Arizona State transfer forward Amier Ali commits to Mississippi State

Former Arizona State forward Amier Ali has committed to Mississippi State, via the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3’s Joe Tipton has learned. Ali only spent one season with the Sun Devils.

In his lone campaign at Arizona State, Ali made 32 appearances and four starts. The 6-foot-8 small forward averaged 5.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 19.1 minutes per game. He shot 37.2% from the field and 32.6% from beyond the arc.

Ali had his best performance of the season in Arizona State’s narrow loss to Texas Tech in double overtime on Feb. 12. In the loss, Ali recorded a season-high 18 points and seven rebounds while shooting 6-7 from the floor and 4-5 from 3-point range.

Ali played high school basketball at Canyon International Academy (OH), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 72 overall player and No. 24 small forward in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Mississippi State will welcome Ali with open arms. The Bulldogs have lost six players to the transfer portal this offseason, including major contributors such as Riley Kugel and KeShawn Murphy.

However, Mississippi State hasn’t sat back and wallowed in self-pity. Instead, the Bulldogs have reeled in several standouts in the transfer portal, including former Wichita State center Quincy Ballard.

Ballard averaged 10.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots per game this past season. Moreover, he shot 75% from the field to set a school record while also leading the nation in that category. Ballard is one of just five players since 1953-54 who shot 75% from the field in a single season with at least 150 shots.

He will be pivotal to the Bulldogs’ efforts next season. Mississippi State finished the 2024-25 season with a 21-13 overall record and an 8-10 mark in conference play. For the third consecutive season, Mississippi State reached the NCAA Tournament but failed to advance to the second round.

Now entering his fourth season at the helm of Mississippi State, head coach Chris Jans is hungry to help the program take the next step. Players like Amier Ali will help Jans strive toward that goal.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.