after the Sun Devils (21-12) were eliminated by UCLA (24-8) in the Pac-12 conference semi-final the former Mesa High star played coy on possibly making the jump to the NBA after his redshirt freshman season.
No, I don’t even think about that at the moment,” a composed Carson told the assembled media at the MGM Garden Arena. “I’m just trying to come out here and get a championship, the first championship of my collegiate career.”
It won’t happen this year after the Devils squandered a 15-point, second half lead to the top-seeded Bruins who stormed back with the help of their own superb freshman Shabazz Muhammed. The Vegas native finished with 16 points and nine rebounds as UCLA outscored ASU 47-34 in the second half.
For now Carson, who stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, seven assists, and six rebounds will almost certainly be headed to the NIT. They’ll likely know their opponent late this weekend.
“We still have–no matter what we do at this point of the season, we still have something to focus on,” Carson explained. “To try to build more chemistry to end out the season well.”
Some here at the tournament believe Carson’s impressive play (55 total points in two games) could sway his decision at the end of the season because he performed so well in front of NBA scouts and personnel.
