Bobby Hurley, Arizona State, and a Season on the Brink
Bobby Hurley’s name still carries weight in college basketball circles-Final Four hero, gritty point guard, son of a coaching legend. But right now, the shine from those glory days feels distant in Tempe. At Arizona State, Hurley’s current reality is less about past accolades and more about a program that’s searching for answers-and not finding many.
The Sun Devils are in a tough spot. They’re 12-12 overall and 3-8 in Big 12 play, sitting 14th in the conference standings.
That’s not just disappointing-it’s deflating. And what’s more concerning than the record is the tone coming from the head coach himself.
Hurley, known for his fire and passion, has sounded more defeated than defiant in recent weeks. The frustration is no longer simmering beneath the surface-it’s boiling over in real time.
After a close loss to Colorado, Hurley was asked about his team’s rebounding woes. ASU ranks last in the Big 12 on the boards, a stat that’s hard to ignore. But instead of offering a plan or even a glimmer of hope, Hurley gave a response that raised eyebrows.
“Are you kidding me?” he said. “We got seven games left, so if we can’t rebound now, then chances are we're not going to be able to rebound.”
That quote quickly made the rounds, and not because it inspired confidence. It sounded like a coach who’s run out of solutions-and maybe out of patience, too.
It wasn’t an isolated moment. After a loss to West Virginia back on January 21, Hurley delivered another brutally honest assessment.
“We failed. I'm failing.
I can't get through to the team. I don't know what else I can say.”
That kind of honesty can be refreshing in a sport full of coach-speak. But when it starts to sound like surrender, it hits differently.
Hurley did go on to say he likes this year’s group-maybe even more than some of his past teams. But he also called this season the most “demoralized” he’s felt since taking over the program.
And then came the comment that really stuck.
“We have not played well here in years,” Hurley said. “Like since before Covid.
We had this place cookin’ before Covid, now it’s just a sterile environment. We don’t win here, we don’t give our fans a reason to show up with enthusiasm and to think we’re going to win a basketball game.”
That’s not just a critique of the current roster or a rough stretch of games-that’s a broader indictment of the program’s trajectory over the past several seasons. And it’s hard to argue with the numbers.
Hurley took over at Arizona State in 2015, replacing Herb Sendek. The program was coming off an 18-16 season, and the first two years under Hurley didn’t offer much improvement-no more than 15 wins in either campaign.
But from 2017 through 2020, things started to click. The Sun Devils rattled off three straight 20-win seasons, climbed as high as No. 3 in the AP poll in 2017, and posted winning records in the Pac-12.
For a while, it felt like Hurley had found the formula. The team was fast, aggressive, and fearless-mirroring the identity of its head coach.
But since 2020, that momentum has stalled. There’s been just one 20-win season since, and the program hasn’t been able to string together consistent success.
In 11 seasons under Hurley, ASU has made three NCAA Tournament appearances. All three times, the Sun Devils were slotted as No. 11 seeds.
That’s not a death sentence by any means-plenty of 11s have made noise in March-but it does suggest that ASU hasn’t been viewed as a serious contender by the selection committee. And in each of those appearances, the team failed to advance past the First Four or the first round.
That’s the larger issue here. Even in the program’s better years under Hurley, there’s never been a sense that a deep tournament run was truly on the table.
Exciting? Sure.
Competitive? At times.
But dangerous? Not quite.
Fast forward to this season, and the tone has shifted from competitive to resigned. After a 13-point home loss to No.
1 Arizona on January 31, Hurley was asked if there was anything encouraging to take from the game. His response?
“It’s kind of too late to put things together. Today we played as good of basketball as this team was probably capable of.”
That’s a tough pill to swallow for players, fans, and anyone hoping for a late-season turnaround. There’s still time left on the schedule, but the sense of urgency has been replaced by a sense of inevitability.
Hurley’s passion for the game has never been in question. His sideline intensity, his willingness to speak his mind, and his deep basketball roots have made him a compelling figure in college hoops.
But right now, Arizona State isn’t just losing games-it’s losing belief. And when the coach starts to sound like he’s out of answers, that’s when things get really complicated.
There’s no denying that Hurley has had some high points in Tempe. But as the losses pile up and the press conferences grow more candid, the question becomes harder to ignore: Where does this program go from here?