Coach Hurley met with the media on Wednesday, Oct. 5 to give everyone an update on all things Sun Devil Basketball. Here is a breakdown of what Coach said, and what everyone wrote about it later.
"It is good to be back. We had a great first weekend of practice for our preseason. The summer training program integrating the new players and the freshman into what we do. We have had a solid month in September leading into practice. We got a lot done the first weekend, physically it was taxing on the guys. Their bodies are feeling it and hurting, but nothing in term of injuries which is the first thing I always hope to avoid with the shock to the bodies. Our practices right now are like a training camp mentality, NBA mentality to how the first weekend is. The guys have survived that and we are going later today. It is good that we are getting started. We have a few weeks until our first game. It is an exciting time."
Get ready for #MillMadness on Oct. 14!
— Sun Devil Athletics (@TheSunDevils) September 28, 2016
FREE basketball on Mill Ave. with @SunDevilHoops @SunDevilWBB and @ASUPAB https://t.co/7VagwEM1RJ
DevilsDigest TV: Bobby Hurley Previews 2016-17 Team https://t.co/a234f3IQ9o
— DevilsDigest.com (@DevilsDigest) October 5, 2016
On the transition to his second season at ASU
"We are experimenting with a few things right now in terms of how our roster is built. I do have guys now that I have coached for a year and then other guys that have sat out. To have those guys have the knowledge and the expectations of what I am looking for and to be able to execute that is helpful. Having Tra Holders, Kodi Justice and Shannon Evans, guys with the experience that they have has been great for the younger players."
Bobby Hurley ready for year two at Arizona State #12Sports https://t.co/w9NYf2a0SS via @12News
— Robby Baker (@RobbyBaker12) October 6, 2016
On the addition of new players to the roster
"With Romello White being an academic redshirt, it does change some of the direction of how we will play this year. We are not as deep as what I anticipated on the front line so we are doing some things that I might not have done in the past, defensively, to compensate for that. We are prepared. On the flip side, we are excited about the young guys. It depends how quickly they come along. Jethro Tshisumpa is a big body, I haven't coached someone with such raw athletic tools. He is 6'10" and 260 pounds of power and athletic with 4.6% body fat. The guy is physical specimen. He has a lot to learn and pick up along the way. I am excited to see how he develops over time. I think we are going to be led by our perimeter. I wouldn't trade our perimeter with anyone in the country. I think it is experienced, it's productive in the past, it's produced, and proven. We have added some high level talent to that circle, like Sam Cunliffe, so I feel great about that."
On if his roster will be built on the speed of his players
"Based on what I am seeing and it is still early, Obinna Oleka would be a guy we have confidence throwing the ball inside to. I think the main way that we are going to get to the rim with this group is going to be attacking off the dribble with our guards. I think they are going to pose some problems for defenses because of their ability, quickness and creativity off the bounce to get to the rim and I think we have a chance to be an outstanding 3-point shooting team with Kodi. Kodi looks fantastic. He had a great day yesterday, really stroking the ball well. Shannon Evans, same deal. Sam Cunliffe also brings that dimension. Torian Graham has had a great preseason. He was a guy that was a top 50 player at one point and has not had a chance to play at this level. However he has shown us a lot in the preseason."
On what he was able to take away from his first season
"The size and the talent base in the league, and realizing that we have to get it done year-in and year-out recruiting. You can see the level of talent throughout the board by producing NBA talent. We have to think about that every year by making sure we are targeting guys that have a chance to be professionals. It is hard to win in this conference if you do not have those types of guys. That being said, I think a lot people focus on the McDonalds All-Americans and that is how they might try to project where a team might finish in the league based on how many McDonalds All-Americans they have. I feel pretty good about our roster coming into this year. Shannon Evans is the equivalence of the McDonalds All-American based on where his game is at and what he is going to do this year."
On the development of Tra Holder
"I see the fire in Tra which is great. When I first got here, I saw all of his skills and his ability to get to the rim. I think that his competitive drive has improved as well as his leadership. When his team doesn't win a segment, you see the frustration. He is starting to be more vocal and lead our team more. He and Shannon go head-to-head everyday which is great for both of them. Once we turn both those guys loose together, they have a chance to do something special."
