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5 questions with Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley

Bobby Hurley has made Arizona State nationally relevant. The Sun Devils have played in three of the last five NCAA Tournaments and have the requisites to again be one of the top teams in the Pac-12. I caught up with Hurley on Tuesday in Tempe to discuss how he built Arizona State’s program, the end of the Pac-12, and what key newcomers could play a role for the Sun Devils during the 2023-24 season.

Jon Rothstein: You’re the first head coach to lead Arizona State to appearances in three of the last five NCAA Tournaments since the early 1960s. How have you done it?

Bobby Hurley: I think we’ve been able to recruit well and build a winning culture over time. It didn’t happen instantly. The year that we started 12-0 and were ranked third in the country catapulted us to an NCAA Tournament appearance. We kind of had the road map from there and tried to identify guys that fit what we liked to do and play winning basketball.

Rothstein: You went to the NCAA Tournament when you were the head coach of Buffalo, but you really came into your own as a coach in the Pac-12. What were your emotions like watching the league dissipate?

Hurley: I’ve had great experiences in this league. It was special playing the best teams on the West Coast. It was special playing at Pauley Pavilion and seeing all those banners up there. I’m very well aware of the history of this league. It means a lot to me that we played at Arizona last year and won at the buzzer. You have all these memories — both good and bad — and the rivalries that develop over time. It’s tough to watch it end like that, but it’s the nature of where college basketball is today. I think we’re well positioned to go to a really good basketball league in the Big 12 after this year.

Rothstein: You had to recalibrate your roster during the offseason. Which newcomers do you think will have the biggest impact for Arizona State during the 2023-24 season?

Hurley: There’s still some variables. We feel very confident that Adam Miller — who transferred from LSU — will get his waiver. We feel that he’s very deserving of that considering all that he’s been through. I’m not going to touch that until it’s finalized. Shawn Phillips — who also transferred from LSU — has been a pleasant surprise for us. He’s got a great upside. He’s not going to be perfect, but he’s 7-feet tall with a 7-5 wingspan. He’s also got a 40-inch vertical. He’s just a scary athlete, a physical specimen. Kamari Lands has been very good. I think Malachi Davis will also provide a spark. There’s a number of guys, but I think we’re going to win with the guys that got us to the NCAA Tournament last year. Some guys graduated and chose to go other places, but I think Jamiya Neal and Alonzo Gaffney were lights out for us during the last month of the season. Frankie Collins has another year under his belt as our point guard. Those three are leading and doing what we need them to do.

Rothstein: You mentioned Jamiya Neal and he’s the guy that everyone in your program seems to always bring up. What do you foresee in terms of his production level this season as his role expands?

Hurley: Jamiya was cut out to have a bigger role last season, but he suffered an injury right before the season started and fell behind other guys. The way that he plays off the dribble and his ability to be a two-way player — he’s as good of an athlete as I’ve had here on the perimeter. He can make plays at both ends of the floor. He’s going to have to fill the void of guys we lost like Desmond Cambridge and DJ Horne. We need Jamiya to take another step at the offensive end of the floor.

Rothstein: I know that you had a couple of years where you didn’t play in the NCAA Tournament, but it feels like you’ve made Arizona State a perennial contender to hear its name called on Selection Sunday. How you get back in 2024?

Hurley: We stick to the plan of what we’ve been doing. I think outside of COVID, we’ve been rock solid. I didn’t operate well in COVID so I probably shouldn’t coach again if we have to do lockdowns and stuff. It just doesn’t work for me. I couldn’t really deal with the stoppages and the masks all the time and then separating everybody. It just wasn’t good for our program. Now that we’re out of that, we just stick to our routine. We play a schedule that puts us in position to have opportunities with our non-conference slate. I’ve always been a believer in playing people early and we should get a number of opportunities to do that again this season.

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