Bobby Hurley doesn’t view ASU’s season as a ‘disappointment’
Mar 15, 2018, 10:43 AM | Updated: 11:23 am
Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley motions to his team during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Colorado, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
Although Arizona State lost a close game to Syracuse and made an early exit from the NCAA Tournament, head coach Bobby Hurley didn’t hang his head at the end result of the Sun Devils’ season on Wednesday.
“I don’t look at the season in any stretch of the mind as a disappointment,” Hurley said. “These guys are warriors. They fought. They delivered some memories that I’ll always remember in some of the key games that we won this year.
“Obviously a painful finish, but this has been a breakthrough year for our program. And it’s been led by guys that I absolutely admire, their competitive drive and their will to win.”
After being ranked sixth in the Pac-12’s preseason poll — making it inside the top half of the conference for the first time since the 2010-11 season — the Sun Devils proved they deserved the higher ranking, opening up the season with 12 straight wins. Highlighting their impressive run were wins against then-No. 15 Xavier and then-No. 2 Kansas on their way to becoming ranked third in the nation in December.
They were also the last remaining unbeaten team in the country.
A big part of their early success is credited to the trio of senior guards in Tra Holder, Shannon Evans and Kodi Justice, helping create the moniker “Guard U.”
“I feel like we did a great job, had a great run, and from where this program was and when we got here until we’re at now, I feel like it can only go up from here,” Evans said. “We’ve got great guys in our locker room, young guys, and we set the standard. And it’s time to come back and win some games in the tournament.”
Following their first loss of the season to in-state rival Arizona, the Sun Devils failed to achieve the success they had early on, ending the back half of the season below .500.
But thanks to their solid start, ASU still cashed in a ticket to the Big Dance, making it to the tournament for the first time since 2014.
Guard U Nation ☀️😈🏀 pic.twitter.com/Qpsy1gAWk1
— Bobby Hurley (@BobbyHurley11) March 15, 2018
“They’ve elevated Arizona State basketball, the seniors have. They’ll have a special place in my heart. I’ve been through so many wars with these guys. And they show up and they compete and you’re going to have to play our team for 40 minutes to win,” Hurley said. “So my heart’s broken really that I can’t coach Shannon Evans and Tra Holder and Kodi Justice anymore. And that’s sadly disappointing for me.
“I have such a connection with them and it’s a great part of coaching that you can build those type of bonds and I hope I can continue to find guys like them. And if I do that, we’ll be in tournaments like this quite a bit moving forward.”
