Arizona State men’s basketball headed for a European vacation

TEMPE, Ariz. – School is out, but the Arizona State men’s basketball team may want to attend some summer sessions brushing up on their Italian and Spanish.

Head coach Bobby Hurley announced on Wednesday he’s taking his team overseas.

The European tour will include stops in Rome and Barcelona, where the Sun Devils will play a total of three games against pro competition the first week of August.

“We’ll be playing against men over there,” Hurley said. “It will give me a chance to work with different combinations of guys, and we’re going to be deeper this year so that’s something I’m really looking forward to having is more options.”

Exactly which teams ASU will face has yet to be determined. There will be one game played in Rome followed by two in Barcelona.

And yes, there will be time for sightseeing as well.

But it’s the time spent together as a team that has Hurley most excited about the trip.

“No one is going to remember what the score was or how we did in a game in August, but I just think the time you get to spend around each other, just seeing a new place. It’s a great opportunity,” he said. “I’m sure we’re going to get some good pasta in Rome and pizza and then just going to the Coliseum, the history there, and just being around each other and having a good time.”

The NCAA allows schools to schedule a preseason foreign trip once every four years. And with that comes the added benefit of 10 extra practices leading up to the Sun Devils leaving on July 31.

“It gives our younger players a chance to get more comfortable and familiar with how we conduct our practices and the drills, and gives me a head start on figuring out how we’re going to play and give me a taste what our team is going to look like,” Hurley said.

FREE THROWS

— It was an optimistic tone delivered by Hurley when talking about the upcoming season. Back for 2017-18 are guards Tra Holder and Shannon Evans, two of the Pac-12’s top five returning scorers at 16.3 and 15.0 points per game, respectively.

Also back is Kodi Justice, arguably the Sun Devils’ best shooter a year ago, who made nearly 42 percent of his attempted 3-pointers.

“Our core leadership is very strong and I haven’t really felt this positive about where our leadership is at with our group in the time I’ve been here,” Hurley said. “Kodi and Tra and Shannon really understand what it takes and what we have to do day in and day out to be successful this coming year. We’ll be able to get that message across to the new guys that are coming in.”

— Among the newcomers is a pair of ESPN top-100 players in guards Kimani Lawrence and Remy Martin. There are also three frontcourt players who sat last year for various reasons: Mickey Mitchell (transfer), Romello White (academic) and Vitaliy Shibel (injury).

“We’re going to be able to pressure the ball a lot more than we were able to do this year, and now we’ve addressed our frontcourt,” said Hurley, who last season repeatedly pointed to rebounding when discussing his team’s struggles. “It’s going to be much improved and it’s going to make our team a lot better.”

— Furthermore, Hurley has added three transfers since last season ended. They are forward Carlton Bragg (Kansas), forward Zylan Cheatham (San Diego State) and guard Rob Edwards (Cleveland State). Cheatham is a former Phoenix South Mountain High School standout.

All three will be eligible to play in 2018-19.

“The one thing I can promise is that our practices are going to be wars this year, and I know I couldn’t really say that as much last season,” Hurley said. ”We’re getting to the point where the roster and the guys we’re bringing in fit the style and the vision that our staff has to play here. We want to have mobility, we want to have versatility, we want to have guys that can get up-and-down the floor and I think we’re getting closer to that.”

— Hurley is entering his third season at ASU. He’s won 15 games in each of his first two seasons.

The good news here is that the Sun Devils improved their Pac-12 standing in 2017, an eighth-place finish was three spots better than a year earlier.

“I’m not thrilled with my record and your record is what your record says it is, but I have a lot of hope because of just what I see day in and day out,” Hurley said. “I know the returning players are hungry. This is their last chance to make a push for postseason and the NCAA Tournament. That’s where my mind is at.”

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