Bobby Hurley Speaks on Arizona State Roster Makeup in 2025

Bobby Hurley is currently entering his 11th season as head coach of the Arizona State basketball program.

It could also be his last.

Athletic Director Graham Rossini opted to retain Hurley after an abysmal 13-20 season that saw multiple hardships hit the program once Big 12 play started.

A mass exodus famously occurred after the season - with prized F/C Jayden Quaintance heading to Kentucky, Joson Sanon opting to play for Rick Pitino at St. John's, the previously dismissed B.J. Freeman heading to conference rival UCF - among numerous others.

Freshman guard Trevor Best, who went to high school with Quaintance in North Carolina, is the lone returning player - and he did not enroll until the second half of the season.

Hurley is living and learning from the past after the nightmare season - that learning is changing his current approach when it comes to roster construction.

From Michelle Gardner of the Arizona Republic:

"It's one thing to say the Big 12 is a tough league, but to experience it, I figured we had to get more bodies, more size, more depth."

"We have to have better practices this year. As guys got hurt as the season progressed, we had a hard time even practicing."

The Big 12 was and likely will continue to be a gauntlet of a conference in the basketball world. Houston very nearly won a championship in April. Texas Tech nearly knocked off the champion Florida in the Elite Eight. Arizona, Baylor, and Kansas are yearly contenders at this stage. Even schools such as West Virginia have had periods of national prominence.

Hurley understands that stacking up the roster, keeping rostered players healthy, and targeting high character transfers are vital to the success of the upcoming season - especially with former players such as Freeman and Brandon Gardner causing distractions within the program.

Once again from Gardner:

"Certainly, in a quick recruiting cycle like we're in, we have to try and evaluate the character and make sure that that's taken care of."

"That certainly was a priority as we looked to build the roster."

Marcus Adams Jr., Moe Odum, and others are looking to shock the college basketball world in Tempe in 2025-26 - Hurley is banking on over-performing.

Read more about former Sun Devil great Jeff Ayres being invited to the ASU Hall of Fame here, and program alum Lu Dort embarking on an NBA Finals appearance here.

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