“It’s not that at all,” Hurley said recently in his office. “If I’m not wanted here and I’m not appreciated here and what I’ve done isn’t good enough to be here, then it’s not meant to be and things will take their course. And then I’ll look elsewhere where I’m wanted.
It’s a tough time for basketball in the state of Arizona. Hurley’s contract expires at the end of June and he said he has not had any substantive discussions with university leadership after this season. Starting with Tuesday night’s home game against No. 13 Texas Tech, the Sun Devils have six games remaining in the Big 12 Tournament. Hurley understands his time here is likely coming to an end.
During a 40 minute conversation with The AthleticsHurley 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 he might have done some things differently.
Hurley said he is especially grateful for his time in Arizona. He grew up in Jersey City, NJ and has made a home in the desert. Two of his three children graduated from Arizona State. He is at peace with his performance and feels like he is at his best, but the uncertainty lingers.
“You love being here,” Hurley said. “You know the school was good to you, the people you met, the friends you have and the kids you coached. And the legacy – being the second winningest coach here is something I’m proud of. When you see all those things, and you know that time seems to be running out – I am a person. Of course I wonder: ‘When is that going to happen? What will this look like? What will my future look like?”
Arizona State is 181-163 under Hurley. The Sun Devils have produced some of the great moments in program history under Hurley, but they have also made just three NCAA Tournaments, all starting in the First Four. They never made it past the first round.
Hurley, 54, said programs provide opportunities; he felt Arizona State opened up during the 2019-2020 season. The Sun Devils finished the regular season strong. They were the No. 3 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament. They were poised to make their third straight NCAA tournament appearance, something Arizona State hadn’t accomplished since the 1960s. Then the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the season.
The state of Arizona has not recovered. The Sun Devils recorded losing seasons four of the next five years, making the 2023 NCAA Tournament. “If you miss your window, it’s tough,” 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 that after a win over Oklahoma in December, he received a text message from a coach he respects telling him the Sun Devils showed “no right whatsoever” on the field. That told him they were on the right track, but it didn’t last long. Arizona State lost seven of eight and frustration set in.
After a home loss to West Virginia in January, Hurley told reporters his voice was no longer working. His message did not get through. He failed. The team failed. He sounded like a defeated coach, someone who knew the end was near.
When Hurley was asked about that in his office, he said potential NCAA Tournament teams are playing must-win games. The West Virginia game was one. “So yeah, I get really dark at certain times,” he said. “It’s hard for me to always just come in (to the post-game press conference) and give everyone some BS and then leave. That one was more authentic, like, ‘Hey, this is exactly how I feel.'”
Hurley has changed, even if 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 like he once did. “I think it’s just maturing and growing and learning,” he said. Hurley let paranoia dominate his thoughts, wondering why Arizona State wasn’t getting the same calls as rival Arizona. He realized that it helped to get to know the officials because he understood that they were “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, reminded of Hurley and Arizona State players not shaking hands with the Wildcats after the game, Hurley stopped watching “X” completely. These days, his Instagram feed consists mainly 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 let that cloud my thoughts about who I am or what I do.”
Hurley has cut back on the freedom he gives players on the field, 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 the confidence of the young guard. At Arizona State, Hurley tried to do the same, especially with his guards, but it 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 it to do over again, he might not plan so aggressively either. This is Hurley’s nature as a competitor, always wanting to play the best. Sometimes it worked against him – in his second season, Arizona State lost to Kentucky by 46 points and to Purdue by 33 points in the span of eight days – other times 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 in Allen Fieldhouse. Hurley said watching the Sun Devils overwhelm the Jayhawks that afternoon was an “out-of-body experience.” Arizona State won its first twelve games that season and rose to No. 3 in the AP poll. A program that once had to build a wall to hide empty seats in its home arena suddenly started selling out 14,000 people.
“I’m telling you, some of the stuff from that year gives me chills just thinking about it,” Hurley said, recalling Colorado fans storming the field after beating the Sun Devils in Boulder.
Hurley wasn’t ready to discuss why it’s so difficult to win consistently at Arizona State, but he said the 2017-18 season proved anything was possible. NIL support was missing at first, but has been improved. People ask him about Desert Financial Arena, a facility that has been past its prime for years. (A $100 million renovation project will begin soon.) Hurley said this has always been a more important issue for fans than it is for him. He always wanted players who didn’t worry about such things. Just lace up and go.
That’s how he grew up in the sport. That’s how he played. And he will continue to coach like that, whether here or elsewhere.
“I don’t want to take time off,” Hurley said of his plans. “I’m in my prime now and I don’t want to stop. I can coach for at least another ten years, assuming everything stays well 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.”
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