Arizona State confirms Hurley won’t return after 11 seasons

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Bobby Hurley’s tenure as Arizona State’s coach is over after 11 up-and-down seasons.

Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini announced on Wednesday that Hurley’s contract will not be renewed, just hours after the Sun Devils’ blowout loss to No. 7 Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament.

Hurley will be placed on paid administrative leave through the remainder of his contract, which ends in June.

“Bobby Hurley has made incredible contributions to the sport of basketball, and that certainly includes many memorable moments during his time as our head coach,” Rossini said in a statement. “While we will not be extending his contract, we are so grateful for the 11 years that Coach, Leslie, Cameron, Sydney, Bobby Jr., and he spent with us at ASU. We wish Coach well moving forward and we are thankful for his leadership while at ASU.”

The rest of it was a struggle as the Sun Devils struggled with injuries and inconsistencies.

The Sun Devils picked up solid home wins against Kansas State and Cincinnati, but were blown out by No. 8 Houston, West Virginia and rival Arizona in a January stretch that left Hurley dejected.

“We failed. I’m failing. I can’t get through to the team,’’ Hurley said after the 75-63 loss to West Virginia on Jan. 21. “I don’t know what else I can say.”

Arizona State pulled off an upset by beating No. 14 Kansas in Hurley’s final home game, but was trounced by Iowa State four days later. The Sun Devils beat Baylor in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament before being bounced from the bracket by Iowa State with a lackluster performance.

It’s unclear if Arizona State will accept an invitation to a lesser postseason tournament, such as the NIT or the College Basketball Crown, where the Sun Devils played last year.

“He changed my life,” Arizona State senior Allen Mekuba said. “It’s a blessing for me, just a blessing to be a part of this team, everything we went through, the way coach was coaching. It was just an amazing year. I got nothing else to say about that.”

Hurley arrived in the desert with great fanfare and hope of turning around a program that had been to the NCAA Tournament twice the previous 18 seasons.

A two-time national champion at Duke and still the NCAA’s all-time assists leader, Hurley was hired after leading Buffalo to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 2015.

The fiery coach led the Sun Devils to the NCAA Tournament in his third season and did it in consecutive seasons from 2018-19, a first for the program since 1980-81. He also led Arizona State to a win at Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse in 2017, part of a 12-0 start that propelled them to No. 3 in the AP Top 25, matching the highest ranking in program history.

Arizona State appeared to be in good position to reach the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons for the first time since the 1960s in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out March Madness.

The Sun Devils have struggled to regain their footing since then, reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2023, but finishing with a losing record the other four seasons. Fan interest also waned, to the point there seemed to be more Arizona fans at Desert Financial Arena than Arizona State fans in their Jan. 31 rivalry game.

“We have not played well here in years, like since before COVID,’’ Hurley said. “We had this place cooking before COVID. Now it’s a sterile environment. We don’t win here. We don’t give our fans any reason to show up with enthusiasm to think that we’re going to win a basketball game. We have been dreadful at home for years.”

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