On Shannon Evans II
"He is just as gifted as any player in our conference coming into this year on the perimeter. When you see that guy work every day and make plays, whether its hitting the deep threes, getting in the lane, finding teammates, playing the defensive end at a high level or guarding the ball, the guy doesn't get tired. He can just run all day. We did our team mile and he was 4:59, which is the top time I have ever been around in my coaching. The intangibles and electricity that he plays with, I think that his team will feed off his positive energy and I think the fans will enjoy that too."
Who is guy @BobbyHurley11 said is like a volcano ready to explode? https://t.co/RoFcyhPbgD THIS GUY: https://t.co/HcKPhp8wN2
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) October 5, 2016
On the coaching at a university that has brought Chinese coaches to ASU
"I have really embraced the program and I get excited when I see the delegation in our facility. As a coach, you want to share and you want to learn. Yesterday we had the Utah Jazz in our practice facility practicing leading into their game tonight versus the Suns. I watched practice and I learned. I picked up a few things and we want to share that. We want to be able to show our training techniques and see if they can improve. Also, there are 25-30 coaches at our practices so our player's get the feel of having people watch them which I think adds something to our practices."
On what it was like to have the Chinese coaches there for a practice
"They have been super supportive and respectful. At times, you can't even tell that they are in the building. I didn't think that we had a great practice yesterday, I wasn't completely thrilled with how we practiced so we were back this morning at 6:30 a.m. to try to figure a few things out. The coaches present for yesterday's practice applauded our team after, which I thought was very special. I wasn't sure that our guys and coaches deserved that yesterday, but it was nice that they did that."
On working with Sam Cunliffe
"Sam is ready, he has a college ready body. The work ethic is there and he truly wants to be great. It is going to take some time. It is always a learning curve with freshman adjusting to this level of competition. He is out there with guys who are really good player so I think that is going to make him better. I know that he brings something different to our team, just with his ability to get to the rim. He is one of the better mid-range shooters that you will see. He is 6'7" and he can elevate on his jump shots so he is going to be able to get to his sports and shoot over people. His passing has been a pleasant surprise, something that maybe I didn't notice coming into this year. If there is one thing that I love, it is our guys sharing the ball very well, playing unselfishly. Kobi, Shannon, Tra, they are all doing that and now Sam is seeing that and he is now falling into line doing that."
On his courtside demeanor in year two
"I am very laid back now. I came from the east, I went to the west. I didn't know the officials and what they would be like. There is always a transition of learning people and figuring out the officials mannerisms. There is a learning curve there for me on how to act and how to respond to them. I am always going to be passionate and fiery, that is just my personality. I do feel if the guys are playing at the level we are capable of playing, and we are playing well, then I will not need to engage as much with the officials."
On the nonconference schedule
"We know that a lot depends on what we do in that non-conference. It impacts what position you are in just in terms of post season. We are giving ourselves target games that gives us a chance to be very competitive and if we win then that would put us in a good position for postseason. The NCAA tournament committee desires to see teams that will push themselves with their non-conference and we want to recruit guys that want to play in those games. If we keep playing our non-conference the way we played last year, I couldn't have asked to be in a better position going into league play."
On the team's goals heading into the season…
"I think it would be premature to judge that right now. We have to get a feel for what else is out there by testing the waters a bit. I do like our talent level quite a bit. We have to embrace doing some things to compensate for not having an ideal number of big players and size. We are going to have to rebound collectively and focus more on the defensive end to be gritty and scrappy. That is the way we need to be in order to be an elite offense team. We did not do that last year and it was frustrating because I have a very strong defensive background in my life and in my basketball life and our team did not live up to that this year, especially in the Pac-12. That is something that we are addressing right now and focusing on in our practices."
On Shannon Evans II retuning the court in 2016
"I think it is like a volcano that is building up for him. That guy has so much passion and energy which was all bottled up last year. He helped Tra get ready to play by how good he was on the practice court. He wants to play so bad that I think I will have to calm him down the first few games since he will be so amped to play."
On the value of having versatile players on the roster
"I think there could be scenarios that our lineup could be different and we may experiment with those as we go through the preseason. Obinna is very comfortable away from the basket with the ball, he can obviously shoot the three and put it on the floor. He is willing to go in there and battle. Sam has the size, body and bounce to go in there and rebound. We have some guys who can play multi positions and interchangeable lineups. We can put a lot of offense on the court at one time. I think we can put some stress on defenses and make some decisions on who they will plan to guard."