PHOENIX — Arizona State University head basketball coach Bobby Hurley is staying with the Sun Devils through at least the 2026 season after agreeing to a 2-year contract extension last week.
Hurley is coming off of a 23-win season, which is tied for the most wins in Tempe during his tenure with the 2018-19 team, and his 3rd trip to the NCAA Tournament at ASU (which would be four, if not for the 2020 season that was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic).
And after spending the weekend in Las Vegas watching his brother, Dan, lead the UConn Huskies to the Final Four, Hurley said he is committed to helping ASU reach those heights.
"The margins are razor thin between winning and losing and continuing to advance," Hurley said during a press conference at Desert Financial Arena on Tuesday. "That’s the goal, keep taking steps and put ourselves in position to have opportunities to go after a Pac-12 Championship and NCAA Tournament appearances and where it could take you. It’s been special for me to be able to track my brother, spend time with him and watch what he’s doing. It’s inspiring for me to see what he’s done with that team and how far he’s taken it. I’m so proud of him and enjoyed just seeing that. It makes me hungrier as a coach and try to do something special."
Hurley has already started work on his roster for next season, as five players (Austin Nunez, Luther Muhammad, Enoch Boakye, D.J. Horne, and Jamiya Neal) have entered the transfer portal. However, the Devils have a core group of players committed to returning, and Hurley is excited to build around them.
"You have to have players, you have to have guys you can win with. You have to have winners and guys that value that. I have several guys like that, that I can build off of," Hurley said. "Every year there’s going to be change, there’s going to be guys that are going to explore their options for a variety of reasons and there’s going to be guys that are knocking down the door to want to come here. We’ll do the best we can to retain everyone, and if that's not the case, we’re going to bring guys in that are going to do that."
And when it comes to finding players in the transfer portal, playing in high-profile games like the First Four in Dayton can only help, according to Hurley.
"I think the visibility of our program has increased due to what we did in Dayton," Hurley said. "It was the only game people were watching that night. There are players that see our style of play, and how attractive that could be. They saw how hard we play, how we defended and scored 98 points in that game. I think then people watched our TCU game and it was a war.
"When you’re involved in games like that, your program goes up a notch," Hurley added. "Kids want to know ‘am I going to get better,’ but winning is a part of that too and they want the chance to play in the NCAA Tournament. We’re hopeful that that will translate to what we’re doing for roster improvement."
Hurley now has the backing of the ASU administration to continue making ASU into a contender, and if the Sun Devils are able to upgrade their home court, Desert Financial Arena, which is nearing its 50th birthday, that would only help. However, Hurley isn't thinking about that.
"When that building is filled, and we're playing UCLA, and our players are on the court, they're not thinking about anything else except look at all these people in the stands and look at this environment," Hurley said. "I think we've created – outside of Arizona – the best Pac-12 environment in terms of support. The school has been through a lot with COVID and the limitations of the finances and I'm not involved in that directly, but it impacted our university. So when that is addressed, I would certainly be in favor of it. When that timeline is in play, it’s in play, but it won’t stop me from doing what I need to do."
Hurley did have interest from other schools before he decided to stay in Tempe, a place he calls home and hopes to for a long time.
"I built a life here. I have a family here. My daughter graduated here, she got a master's here, my son is on the team and loves it here. My wife and I love living here. I still believe that this place can be exceptional. I think COVID stunted our growth. And we took a couple of steps back and now we've taken a step forward. And I intend to keep taking steps forward here because I believe in this place and that it can be done here. And so when you believe in it, then you're gonna go after it 1,000% and that’s what I’m gonna do. And I know I have commitment. I know I have an administration that supports me and wants me to be here and believes in me, so I'm going to do my best to get the job done.”
The 2022-23 NCAA basketball season wraps up this weekend. The Final Four will be played in Houston on Friday, April 1 followed by the National Championship game on Monday, April 3.