Coach K showed Bobby Hurley video to help control his emotions as freshman at Duke
Feb 21, 2023, 4:10 PM
Guard Bobby Hurley of the Duke Bluie Devils confers with a referee during a game against the Florida State Seminoles on Jan. 24, 1993. (Getty Images Photo)
(Getty Images Photo)
We’ve all seen head coach Bobby Hurley’s passion while coaching his Arizona State men’s basketball team.
Sometimes that can get the best of the 51-year-old, who isn’t afraid to tell referees exactly what’s on his mind.
“My dad was very similar to how my demeanor is on the floor,” Hurley told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta during Newsmakers Week on Tuesday. “He got after it and had a lot of passion, I saw that growing up.
“As a player, I would be responsive to bad calls. I would get upset — I was a perfectionist if I turned the ball over. So all these things I was doing were kind of counterproductive to my team at Duke.”
#ASU basketball head coach Bobby Hurley joined us for #NewsmakersWeek and talked about what Coach K did to help him control his emotions pic.twitter.com/Hfhsnqqe0m
— Bickley & Marotta Mornings on Arizona Sports (@Bickley_Marotta) February 21, 2023
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And prior to becoming a two-time NCAA champion and the 1992 Final Four Most Outstanding player, legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski made him aware of his actions by making a montage VHS tape of all the times Hurley lashed out at officials, teammates and had bad body language.
“From there I said, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I look like this. I got to change some things.’ … I just became more poker-faced as a player and figured out how to use positive energy and not be as negative,” Hurley said.
It’s been a rather tame year for Hurley, who has his squad at a 19-9 record overall and 10-7 in the Pac-12, good enough for the No. 4 spot in the conference standings.
However, bad losses such as the 97-60 defeat to San Francisco on Dec. 21 can still get his blood boiling.
“I think my players appreciate that I’ll fight for them,” Hurley said. “I think I’ve been a little more selective about when I do it and the officials, the guys that I work with have said, ‘Hey you’ve been better.’
“So yeah, I lost it at San Francisco, but that was a game that we were so bad that I was just mad at everybody and that situation. But outside of that, I’ve been pretty good this year.”
