360 days ago, Arizona State men’s basketball marched into Grand Canyon University Arena to face off with cross-town rival GCU. A bonafide WAC contender that eventually made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, the Antelopes were fired up to face the top dog from across The Valley.

That competitive fire showed on the floor and in the stands as the Antelopes took the Sun Devils to the final seconds, where a dramatic buzzer-beating three from former ASU guard Remy Martin on a strong off-ball screen play propelled ASU to a 71-70 victory and an enormous sigh of relief.

On Thursday, GCU (8-1, 0-0 WAC) comes to Desert Financial Arena to attempt to avenge its loss in Phoenix last year, but ASU head coach Bobby Hurley is aware of the challenges that the Antelopes pose, and he’s relayed that message to his team across the duration of this week.

“I just want our guys to realize how important it is to Grand Canyon and what these games mean to that team,” Hurley told reporters on Wednesday. “There’s a lot of local guys on that roster that this game means a lot to, I would imagine. We have a couple of those, but also guys from Ohio, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and everywhere. I tell them, ‘Listen here guys, this is a game that Grand Canyon is going to be very enthusiastic to play.”

GCU brings two former Sun Devils back to Desert Financial on Thursday as well, as fifth-year point guard Holland Woods and senior forward Taeshon Cherry took their talents from Tempe to Phoenix to play under head coach Bryce Drew.

A transfer from Portland State ahead of the 2019-2020 season, Woods played high school ball at Apollo High in Glendale and averaged 6.7 points across the 25 games ASU played last season, providing valuable depth at the guard positions. Woods was the only player to appear in all 25 games and, according to his former head coach, the only player never to miss a practice. In eight games for GCU, Woods is averaging 13.4 ppg, as well as 3.1 assists.

“Even through COVID, he and I were the only two that survived the entire season being at every practice and every game,” Hurley said of Woods’ effort. “He was one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached. I only coached him for one year, but I was just getting to know him and learn what he’s all about… He went through a tough year and battled through it with me.”

Cherry, on the other hand, spent three years at Arizona State after being recruited as a five-star prospect out of Foothills Christian in El Cajon, California. Cherry averaged 5.1 ppg and 2.9 rpg across his tenure in Tempe and was responsible for some memorable moments at Desert Financial. Hurley recalled Cherry’s ability to step up on defense when the lights came on in some of the more notable matchups while he was in a Sun Devil uniform.

“Taeshon had some very positive seasons with us,” Hurley remembered. “I remember him making some big defensive stops to help us win games, especially against our rival Arizona and in other games. We have had a lot of good moments together.”

“We are expecting (those two) to come in fired up,” super-senior forward Kimani Lawrence, a former teammate of both Woods and Cherry, said. “They are both great players. I played with Taeshon (a lot), and I lived with him too. It’s going to be fun to play against him.”

For Hurley and Lawrence alike, this will be the first time either of them has faced a former player from the ASU program that has transferred away. No other Sun Devil from last year’s roster is set to face off with the current team across the duration of the regular season, with slight possibility of facing those teams in the NCAA Tournament, too, if ASU makes it to March Madness. Woods and Cherry are the only contributors to that unique experience.

“I haven’t had to (face former collegiate players) before, but it was going to happen at some point,” Hurley explained. “This won’t be the only time. Things like this are here to stay, and they will happen in the future certainly… It’s going to be different to see those guys, but I really hope nothing but the best for them other than tomorrow night.”

“I’ve played against a lot of high school teammates during my time here but not college teammates,” Lawrence said. “I expect it to be fun. I competed against those guys in practice – Taeshon for years. I’m looking forward to it.”

As far as the status of Hurley’s team, it looks like the Sun Devils are breathing fresh air and are seriously embracing playing and thriving as a team, especially after an upset victory over Oregon in Eugene last Sunday. The Sun Devils outlasted the Ducks 69-67 behind a 23-point performance from sophomore transfer guard DJ Horne including a clutch bucket to tie the game and send it to overtime. It was Horne’s roommate, sophomore transfer guard Jay Heath, who sent ASU back to Tempe happy with the game-winning three-pointer.

Arizona State’s victory was so surprising due to the fact it had put up 29 points in an embarrassing 22-point loss to Washington State at home. Horne and Hurley each explained how the team was able to turn it around, heading to Eugene.

“Coach was definitely honest about it, and he let us know how bad we played,” Horne mentioned. “I feel like he did a good job keeping our confidence high and still encouraging us and letting us know that our season was not over yet. I think that helped us go into the Oregon game with confidence.”

“I think it’s easy to start lashing out and pointing fingers and blaming everyone and trying different things – let’s not play man defense anymore or let’s get an entirely new starting lineup – you have to resist the temptation to not scrap everything that you’ve watched for months in terms of preparation and practice and the offseason,” Hurley answered. “You hope that things will turn, and guys will start playing a little better, and hopefully that translates into better basketball.”

With GCU on the horizon, Hurley also sent a very important message to his team. Much like ASU felt relieved when it knocked off GCU in that extremely close contest last year, Hurley wants to avoid the feeling of post-win relief at all costs. He wants his players to stay dialed in on the task at hand, and that’s showing that they’re a strong basketball team and the best team in town.

“You want the guys to feel good after a tough couple of weeks, so to get the win the way we did (against Oregon) – I think the guys fought really hard to get it and had to make really tough shots and make big plays – you experience a little bit of just happiness for them because they get to feel that way,” Hurley admitted. “You don’t want to feel relieved at this point, though. It’s great to win one, but you have to turn the page and move on.”

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