TEMPE, Ariz. — Bobby Hurley’s anger surfaced, only for a second, when it was suggested that he had spent this season coaching for his job at Arizona State.
“That’s not it at all,’’ Hurley said recently in his office. “If I’m not wanted here and valued here and what I’ve done is not good enough to be here, then it’s not meant to be and things run their course. And then I’ll find somewhere else where I’m wanted.”
It’s an awkward time for Arizona State basketball. Hurley’s contract is set to expire at the end of June, and he said he has had no substantial talks with university leadership beyond this season. Starting with Tuesday night’s home game against No. 13 Texas Tech, the Sun Devils have six games left before the Big 12 Tournament. Hurley understands his time here is likely coming to an end.
During a 40-minute conversation with The Athletic, Hurley discussed his 11 years at one of college basketball’s tougher jobs. How some memories still give him chills. How he has changed and matured as a coach. And how maybe he would have done some things differently.
Hurley said he’s mostly grateful for his time in Arizona. Raised in Jersey City, N.J., he has found a home in the desert. Two of his three children are Arizona State graduates. He’s at peace with his performance and feels like he’s in his prime, but the uncertainty lingers.
“You love being here,’’ Hurley said. “You know that the school was good to you, the people that you’ve met, and the friends that you have and the kids that you’ve coached. And the legacy — being the second-winningest coach here is something I take pride in. When you see all that stuff, and you know that time appears to be running out — I’m a person. Of course, I’m going to wonder, ‘When is that going to happen? What is this going to look like? What is my future going to look like?’’’
Arizona State is 181-163 under Hurley. The Sun Devils under Hurley have produced some of the great moments in program history, but they also have made just three NCAA Tournaments, all starting in the First Four. They have never advanced beyond the first round.
Hurley, 54, said programs have windows of opportunity; he felt Arizona State’s opened during the 2019-20 season. The Sun Devils had finished the regular season strong. They were the No. 3 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament. They were poised to make their third consecutive NCAA Tournament, something Arizona State had not accomplished since the 1960s. Then the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the season.
Arizona State has not recovered. The Sun Devils posted losing seasons four of the next five years, making the 2023 NCAA Tournament. “When you miss your window, then it’s hard,” Hurley said. “You feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle.”
This season’s team is 13-12 and 4-8 in the Big 12. Hurley said after a December win over Oklahoma, he received a text message from a coach he respects who told him the Sun Devils showed “zero entitlement” on the court. That told him they were on the right path, but it didn’t last. Arizona State lost seven of eight, and frustration set in.
After a January home loss to West Virginia, Hurley told reporters that his voice was no longer working. His message wasn’t getting across. He was failing. The team was failing. He sounded like a defeated coach, one who knew the end was near.
Hurley, when asked about that in his office, said potential NCAA Tournament teams play games they have to win. The West Virginia contest was one. “So, yeah, I get really dark in certain moments like that,’’ he said. “It’s hard for me to always just roll in (to the postgame news conference) and give everybody some BS and then head out. That one was more authentic, like, ‘Hey, this is how I exactly feel.’’’
Hurley has changed, although some may not recognize it. His temper still flares — he was ejected in Arizona State’s win over Santa Clara in December — but he doesn’t challenge officials as he once did. “I think it’s just maturing, it’s growing, it’s learning,” he said. Hurley used to let paranoia control his thoughts, wondering why Arizona State didn’t get the same calls as rival Arizona. He realized it helped to get to know the officials, understanding they’re “not out to get you.”
Hurley also once read everything posted about him on social media, using every insult as fuel for an “us-against-the-world” mentality. After a heated home loss to Arizona in 2025, remembered for Hurley and Arizona State players not shaking hands with the Wildcats after the game, Hurley completely stopped looking at “X”. Today, his Instagram feed consists mostly of cooking recipes and travel tips.
“I still get told things sometimes when I need to be told, what this person or that person might have said,” Hurley said. “But I don’t allow that to cloud my thoughts about who am I or what I’m doing.”
Hurley has cut back on the freedom he gives players on the court, a common criticism. Hurley benefited from a coach who let him play through mistakes as an All-American point guard at Duke. Coach Mike Krzyzewski let Hurley figure things out in real time. It built a young guard’s confidence. At Arizona State, Hurley tried to do the same, especially with his guards, but this often led to quick, contested shots. Lately, he has found a better balance in emphasizing decision-making with his players.
Hurley said if he had to do it over, he also might not schedule as aggressively. This is Hurley’s nature as a competitor, always wanting to play the best. At times it worked against him — in his second season, Arizona State lost to Kentucky by 46 points and to Purdue by 33 points in an eight-day span — at others it worked out great.
Hurley had a talented team in 2017-18 that included guards Tra Holder, Shannon Evans, Kodi Justice and Remy Martin. In December of that season, Arizona State defeated No. 2 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. Hurley said watching the Sun Devils overwhelm the Jayhawks that afternoon was like “an out-of-body experience.” Arizona State won its first 12 games that season, rising to No. 3 in the AP poll. A program that once had to erect a wall to hide empty seats in its home arena suddenly began selling out at 14,000-strong.
“I’m telling you, some of the things that year give me chills just thinking about them,” Hurley said, recalling that Colorado fans stormed the court after beating the Sun Devils in Boulder.
Hurley was not ready to discuss why it’s so hard to win consistently at Arizona State, but he said that the 2017-18 season proved anything was possible. NIL support was lacking at the start, but has improved. People ask him about Desert Financial Arena, a facility years past its prime. (A $100 million renovation project is scheduled to start soon.) Hurley said that’s always been a more important issue for fans than for him. He’s always wanted players who didn’t care about such things. Just lace em’ up and go.
That’s how he was raised within the sport. That’s how he played. And that’s how he will continue to coach, whether that’s here or elsewhere.
“I don’t want to take time off,’’ Hurley said of his plans. “I’m in my prime right now, and I don’t want to stop. I can coach at least another 10 years, assuming things stay OK with my health. It’s what I love to do, being in the gym, the relationships I have with my players, my former players, my coaching staff. I wouldn’t know what else to do.”