Arizona State AD makes definitive statement on Bobby Hurley

At 12-16 overall and 8-10 in Pac-12 play, the Arizona Sun Devils aren’t having a great season. Arizona State athletics director Ray Anderson knows that, so does head coach Bobby Hurley. Despite the poor performance, which began with ASU losing six of their first eight games this season, Anderson is set on keeping Hurley for 2022-23.

Anderson told Stadium’s Jeff Goodman on Wednesday that he “fully intends” to bring Hurley back next season.

Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson told @Stadium he fully intends to bring Bobby Hurley back next season. The Sun Devils have struggled the last two years, but did go to two consecutive NCAA tournaments and were likely headed to a 3rd if the tournament wasn’t canceled.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 2, 2022

Bobby Hurley is 116-99 overall in his seven seasons with the Sun Devils. His record includes two NCAA tournament appearances and another 20-win season in 2019-20. However, an 11-14 year last season and the current disappointment have cast a shadow over those good times in Tempe.

In 2019, Hurley signed an extension through June of 2024. He’s currently making $2.6 million a year in base salary.

Hurley hopeful about future of Sun Devils program

Despite Arizona State’s 12-16 overall record, the squad is on a hot streak heading into the conference tournament. They’ve won five of the last six games with Cal and Stanford left on the schedule.

“We have been through a lot as a team and have talked about the adversities we have been through,” Hurley said this week on 98.7 FM. “You played one of the toughest schedules in college basketball, that has prepared us to play our best basketball of the season right now.”

The Sun Devils head coach seems to feel secure in his role and looking toward the future. Some new pieces coming in this offseason could set the course right quickly.

“We are excited about our class and were going to continue to build around the core we have,” Hurley said. “We’re going to look at the transfer portal, the junior college ranks and continue to get better.

“When we have been able to stay in a consistent routine and rhythm, I think we have shown were able to play some really good basketball. I’m hoping we continue to do that the rest of this year and get the program back to where it was prior to COVID.”