Bobby Hurley Q&A
At the end of a basketball season that ended prematurely all across the nation, we talked to ASU’s Men’s basketball head coach about his thoughts on the abrupt conclusion, reflections on last season and looking ahead to next year.
DevilsDigest: I know it's been just a few days since both the Pac-12 and the NCAA have canceled their postseason tournaments. Is that something you’re still having a hard time coming to grips with?
Bobby Hurley: “No, after I’m getting more educated about what's happening in the world, there is a deeper understanding of why those tournaments were canceled based on what's happened in the world and our country right now. It's a pretty scary time. It didn't change the initial shock of it though on Thursday (March 12th), everything happened so fast, and it was hard to process it just because your immediate reaction is that you want to protect your players.
“You knew how devastated they were that these tournaments were canceled because you're there with them on a daily basis when they're working for the point in the season where they have an opportunity to compete in these tournaments. So, it was tough. After the Pac-12 canceled their tournament, there was still hope that maybe the NCAA would postpone the tournament and see if it could be played a few weeks down the line. So that was the hope after the Pac-12 tournament was shut down.”
DevilsDigest: I know you're certainly we're not alone in this point of view but can you expand on why you were so vocal on Twitter wanting the selection committee to still release the bracket of 68 teams?
BH: “Initially until you get a grasp of the seriousness of this virus and what it's doing all over the world and in our country, that was my initial reaction, to acknowledge our players for the work they put in and we were likely solidly in the field this year. You just want something for your players, show that all the work they put in wasn't for nothing. Obviously, the (conference) tournaments weren't going to get played but at least you wanted to show these kids that all the work they put will be will be validated in somewhere.
“But even I understand why the NCAA and (NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball) Dan Gavitt decided not to because there wasn't a pure way to put together a field that in the traditional sense that it's been in terms of conference champions getting the automatic bids. I think just the overall seriousness of the (corona) virus has dwarfed. that tweet for me and my thoughts.”
DevilsDigest: Going back to the preseason Bobby, I know you were very optimistic of your team's prospects in 2019-20. But also replacing Zylan Cheatham and Luguentz Dort wasn't going to be easy especially in the Pac-12 Conference that was going to have a higher talent level than last year. So, when you keep all this in mind, do you see this past season as one that perhaps exceeded your own expectations?
BH: “I think where the season was at some points showed that we had the program in great condition because there were multiple occasions, where a lot of teams with poor culture or losing environment, the season would have gotten away from them pretty quickly. We struggled through our adversities and we grew from it and we went on such a significant run. I think we were one of the best teams in the country in the month of February.
“And so, that's what you hope for - that your team is getting better and that the group comes together and they made a stand. I’m so proud of that Arizona game just the way we came back from the (22-point) deficit and really grab hold of our season from that point on. It's just a privilege, an honor to coach the guys in the locker room this year.”
DevilsDigest TV: As you said, you finished the season on a high note winning eight of the last 11. Is there one aspect of play that you wish would have would have clicked on better much earlier in the season?
BH: “I thought we were better offensive team than we were playing earlier in the season and we put a lot of pressure on our defense in a number of games which led us to struggle. But we had a constant in our effort and how we guarded and that was consistent for the most part throughout the whole year. I think that that carried us in our run in February, just how well we were playing defensively.
“The more guys started playing better and as a group, the more guys making contributions. I’m proud of Rob Edwards how after he struggled and at one point, he really found himself late in the year and finished his career really well. Mickey Mitchell and what he's been through and what he provided for our team in terms of leadership and toughness. Remy Martin consistently throughout the year just being a guy that could make plays. And then Zo Verge who got off to a slow start but really found himself.
“So, it was really rewarding to see so many guys contributing and playing well as the season wore on.”
DevilsDigest: I want to expand on Alonzo Verge. I think him winning the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year may have been one of the easiest votes for the coaches to ever cast in this league. When you look back at what contributed to this transformation not only from a starter to a reserve but also from just someone as you said, struggled and later became a bona fide playmaker…when you look back what do you think are some of the aspects that help that transformation?
BH: “I don't think it was necessarily him coming off the bench that had a lot to do with that. He's a starter and certainly he started all his games at Moberly (Area Community College) and averaged 30 points a game. So, it wasn't an issue of whether he started or came off the bench, but just I think it finding himself and finding his niche within our team dynamic. Adjusting to not having the basketball as much as he probably had it in Junior College, especially playing alongside Remy.
“It was really gratifying to see those guys coexist so much better as the season went on and looking for each other out there. You saw his confidence growing and building as all this was happening, and looking exactly like the guy that I went to see and fell in love with in Moberly last year as a guy who just plays with ultimate confidence and has a swagger about them.”
