Bobby Hurley near tears knowing his time with ASU’s seniors is over

Arizona State men’s basketball coach Bobby Hurley is nationally known for his outbursts on the court.

But following the team’s 91-73 season-ending loss to the Oregon Ducks, the head coach showed a different side of himself not seen by most.

Respect.@BobbyHurley11 speaks on the end of Sun Devils' season.

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It wasn’t so much about the loss as it was about the reality that he doesn’t get another year, another game to coach the seniors.

“It was a tough scene in the locker room as it generally is when guys invest and out their heart and soul into this. Certainly the core of the group that was on the floor a lot today has done that all year against a lot of adverse conditions,” Hurley said after the game. “Very emotional in the locker room, saying goodbye to a couple seniors that have meant so much to me.

“Remy Martin, feels like yesterday he was stealing the ball vs. Kansas … and laying it in. I won’t have an opportunity to coach him again, so that was tough, the reality of that. Alonzo Verge had some outstanding things to say for some of the younger players in the program. He had tremendous words. It was a good moment.”

Dubbed the heart and soul of the team for multiple seasons, Martin ended his senior year with 16 points, five assists and four rebounds. He averaged 19.3 points (team high), 3.6 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 33.4 minutes per game this year.

Over the course of four seasons with the Sun Devils, Martin tallied 14.9 points and 3.9 assists per game to go along with numerous clutch plays mixed in.

Verge ended his senior season on a high note, pacing the Sun Devils in both of their Pac-12 Tournament matchups. He led the team with 26 points in Wednesday’s outing against Washington State before dropping 28 against Oregon on Thursday.

His two-year career with ASU comes to an end after averaging 14 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 28 minutes per game. He shot 41.5% from the field and 32.2% from 3-point land in a Sun Devil uniform.

Forward Kimani Lawrence, another one of Hurley’s seniors that showed a ton of heart, recorded five points and six rebounds before suffering a left hamstring injury in the second half. Lawrence averaged 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in four years (105 games) with ASU.

“It’s been a tough year and just a lot things thrown at us all year. I just have tremendous respect for the entire group that we stayed together,” Hurley said. “That these kids have gone through all the procedures they’ve gone through every day. The protocols, masks all the time, testing and we’ve gotten through it.

“We got through the season and it’s always sad when it ends. But when there’s people that you have such a bond with, a connection, it makes it a little more difficult to know it’s over.”

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