Fans rushed from the stands onto the field, jumping and screaming in celebration of Arizona State’s massive upset.
As chaos surrounded him, Bobby Hurley, a coach known for his fiery demeanor on the court, calmly walked along the scorers’ table to shake hands with Kansas coaches and players before heading to the ramp.
There were no shouts of joy, even if this was his last home game. Just a proud coach of the way his team fought through adversity – just as he has throughout his career.
“I don’t think it’s me, I really don’t think so,” Hurley told reporters after Arizona State’s 70-60 win over No. 14 Kansas Tuesday night in Tempe. “I know it could be a nice little story or something, but I really think that’s what they are. “We lost our way for a few weeks and had trouble winning some games in a very tough league, but we picked ourselves out and I think we’re playing as well as we’ve been at any point in the season because of our defence.
“I think these kids just want to win, and players like Mo Odom still believe there is hope, and I do too until someone tells us otherwise and someone gets the better of us and puts an end to what we’re doing now.”
Through 11 up-and-down years, Hurley is entering the final season of his contract likely needing a spot in the NCAA Tournament to keep his job. The Sun Devils (16-14, 7-10 Big 12) have failed to produce good results, leaving them needing to pull off a miracle in the Big 12 Tournament or fail.
Odom, who scored 23 points against Kansas, called Hurley “the greatest coach I’ve ever coached” and said he was acting like Hurley would stay at Arizona State.
“So it wasn’t like this was coach’s last home game,” Odom told reporters. “No. I want to keep winning so the coach doesn’t go anywhere because that’s my coach.”
Hurley’s role as the ultimate underdog was part of what made his appointment 12 years ago such a sensation.
As an undersized guard, he won two national championships at Duke and remains the NCAA’s career assists leader. He played five seasons in the NBA before a car accident cut short his career.
Hurley won almost immediately after becoming head coach, leading Buffalo to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his second season.
He also won at Arizona State, but not enough, and has missed the NCAA Tournament four of the past five seasons.
Hurley said the focus was on this team and this season, but if Tuesday night was their last home game, it was a good way to go out.
The Sun Devils won at Allen Fieldhouse in 2017 against the second-place Jayhawks, part of a 12-0 start that propelled them to third place in the AP Top 25, matching the highest ranking in program history. The Sun Devils did it again the following season in Tempe, defeating Kansas for their only home win over a No. 1 team.
On Tuesday, the Sun Devils came out with the same intensity their coach showed on the sideline, stifling the Jayhawks while building a 20-point lead. A coach was fired and it wasn’t Hurley. Bill Self was ejected because he disputed an offensive foul call on Jayhawks star rookie Darren Peterson.
Kansas stormed back, pulling within four and then getting back to two after Arizona State extended the lead back to double digits.
Unlike some games they couldn’t find a way to close out, the Sun Devils rallied, pushed the Jayhawks out the door and Hurley picked up the win in what could be his final game at Desert Financial Arena.
“Nobody thought we could win basically any game, and I think they proved a lot of people wrong,” Hurley told reporters. “…We’re not perfect. We’re far from perfect and we do some crazy things sometimes and we don’t always get every rebound, but they’ll put it all on the line and I think that’s what sports is about.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
