Bobby Hurley is not expected to return to Arizona State after his 11th season as the Sun Devils men’s basketball coach. This follows a report by The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman. On3’s Pete Nakos confirmed Goodman’s report.
SunDevilSource.com’s Chris Karpman added that Hurley and ASU athletic director Graham Rossini still plan to meet after the Big 12 Tournament to discuss their future. Hurley’s contract is set to expire at the end of June.
Season Performance and Tournament Outlook
ASU has a 16-15 record overall, with a 7-11 showing in the Big 12. They have at least one more game to play this year. Their Big 12 Tournament matchup against Baylor is scheduled.
The Sun Devils began the contract year for their head coach with a 9-2 record. However, they then suffered nine losses in their subsequent 11 games. They managed to win three of the following four games, which included an upset victory over Texas Tech, who were ranked No. 13 at the time.
Two losses to Baylor and TCU in Texas then diminished their hopes of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Rivalry Record and Hurley’s Confidence
Although ASU provided Arizona with some of the Wildcats’ closest games during their 23-0 start to the season, Hurley has lost his last seven games against the in-state rival. It should be noted that Arizona were ranked No. 1 for both of those games.
The only ASU win in the last 13 matchups against current Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd came when Desmond Cambridge hit a buzzer-beater from beyond halfcourt in 2022-23. Lloyd took over before the 2021-22 season.
Hurley told The Athletic’s Doug Haller in February that he believes he’s in his prime as a coach. He reiterated this belief after the mid-February win over Texas Tech.
“I don’t care about doubters, what people say and all that stuff,” Hurley said. “I’ve coached against some of the best coaches in the country. I’ve been doing it now for 11 years here and so I feel like I’m in my element, that I could go toe-to-toe with anybody, so I’m very confident in my abilities.
“For me to have that confidence, you need to have guys like I have and the players that I played tonight. When you have guys that fight and battle like that, then there’s going to be a level of confidence on my end, too, in my abilities.”
Hurley’s ASU Coaching Record
Hurley’s coaching record at ASU heading into the Big 12 Tournament is 184-166 (.526) over those 11 seasons. He has the second-most wins in program history, behind Ned Wulk’s 405-257 record from 1958 to 1982.
- ASU made three NCAA Tournament appearances under Hurley.
- They never reached the second round.
The highlight of his tenure was the “Guard U” team in his third season (2017-18) led by Tra Holder, Kodi Justice and Shannon Evans. That team started 12-0 with wins at No. 2 Kansas and on a neutral floor against No. 15 Xavier.
It reached No. 3 in the AP Top 25 rankings, which tied the highest mark in program history. That group lost four out of its last five regular-season games, its first conference tournament game and a First Four game to Syracuse in Dayton.
Hurley reached at least 20 win