Hurley sees ASU's foreign tour as a tool of cohesiveness for the Sun Devils
Embarking on a foreign tour, when you enter the season with nine newcomers on your roster, takes on a larger meaning than a cool summer getaway. Head coach Bobby Hurley says that the expected benefits of this European trip for Arizona State basketball could go a long way in building the necessary chemistry for a Sun Devil squad still trying to get used to each other.
“We’ve had a busy summer here, the last five weeks or so getting the foundation of our training,” Hurley described. “We’ve had a pretty good summer, obviously, a lot of new faces, trying to get guys acclimated to a new environment, a new way of doing things. But it's exciting, and it's refreshing to be in the gym and seeing the level of talent and seeing how all those options could work together.
“Excited for the process, and looking forward to Monday (July 24), when we get on the plane and head to Europe. We have a great trip in front of us, Paris for four days and two games, Athens, Greece, for two days and one game, and then Mykonos, a little island off the coast of Greece that the guys will be able just to enjoy and spend some beach time in. It's a great way to cap our summer program.”
The bonding aspect of this trip is naturally the most significant desired objective of this experience. Hurley mentioned the European trip prior to the 2017-18 season, which preceded a 12-0 non-conference mark and an eventual NCAA Tournament berth. Preparing for the trip has allowed ASU to have ten extra practices, which by default have also elevated the level of chemistry on the team.
“The additional practices have been great,” Hurley commented. “We've taken full advantage of those; I feel like we've done a lot more team-oriented stuff this summer than any other year. So, we're pretty far along in terms of just where we need to be on the court. But it's bigger than just the basketball piece. I think the games will be beneficial playing the three games, but it's more about the bonding, the time that we'll be able to see the sights, the dinners that we'll have, and, all the ways that we could kind of accelerate the process of bringing together a new group of people.
“But so far so good. Every indication is that the group really seems to like each other. Our practices have been competitive, but off the court, the guys seem like they're gelling pretty well right now.”
With the unique makeup of this ASU team, it’s incumbent on the Sun Devils’ returning players, senior forward Alonzo Gaffney, junior forward Jamiya Neal, and sophomore point guard Frankie Collins, to be the requisite leaders of this group. It’s a task that Hurley has witnessed and was very complimentary of regarding these three players.
“They've been great,” Hurley noted. “They've been very vocal. We're coming off a 23-win season, so the guys you are bringing back have credibility because you've had a successful season. And when these guys are talking, it has meaning. They've been focusing on communicating better. I've relied on them to talk to the guys about how we do things and operate. How we work out and how we train is a little different, and I think that's going to help us play the style we want. But those guys, all in their own way, have been very good leaders for the new players.”
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Hurley complemented his returning players for sticking with the program despite NIL opportunities elsewhere and seeing the big picture. Jamiya Neal agreed with those words as he explained his approach to the decision of reaming in Tempe.
“The basketball side, the relationship with coach (Hurley), the freedom of play, the playing style,” Neal explained, “everything here…I feel like me, and Frankie can show our talents and be ourselves here. Some things are worth waiting for, and some people are just trying to chase money and get the biggest bag, but that's not what it's always about. Sometimes it's about investing in your future. Staying here was a good investment for both of our futures.”
Collins entered the NBA draft and participated in several pre-draft events. Looking back, he stated that it was an experience that can benefit him both in the near and distant future.
‘It helps you because everybody's ultimate goal is to get to that level (NBA),” Collins remarked. “So hearing it from people at that level telling you the things you need to work on and get better at, I think that's the best way to go mentally into next season. Getting all the feedback, hearing from the teams, and understanding what I need to do better helped me a lot.”
Whether it’s doing it with their actions or by their voice, both players said they embraced the leadership expectations their head coach had placed on them. They know that they will be the ones Hurley will count on to lead their teammates through adversity and make the crucial plays in any contest's waning moments.
“It's my third year here,” Neal said, “It’s like a 10-year vet nowadays, with all the transfers and everything. “So I think I got all the answers to the Coach Hurley test. So, it's kind of easier for me to be a leader because I know what it looks like. I know how he wants it done. So I continue to tell these guys exactly how it needs to be. I think it's just about time (he needs to be a leader).”
“I had to get acclimated to where I was at,” said Collins, who arrived at Arizona State just last year as a transfer from the University of Michigan. “I understand what we do here at ASU. So I was in that position that they're in now, and I'm able to put them through it, let them know what to do, and what not’s with coach. I show them things around campus so that they can enjoy themselves. I let them understand that they gotta get used to this heat as well.”
Collins echoed the benefits of this trip when it comes to building the necessary camaraderie with such a large group of newcomers and how that will translate to the hardwood.
“For us, it’s creating this bond with our teammates,” Collins remarked. “We're gonna play basketball, and sometimes you gotta put basketball side, because of just the bigger picture like we were talking about earlier, building relationships, creating these bonds and memories. That's gonna last long forever.
“Being able to get away from where we are now, putting our phones down, and connecting with each other mentally, is going out there to help us on the court. When we are all connected mentally, we all have that relationship. Practices have been going really well. Obviously, we got new guys, but these guys came in, and they’re hard workers. They're not expecting anything less than that. So that's really what you want in a group of guys, you want guys who come in and work, want to do their jobs, and everybody in here wants to get better.”
“We never had to start at this fast pace,” Neal described. “We're already having to do a lot more stuff than usual because of this trip. So I salute the guys that come in working, trying to get better every day, learn the plays and learn the system at a faster rate game than transfers had to before.
Neal was one of the best players on the roster last season, averaging 8.2 points in the final eight contests. He posted 12 points in 27 minutes in the upset road win at Arizona., and his 16 points were instrumental in the NCAA Tournament win at Nevada. Nonetheless, the junior knows that he has more than a couple of traits to improve on ahead of this season. And in some respects, he expects to try and fill in the shoes left behind by last season’s leading scorer Desmond Cambridge Jr.
“I've shown at times throughout the season where I could go put the ball in the basket,” Neal said, “and I do think I will take more shots this year. I’m not gonna chick up the ball like Des did; he was a different type of shooter. I've been working a lot on all my jump shot, my catch-and-shoot, and being a more consistent shooter. Definitely, this year is going to be more of Des type of role, but in my own way.”
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While seeking out a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) payout didn't account for every one of the nine players who transferred out of ASU, it was still significant in the majority of that group. Hurley said it has been frustrating to lose that volume of players coming off a 23-win season, but he’s not making any excuses and is focused on building the best team he can for this year.
“I just want to put my head down and work,” Hurley stated, “and we were able to bring in the players that we're able to bring in, and I'm excited about working with them. That's where my mindset is in terms of what we're able to do with our offseason. I know every program is different and has its different challenges. But I'm excited about my group and glad I have the guys that I have on campus.
“We’re going to expect this type of change and turnover every year, and that's how I'm focusing on and looking at it. There are examples of guys that Jamiya Neal who wants to be here, and he's looking at this as he wants to be a pro. And he thinks our style of play and the growth and development that he has seen in his game over a couple of years, that his bigger picture than a one-time payout. he saw what he was capable of doing late in the season, and that's why he's back here.
“I'm excited to coach guys like that. And I think with Frankie Collins and Alonzo Gaffney; it’s the same thing. They had options too. They want to be here, and I want guys that want to be a part of this. We're going to surround those guys with players that I think will complement them and help us take another step.
“We're not satisfied with how we finished last year. Winning 23 games, that was great. We got to win some games in the NCAA Tournament, man. We got to be in the hunt for championships. And that's where my mindset is at. And I think the three guys that returned are all thinking about that.”
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