If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 23 wins and an NCAA Tournament win isn’t a season that would require any sort of repairing. Arizona State stuck by this philosophy, and university athletics vice president Ray Anderson announced last Tuesday announced the contract extension of ASU men’s basketball head coach Bobby Hurley, subject to approval by the Arizona Board of Regents. The deal locks Hurley in with the program through the 2025-2026 NCAA men’s basketball season.
“Coach Hurley has made our program relevant nationally with many significant wins and an exciting style, along with a firm commitment to the academic success of our student-athletes,” athletic director Ray Anderson said of the contract extension last week. “He has made it clear to us that he wants to be here, and we have done likewise with him. We share a strong confidence in the present and future state of Sun Devil Men’s Basketball.”
Not only has Hurley built a foundation for Sun Devil basketball in his time in the desert, but he’s also built a personal lifestyle that he doesn’t wish to alter, very much playing into his decision to stay onboard.
“I’ve built a life here,” Hurley said. “I have a family here. My daughter graduated here, and my son is on the team and loves it here. My wife and I love living here. I still think this place can be exceptional. I believe in this place, and I believe it can be done here. When you believe in it, you’re gonna go after it a thousand percent.”
His commitment to Arizona State has been shared by Ray Anderson and university President Michael Crow as well.
“Ray Anderson hired me here and brought me in, and we’ve been attached at the hip,” Hurley noted. “Ray showed additional commitment to me, and he believes in what I’ve been able to do after two tough seasons and COVID. I’m super proud of the work we’ve put into get the program back where it needs to be. A big part of that is Ray Anderson and Doctor Crow’s commitment to the program. Very appreciative of their support and happy that I’m back here.”
Since his hiring in 2015, Hurley has overseen one of Sun Devil basketball's most successful time periods. In his eight-year tenure, Hurley currently holds a record of 141-113 at the helm of Arizona State basketball. Hurley is one of two Sun Devil basketball coaches alongside Ned Wulk to reach three different NCAA Tournaments, including in 2023. Hurley has also won 20 or more games in four of the team’s last six seasons, whereas the program had only reached 20 victories nine times in its 35 years prior to Hurley’s arrival.
“If you look at the totality of my tenure here, we’ve won some high profile games, we’ve been to multiple NCAA Tournaments,” Hurley remarked. “I have confidence in my abilities; I know what I’m capable of doing. I feel like I’m in my prime and have all the experiences.”
The 2022-2023 season was arguably Hurley’s most successful on the Sun Devil baseline as ASU shined with a 23-13 overall record, including an 11-9 conference mark. Surprisingly, ASU was one of the better teams on the road in the country as they racked up 13 wins away from home, including neutral-site victories over eventual tournament teams in Creighton and VCU. Their efforts in conference play, including a dramatic 89-88 victory over future No. 2 seed Arizona in Tucson, netted them the sixth seed in the conference, and the team would reach the conference semifinals for just the fourth time in program history.
The team’s efforts in the regular season and two wins in the Pac-12 Tournament over Oregon State and USC, whom the team lost both of its regular season contests to, helped propel the program to the NCAA Tournament as an 11 seed, dominating their first four matchup with Nevada before being eliminated in the Round of 64 in heartbreaking fashion, losing 72-70 to TCU.
“They’re razor-thin margins between winning and losing, continuing to advance,” Hurley remarked, given his extensive experience both as a player and coach in the NCAA Tournament.
Despite how this past season ended, the progress the program has made from two rough seasons is undeniable. What makes it even more impressive is the transfer portal’s emergence gutting Hurley of many players and coaches, forcing him to build back up.
“Two years ago was the first year of the portal, and it was like a turning point,” Hurley recalled. “The guys that stayed with me was Kimani Lawrence and Jalen Graham, and then it was a blank canvas. In two years, we’re back in the NCAA Tournament, so I’m super proud of the work we’ve put in to get the program back where it needs to be.”
With the steps that were taken to set up what would be a wild 2022-2023 season, Hurley couldn’t deny his enjoyment of the season and all of the ups and downs that came with it.
“After further reflection now, looking back on the year, you feel super appreciative for the journey we had and the season we had,” Hurley said. “I really like the way the guys responded throughout the year with their backs against the wall. We had some special moments together as a team. Real honor to coach this group and this team.”
Not the only Hurley to guide his program to the NCAA Tournament in 2023, Bobby’s younger brother Danny accomplished the same feat and then some. Dan Hurley, in his fifth year as the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Connecticut, has successfully led his team through a similar multi-year rebuild culminating in the Huskies’ 2023 Final Four appearance this upcoming weekend, just two wins away from his first national title. While ASU’s head coach has won national titles as a player alongside several other accolades, he’s certainly proud of his younger’s brother work on the other side of the country. Dan Hurley’s success drives Bobby Hurley to meet his brother at the top of the college basketball world.
“It’s been special for me to be able to track my brother and spend time with him and watch what he’s doing,” Hurley noted. “It’s been inspiring for me to see what he’s done with that team and how far he’s taken it. It makes me hungrier as a coach to take more steps here and do something special.”
In order to take that step, Hurley now has to turn his attention to roster building for next season. That task wouldn’t be easy with the team’s leading scorer Desmond Cambridge exhausting his eligibility, as his fellow guard Luther Muhammad and key contributors such DJ Horne, Austin Nunez, and Jamiya Neal leaving through the portal. Whether any of those players decided to exit the portal, and with Warren Washington’s looming decision to use his last year of eligibility, Hurley is confident in his ability to build upon the team’s success last season, and he understands the sense of urgency that comes along with it in the new era of college basketball.
“In past seasons, you go through a long year, and there’s a lot of tough games and so much stress and pressure,” Hurley stated. “The finality of it hurts so bad that you wanna just escape and go away and let your mind relax a little bit. Not anymore in this world. The transfer portal, we’ve been very aggressive in exploring multiple ways that we’re gonna surround the core of this coming team to take further steps than we did this year. We’ll continue to have discussions with all those guys about what their future looks like.
“I told everybody; I want all you guys back,” Hurley said. “I think those guys have elevated Arizona State basketball. I will try to keep you here and convince you to stay here, but if it’s not in your heart to be here, I’m just gonna thank you for helping us re-establish our program.”
Having said that, Hurley believes what the Sun Devils did on the court spoke volumes to prospective players who could be eyeing up Tempe as their next destination. Playing on the national stage of the NCAA Tournament also helped get some eyes on Arizona State basketball as well.
“The visibility of our program has increased due to what we did in Dayton,” Hurley exclaimed. “The one game where people were watching that night. There are players that see our style of play, how attractive that could be, how hard we play, and how we defended. People then watched our TCU game, and it was a war; we went toe-to-toe and controlled that game most of the way. When you’re involved in games like that, the profile of your program goes up a notch. We’re hoping that will translate to what we’re doing with roster improvement.”
No matter who dons the maroon and gold next year, Hurley made clear the type of players he wants in the locker room to get the Sun Devils not only back to the NCAA Tournament but to make their own run in March Madness.
“That’s the goal, to keep taking steps and have the opportunities to go after a Pac-12 championship and NCAA Tournament appearances,” Hurley said. “We have a core of players we’re bringing back that are invested in this and wanna see it work. I’m gonna get to work with my staff and give us a better chance to advance in the tournament next year. You gotta have winners, guys that value that. I have several guys like that that I’m building with.
“We’ll do the best we can to retain everybody that we can. If that’s not the case, then we’re gonna bring in someone that’s gonna get the job done.”
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