Arizona State head men’s basketball coach Bobby Hurley said on Wednesday that this year’s team will be led by its perimeter, which will compensate for the lack of size and frontcourt depth.

In addition to junior point guard Tra Holder, who Hurley said has improved competitive drive and leadership skills, new additions Shannon Evans and Sam Cunliffe are expected to contribute immediately.

“I wouldn’t trade our perimeter with anyone in the country,” said Hurley, who is beginning his second year with the program. “I think it’s experienced, it’s productive and it’s proven.”

Hurley said Evans, who left the University of Buffalo to follow Hurley coach to Tempe, is the equivalent of a McDonald’s All-American.

Evans also clocked 4:59 on his mile, according to Hurley, a clear winner on the team and the best time Hurley has ever witnessed.

He compared Evans to a volcano that is ready to erupt after sitting out a year.

“Shannon is as gifted as any player in our conference coming into this year,” Hurley said. “When you see that guy work every day and you see him make plays, the guy doesn’t get tired.

“Just the intangibles, the electricity that you’ll see him play with. I think his teammates will feed off of that energy and it will be good for our fans too.”

Cunliffe is a 4-star recruit on Rivals who was ranked the No. 36 player in the country after his senior year.

Hurley said Cunliffe is a college-ready talent, but noted the obvious learning curve in adjusting to the new competition level, which will take time.

“The work ethic is there, he wants to be great,” he said. “…I know he brings something different to our team just with his ability to get to the rim. He’s one of the better mid-range shooters you’ll see just by getting to his spots…His passing has been a pleasant surprise.”

This year’s team will earn its offensive living by attacking the basketball off the dribble with its guards, Hurley said. Additionally, he mentioned the group is shaping up to be an outstanding three-point shooting team with junior sharpshooter Kodi Justice and senior Torian Graham — once a top-50 high school player — to go along with Holder, Evans, and Cunliffe.

“I think that they’re going to pose some problems to defenses because of their ability, their quickness, and their creativity off the bounce to get to the rim,” he said.

ASU lost freshman Romello White — a 6-foot-8 big man — for the season after he was ruled an academic redshirt. It will also be without 6-foot-9 freshman forward Vitaliy Shibel, who tore his ACL and is out for the year.

Hurley said the team is experimenting with different things he may not have done in the past to compensate for the loss of height and depth.

However, he said freshman big man Jethro Tshisumpa at 6-foot-10 and 260 pounds has the best raw athletic tools that he has seen in his coaching career.

Hurley also noted that the staff is acting conservatively with sophomore forward Andre Adams, who tore his ACL during the 2014-2015 season and is still rehabilitating.

During his first year with the program, Hurley said the talent and size of Pac-12 players stood out to him, further emphasizing recruiting.

“Every year, we got to make sure we’re targeting guys that have a chance to be pros because it’s hard to win in this conference if you don’t have those types of guys,” he said.

He also said last year’s team did not live up to the defensive standards Hurley set during his basketball career. If the team can improve defensively, Hurley said it could perhaps make them elite on the offensive end.

ASU went 10-3 in nonconference play last season with its 67-54 win headlining the stretch. But a poor 5-13 conference record shattered its hopes of a NCAA Tournament bid.

Hurley said he believes the Sun Devils would have been a tournament team if they had just been average throughout Pac-12 play because they had so much nonconference success.

The Sun Devils continue their difficult nonconference slate this year, highlighted by a matchup with Kentucky in the Bahamas and a road test at San Diego State.

“The NCAA Tournament committee wants to see teams that are willing to push themselves with their non-conference schedule,” he said. “We want to recruit guys who love to play in those games.”

ASU opens its season on Nov. 11 against Portland State at Wells Fargo Arena.