TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley is expected to return for his 11th season, a source told The Associated Press, confirming a report.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity — before the Sun Devils’ 71-66 loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, Missouri — because no official announcement has been made.
Hurley has one year left on his contract in a tenure that has included three trips to the NCAA tournament and multiple seasons with key injuries, including this season.
The Sun Devils entered Hurley’s 10th season — their first in the Big 12 — with high expectations thanks to one of the highest-rated recruiting classes in school history. Big man Jayden Quaintance and Joson Sanon, their top two recruits, played well at times, but both also were sidelined by injuries.
Hurley was down to six scholarship players late in the season as injuries piled up, and leading scorer BJ Freeman was dismissed for conduct detrimental to the team in late February. Including the loss to the Wildcats, Arizona State finishes 13-19 overall, 4-17 in conference.
“It’s something that will weigh on me, I’ll have a lot of regret,” Hurley said of the season overall, following Tuesday’s loss. “If we had the whole puzzle together, this was an NCAA tournament team. And that’s just not what it is right now at the moment.”
Hurley arrived at Arizona State amid plenty of fanfare in 2015 after leading Buffalo to the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history the season before. A two-time national champion at Duke and the NCAA’s all-time assists leader, the fiery coach had the Sun Devils going in the right direction by his third season, leading them to consecutive NCAA tournaments (2018-19) for the first time since 1980-81.
Arizona State matched its highest ranking in 2017, reaching No. 3 in the AP Top 25 after a 12-0 start that included a win over top-ranked Kansas.
The Sun Devils appeared to be headed to their third straight NCAA tournament in 2020 before the pandemic wiped out the season. Arizona State took a step back in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season and never seemed to fully recover, missing the NCAA tournament five times in Hurley’s past six seasons. The Sun Devils reached the NCAA tournament again in 2023 but went 14-18 the following season.
News of the school’s decision was first reported by 247Sports.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
