BREAKING: Bobby Hurley's ASU tenure ends as ASU declines to extend contract

The writing was on the wall before the 2025-26 season had tipped off. Only an NCCA Tournament berth would have paved the way for a potential contract extension for ASU’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Bobby Hurley, who was under contract until June 30th this year. And as reported by On3 on March 9 the Sun Devils were expected to part ways if the team wasn’t going to hear its name called on Selection Sunday.

Therefore, as the curtain came down on the Sun Devils’ campaign, following a Big 12 tournament second-round loss to Iowa State, ASU decided to part ways with Hurley after 11 years at the helm.

ASU Athletics Director Graham Rossini official statemnet reads as follows:

“Bobby Hurley has made incredible contributions to the sport of basketball, and that certainly includes many memorable moments during his time as our Head Coach. While we will not be extending his contract, we are so grateful for the 11 years that Coach, Leslie, Cameron, Sydney, and Bobby Jr. spent with us at ASU. We wish Coach well moving forward and we are thankful for his leadership while at ASU.”

Hurley, 54, ends his tenure in Tempe with a 17-16, 7-11 in Big 12 play mark this season, and an overall record at Arizona State of 185–167 (.524 winning percentage), a conference record of 90–116 (.436), with the first nine seasons taking place in the Pac-12 and the last two, and a record of 11-27, in the Big 12. He has earned approximately $3.6 million for his last season with the team.

Hurley’s time in Tempe has certainly seen some peaks, most notably between 2017-19, when ASU earned an NCAA Tournament berth in back-to-back years (both as Last Four In team) for the first time since 1980-81. The 2017-18 season saw ASU post an undefeated 12-0 non-conference slate, ranking them No. 3 in the AP Top 25 poll. That season and the next saw Arizona State beat Kansas in a home-and-home series, with the second victory taking place in Tempe as the Jayhawks were ranked No. 1. That contest remains, to date, the Sun Devils’ lone victory in program history over a No. 1-ranked opponent.

The COVID-shortened 2019-20 season, one where ASU registered its third-straight 20-win season, prevented ASU from earning three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths for the first time since the early 1960s, effectively beginning the program’s downward spiral. Despite landing two five-star prospects in guard Josh Christopher and forward Marcus Bagley, the latter being the grandson of Sun Devil legend Joe Caldwell, another campaign greatly affected by the pandemic saw Arizona State woefully post an 11-14 record. It was a season when a trend of locker-room dysfunction began to emerge in subsequent years. Yet Arizona State earned its third and final NCAA Tournament berth under Hurley during the 2022-23 season, while matching his career-high of 23 wins. Only an upset win over Kansas earlier this month prevented Hurley from ending his ASU career with three consecutive losing seasons.

Hurley has had trouble consistently bringing in a formidable assistant coaching group, at times hiring assistant coaches solely for recruiting purposes who either didn’t deliver on the promise of actually landing the prospect in Tempe (as the case with Rasheen Davis who failed to land NBA player Cliff Omoruyi out of high school) or Brian Merrit who landed Jethro Tshisumpa who didn’t pan out in Tempe. And when Hurley and his staff did notch recruiting victories, as they did in the 2024-25 season, securing another pair of five-star players in center Jayden Quaintance and guard Jason Sanon, he and his staff were not able to coach them up to maximize their talents, resulting in another losing season, the sixth overall during his 11 years at Arizona State.

A tall task awaits Arizona State Athletic Director Graham Rossini, as this will be his first major hire in his nearly two-year tenure at the role. This significant personnel decision also coincides with the $100 million multiyear renovation of Sun Devil Basketball’s home, Desert Financial Arena. The makeover is set to begin in May of this year and run through December 2029. Therefore, this hire, which will have to take place weeks before the transfer portal opens on April 7, will have to resonate strongly with a fan base that has been largely disappointed by the last decade-plus of ASU basketball and is expecting a brighter future for the program.

Where does ASU go from here? Check out our first Hot Board of head coach candiates