The Rising Son – Bobby Hurley Takes Over for Arizona State

Bobby Hurley was named the head coach for the Arizona State Sun Devils on April 9, 2015. This hiring makes Hurley the 14th head men’s basketball coach in Sun Devil history, the most recent being Herb Sendek. Sendek led the Sun Devils for 9 seasons compiling a 159-137 record during that time. Hurley comes to Tempe after two seasons as head coach of the Buffalo Bulls. In two seasons, Hurley won 42 games, won the MAC East Division Championship two times, and won the 2015 MAC Tournament Championship earning Buffalo a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Buffalo lost to West Virginia by a score of 68-62.

An Impressive Family Tree

Hurley is one of the most well known last names in all of basketball. The family has quite a history in the game, and a very successful history at that. Bobby Hurley Jr. played for his father, Bob Hurley Sr., at St. Anthony’s High School in Jersey City, New Jersey. As a player there, Hurley Jr. was the point guard for teams that won four consecutive state titles. In his senior year, the Friars went 32-0 and were ranked as the top team in the United States. He lost a total of five games in his high school career.

Hurley Jr. went on to play for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke from 1989-1993. While at Duke, he played alongside Christian Laettner and Grant Hill, made it to three Final Fours, and won two NCAA National Championships in 1991 and 1992. He also set the all-time assists record in the NCAA with 1,076 in his four years.

He also played for five seasons in the NBA as a point guard for the Sacramento Kings. He was drafted in 1993 as the 7th overall pick in the first round.

Bob Hurley Sr., arguably the best high school coach in the country, has won over 27 state championships and over 1000 games in his career. He began coaching at St. Anthony’s in 1972 and has had five teams go undefeated. He was named the USA Today National Coach of the Year in 1989, 1996, and 2008. Hurley Sr. was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. Although many believe he would make a great college head coach, he has turned down many offers at the Division 1 level to remain at St. Anthony’s.

Bob Hurley Sr. Hall of Fame Induction

Bobby Hurley Jr.’s brother, Dan, also played for Hurley Sr. at St. Anthony’s. Dan went on to play his college ball at Seton Hall. After graduating, he joined his father as an assistant for one season. He quickly got into the college game as an assistant coach for Rutgers in 1997. Dan was there for four years before taking the head coaching job at St. Benedict’s Prep in 2001. In 2012, he took over for Wagner as head coach. At Wagner, Dan hired his brother Bobby as an assistant. Dan and Bobby both went to Rhode Island when Dan took the head coaching job in 2012.

Coaching Influence

Bobby has been taught by two of the greatest basketball coaches in history – his father and Mike Krzyzewski. From these two, he knows nothing other than winning and playing tough. At Buffalo, Hurley played the underdog role with his team but coached up the Bulls to 42 wins and solid performances in the Mid-American Conference. The video below gives an inside look to Hurley’s philosophy and coaching style while at Buffalo.

2014-2015 Buffalo Bulls Highlights

Bobby Hurley Buffalo Bulls Set Plays

Here are two plays from Bobby Hurley used in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Hurley does a great job of creating space for his players to penetrate.

Bobby Hurley Buffalo Bulls Set Plays – Box Down Sprint

The play starts out in a box formation with the wings on the right side of the set. 2 cuts off of a screen from 5 and gets the initial pass from 1. Once 2 has the ball, 3 cuts to the ball-side corner off of a screen from 4. If 3 isn’t open, 2 looks inside to 4 posting up. 4 can also be open if x4 helps on the cut by 3 out to the corner. If x4 fronts the post, there is open space on the backside of the floor for a lob pass. If neither of those options is open, 1 sets a down-screen for 4. 4 sprints right into a ball-screen for 2 at the slot as 1 moves out to the wing and 5 clears to the left wing. 2 looks to drive right or can pass to 4 on the roll or to 1 in the corner for a shot.

Bobby Hurley Buffalo Bulls Set Plays – Horns Rub

In this horns set play, 1 dribbles to the right as 2 cuts to the top of the key off of a screen from 4 at the right elbow. Once 2 has the ball, 1 cuts over the top of 4 and 5 to the left wing using the staggered screen almost as a flare screen. If 1 isn’t open, 4 sets a cross-screen for 5. 5 cuts to the right and looks to get the ball in stride so he can drive to the basket. This play is great if your 5 man can handle the ball and drive to the basket.

Click the pdf link below to download the Bobby Hurley Buffalo Bulls Set Plays

Bobby Hurley Buffalo Bulls Set Plays by Wes Kosel

Taking Over in Tempe

Hurley takes over for Arizona State after the Sun Devils fans saw a 159-137 record in 9 seasons. The Sun Devils made the NCAA Tournament twice during that time, the most recent appearance being in 2013-2014. Sendek led Arizona State to 4 NIT appearances, however, including a NIT Quarterfinal appearance in 2008. Watch the press conference as Hurley was announced the head coach below:

Hurley will look to increase the wins and tournament appearances, but it will be a challenge in a tough PAC-12 Conference.

The conference had 5 teams win over 20 games last season, and another 5 teams won at least 16 games. Arizona, Utah, Oregon, and UCLA will be the teams to beat, but Arizona State was right there in 2014-2015 finishing 6th in the conference with a 9-9 record.

Similar to Buffalo, Hurley should be able to play the underdog card and get the most out of his current players.