DevilsDigest: When it comes to your expectations of Remy Martin, those were probably higher than any other player on the roster. Suffice to say that earning First Team All-Pac 12 honors justified those lofty expectations you put on him…
BH: “No doubt, if UCLA doesn't hit that 3 and we find a way to win that game, win those last couple of games…he’s definitely in the conversation for (Pac-12) Player of the Year. But it just didn't work out that way for us and it was unfortunate that, and I said this earlier that he picked a year to have Payton Pritchard in the league and that was really stiff competition to get player to year. But Remy certainly had that type of season for us.”
DevilsDigest: Looking at the season stats, Romello White was a near Double-Double machine all year. When you look at his season averages, do you feel it was it easier for him to shine now that Zylan wasn't on the team or maybe it was more a case of being a veteran player that was finally coming into his own?
“I tried to give you guys (the media) a heads up on Mello in the offseason. He has really dedicated himself. He worked on his game extremely hard. He got into the best shape he's been in since he's been here. He improved his free throws to percentages and just his confidence was greatly improved. We noticed that as he was progressing through the summer and into the fall and so I wasn't really surprised he had statistically the impact that he had. On defense, he's been an anchor and so valuable and important to us winning the games we won, and a lot of things he did that don't even show up necessarily on a stat sheet that were impactful to winning. Romello provided a lot of those things for us this year.”
DevilsDigest: When you look at the rebound differential stats it read a - 2.3. Naturally, you would love that number to transpose, your roster makeup, maybe knowing that you're going to be more challenged in the paint…is this a figure that you can live within the grand picture and especially considering the manner you ended the season?
BH: “You hope that there's a way that you could improve and you want to evaluate yourself and figure out ways that you could do better. And certainly rebounding such an important category, something that we talked a lot about. We knew the way the roster was built losing a physical rebounder like Lu at the guard spot and then losing a guy that just eats up gobbles up rebounds like Zylan, that we would take a step back in that in that category.
“But I think we're Romello White cushioned the blow and at times also Jalen Graham just the influence that he had this year as a young guy that came in and had some big moments and really played well, so we're excited about his development.”
DevilsDigest: Bobby, is there one game you can point to that you felt that you were really were at your peak on both ends of the court for 40 minutes or pretty close to it?
BH: “I think potentially the UCLA game at home where everyone took notice of hot UCLA was at the time. For us to handle them the way we did (an 84-66 win), we shot the heck out of it (50 percent from the field), from three (58.3 percent) and then we guarded well (UCLA shot 37.9 percent from the field, 28 percent from three-point range), so it was a great combination of all of those things.”
DevilsDigest: Attrition, as we know, happens every year all across the nation in college basketball. But now with this new set of circumstances of the canceled season, do you think that might impact the number of your players that either are going to declare early for the NBA or maybe look to transfer?
BH: “It's hard to figure but things might get delayed some when deciding because of the uncertainty right now and the inability to the travel and go visit schools until the middle of April at minimum. So, I think it could slow down the process but I’m still seeing it on social media everywhere. There are kids that are moving on to try and find a different opportunity and I don't think that that's going to change significantly.
“We're having conversations with our players and finding out where they stand and what their futures are going to be and there are a lot of variables. There's testing the waters. There's ‘are you are you staying here?’ Each guy has some decisions that they're going to have to make and this is happening everywhere not just at Arizona State.”
DevilsDigest: With the dead period extending until April 15th, how creative do you have to be recruiting wise when you really can't leave campus or have players visit campus?
BH: “You a guy like Marcus Bagley on board as a player that immediately going to positively affect our program. And then you're involved with other kids you've been recruiting for a while and those situations will all play out, and that'll determine your next moves and what else you need. Who on your roster might want to look for another opportunity and how that impacts everything? So, there's still a lot of variables right now.”
DevilsDigest: What's on your to-do list as you prepare for the 2020-21 season?
“I just think it's getting through my processes of just the loss and the investment that you put into the season and just have it ending the way it has…to kind of grieve and get through that and at the same time you're distracted and upset for what's happening in the world and seeing that so many people are being impacted by this and affected by this. So, you're sad about that and it's just a tough time overall in the world.
“But in the back of my mind, I'm going to start moving on. I think that'll most likely happen as we're allowed to get back in the gym and start working out with our athletes again, but we're not sure how that's how long that's going to take. So, it's a little bit of an unknown right now.”
Erik Pierson and Jordan Kaye contributed to this article
