Nov. 22, 2012

Sun Devil head basketball coach Herb Sendek signed two players from opposite sides of the United States in the early signing period. Chance Murray of Price High School in Los Angeles and Egor Koulechov from Sagemont High School in Weston, Fla., both inked National Letters of Intent and will be with the Sun Devils in 2013-14. Coach Sendek was quick to praise not only the players, but their coaches.

"These two guys have great coaches, which will make their transition to college very easy," notes Coach Sendek, now in his 20th year as a head coach who earned the Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 2009-10. "Adam Ross is doing an amazing job with Egor, and Michael Lynch does the same with Chance. We are really excited about what these two bring to the table for our program. Egor is an astute student of the game. He follows NBA basketball closer than Hubie Brown. He is a tough, hard nose, competitive young man. He is very skilled, can shoot the ball in range and can pass. I just think he's a winner in every way.

"Chance also comes from a great program at Price High School in Los Angeles, Calif., where of course it is important for us to have a solid base. Chance is actually a year young. I just think he has an unlimited potential, he can handle the ball, shoot it and defend, and even comfortable playing in the post some.

"I think both of these young men are just off the chart character guys. I can't wait for other Sun Devils to meet them. They are both excellent students, good people, and just really know how to play and have an excellent skill level."

ESPN.com lists the 6-3 Murray as the nation's 54th-best scoring guard, but he can play the point as well, as recruiting gury Joel Francisco said Murray "...got the frame you're looking for...he's a good athlete...a very solid guard."

Koulechov, a Russian native, moved from his home in Israel to Florida last summer. The Weston Sagemont High School forward, listed at 6-4, has a great basketball IQ according to loves to shoot the three-pointer.

"The best way to describe Egor is he's a very hard-nosed, blue-collar kind of player," Sagemont's Head Coach Adam Ross told the Arizona Republic's Doug Haller. "He rebounds very well for a guard. He has a big, strong body. He can absorb contact and finish around the rim. And he can shoot the ball very well. For his age, he's very advanced offensively."

Egor immigrated to Israel when he was seven years old where he has lived until last August as he began to pursue his college basketball dream and enrolled at Sagemont. As a junior for the 25-8 Lions and the state's 3A runner-up, he averaged 16.2 points and seven boards and shot .391 percent from three-point range.

This past summer, Koulechov returned to Israel in late June and joined their 18-U national team and played in the European Championships in Bosnia in the beginning of August. He averaged 19.8 and 7.9 rebounds in nine games.