Bobby Hurley Reflects on ASU Win, Shares What’s Next
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TEMPE -- Arizona State men's basketball head coach Bobby Hurley spoke with media following the team defeating Southern Utah by a score of 81-64 in the opening game of the 2025-26 season.
To watch Hurley's full availability, view below.
Below is a partial transcript of Hurley's post-game talk.
On Securing Win
"Nice to win, nice to get, obviously, a win on under our belt. To start. We we struggled at the end of last year, and I told the team, you know, we hadn't won a game in a long time. So, you know, we had two close exhibitions that go our way. Had a lot of stuff going on in those games, so the program needed to win today and just get off to the right start. So mission accomplished."
On Points of Improvement Before Next Game
"There's a lot of work to still be done, especially today, defensively, we were we lost containment of the ball way too much. I thought we were too spread out on defense, not helping. When a guy did drive the ball, they got into the pain way too much. They scored 40 points in pain. So we can't really afford to do that as the water gets deeper over the next couple of weeks. And so we got, we need this practice time. And good thing, we have a few days till our next game."
On Unselfish Nature of Team, Ball Movement
"Yeah, we did, I think that they like each other. They're willing to pass, make the extra pass, which, which is nice. The International guys got a good feel for like, even masampa had a really good look in the post to age Andrea for a layup, and Andrea knows how to cut and play. So it's like good to have guys that have a good feel for the game..."
On Shot Distribution
"Thought it was fine. I don't think that was like an area or an issue or problem. It was like nine for 23 the ratio of those shots that we took relative to the shots in the paint. And it was pretty, pretty well proportioned."
On Staying Grounded After Win
"I just think we all, you know, want to be accountable, and we want to try and set a sort of bar at a certain level, and if we don't attain it, you know, yes, it's great to win, and I want them to feel happy that we won, but I also want to cautiously make them alert to the fact that the water is going to get deeper and and the mistakes that We made tonight, you know, are not going to be acceptable in some of our games."
On G Adante Holiman's Status
"He's got an elbow. He He landed awkwardly in a in a workout in summer, and, you know, he we're working to get him back as best we can, but it's still, you know, he had a he had some work on the elbow, and he's doing his treatment and his therapy. We're not, we haven't set like a timeline for his return. It's going to depend on him continuing to progress."
On 2025-26 Team Culture
"I mean, everything about this team, you know, how they conduct themselves, you know, just on campus, and little things that that people that work with them on a day in a day out basis, are very complimentary of who they are as people. And even today, our pregame warm up, I thought was like way better. Like our coaches came in saying, like, these guys were talking, and they were, you know, working hard, and they were excited to play. And so from that standpoint, I really don't have issues."
On Coach-ability of Team
"I felt like I could coach with a free mind, and it was if, like, if I wanted to sub someone out, I wasn't worried about the fallout, you know, and, and that could be a number of things, believe you but this group, they accepted it at times."
Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and three major takeaways following a gutsy win over Iowa State here
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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.