Arizona State Men's Basketball Quotes Pre-Pac-12 Tournamen

Arizona State Men’s Basketball Head Coach Bobby Hurley
Opening Statement….
“It’s good to be with everybody. We traveled yesterday and practiced before, had dinner here and got settled in. We just finished up practice. Most of the physical part is done for today. We have a shooting time later tonight at the arena at 7 p.m., so we’re just focused on trying to win a championship.”
 
On paying attention to at-large projections…
“I’ve said it before, teams get better and healthier. Oregon gets better, Washington State gets healthier and better. They lost some games early, close games to good teams. Certain teams were able to get good non conference wins and bring them into the league, other teams unfortunately weren’t so our league isn’t rated good. As a result of that, even 20-11 is not safe. We might’ve had the same record the season that was canceled due to COVID and we were projected as an 8 or 9 seed that year. That’s mainly because a number of teams performed well in the non-conference and we did not have that this season. We’re just thinking about this tournament right and trying to win as many games as possible this week.”
 
On the status of Austin Nunez…
“Austin is still going through cardiovascular stuff. He’s not at the point where he;s going to be ready to play tomorrow. There is a chance that he will be ready to play this week but we don’t know what that looks like yet. It will be dictated by the doctors and certainly how he continues to progress.”
 
On Desmond Cambridge Jr.’s mindset…
“Des has been big for us all year. He didn’t have his best stuff on offense on Saturday but I think he wants to make amends. He wants to win, I think he understands the importance of winning and what we’ve done as a team this year to achieve our goals, getting to the postseason and being in the tournament we want to be in.  We have to win and he understands. He’s going to do his part to help us try and get there.”
 
On physical demands of the Pac-12 tournament…
“This year I’ve touted our depth quite a bit. Everyone that has contributed at different points to give us the record we have all need to be available. There are going to be games where guys that maybe aren’t squarely on your radar of guys that can help Arizona State win this tournament are going to have to step up. If you win four straight days, the physical toll that takes, you’re going to need guys on your bench to contribute and play a big role in that. There are going to be games where guys are in foul trouble. There might be a game that DJ Horne plays 36 minutes, I don’t know if he’s going to be able to do that again so I have to have Luther and Jamiya ready to come in on the perimeter. Same thing goes for Duke and Alonzo, those are guys that are going to be key for us if we’re going to cut down the nets on Saturday.”
 
On managing emotions of wins that got away and the four seed…
“We got Cal one time, but that did not help in terms of the standings. I’m sure there were some other factors why teams might’ve finished ahead of us in the standings. The tiebreakers didn't go our way. Our finish was extremely difficult. For us to get one of those three, I think most people would have signed on for that. We played great competition, especially the last two weeks, and hopefully that pays dividends and has toughened us up. We’re hitting the crucial part of the season.”
 
On if the program has advanced this season…
“This team is very resilient, it’s a very gutsy team. A team that I can relate to. As a coach, the team doesn’t have to reflect all your values but I’m a hard-nose guy. That's how I played and taught the game should be played. I think our guys are fighters and have been put in a lot of tough situations and they don’t give up. A lot of teams fold when they’re facing a deficit and my guys don’t, that they haven’t. I have a lot of appreciation and respect for the guys in the locker room and what they have given me all year. That’s why we’re going to go all in and see what we can do and continue the journey. I think this team deserves to play in the NCAA tournament and we’re going to fight like heck tomorrow and the whole week to make that a reality. And if not, we’ll look at the other option. It’s not what we hoped for but these guys have put together a really good season and deserve to play in the postseason.”
 
On this team being good on neutral floors…
“I think these guys have played a lot of games. Some of our key players, Des, Devan, Warren and DJ have all played a lot of college basketball so they have that experience. I would say its a group overall that genuinely likes each other. Even at dinner last night you could see everyone interacting and having a good time. On the bus going back to the hotel, it was loud and lively. When you have a group of people that like each other, that’s a step in the right direction for when you’re around each other for extended periods of time like you would be when you go on a road trip. It’s a good step. Besides that, again, they have a resiliency and toughness about them. An ‘us against the world’ mentality in some ways and we’re able to do that pretty efficiently on the road.”
 
On coaching going into a conference tournament…
“‘I’m a little concerned about the physical impact because we put all our chips in the middle of the table Saturday night. Our guys played really hard. That was a tough game, both teams needed that game. We had 20 offensive rebounds. That tells you how hard both teams played in that game if you can go out and do that against a really good team with size. Answer got home at like three in the morning. It’s managing these guys. Sunday was very light. We did not do anything with the team, the coaches watched film to get ready for Oregon State. Monday was again, very light .Some guys did not do anything at all physically and then we hit the road and got here. We had a good practice today. It wasn’t a marathon practice, I thought it was pretty efficient. We just got in the things we needed to get in to be ready to play. I think at this time of year too, scouting matters. There’s familiarity with the teams you’re playing and you relay on that a little bit. But it’s more about, ‘are you doing what you do really well?” Doing it on both ends of the floor. You cannot afford to have a game where you’re not at your best. That’s where we’ve been focusing and that's been the message.
 
On managing minutes in the first game…
“We’re just trying to win it. We have developed a rotation. It’s been easier for me, anyway, with Austin being out because the perimeter was crowded. We certainly want him back because he impacts our team and winning, but our rotations have been consistent and I don’t plan on doing anything out of the norm. Just making sure you have a survive and advance mentality.”