ASU athletic director: Strong candidate pool emerging for Bobby Hurley's job

Now a national search is underway for ASU's next men's basketball coach. Renovations on Desert Financial Arena will begin later this spring. So while athletic director Graham Rossini is thankful for Hurley's dedication to the program over the last 11 years, it is full steam ahead. There's no looking back, only looking ahead to the future, which Rossini says is bright.

This will be the most important hire in Rossini's still-young tenure. His first hire was women's tennis coach Jamea Jackson, while the second was women's basketball coach Molly Miller.

"I want somebody who is going to be excited to be the men's basketball coach at Arizona State," Rossini said. "Not a chance to be a Power 4 head coach. Not a chance to join the Big 12. How is their style, their background, their lived experiences a fit for what we need at this exact moment? That's a very specific fit. There are a lot of coaches who are ready to have success in the Big 12. They're ready for a move into this conference. That's only half the equation.

"It's got to be somebody who understands who Arizona State is, what this opportunity could mean from the basketball standpoint, from a quality of life standpoint, from a leadership standpoint. And understand how they fit in. We're not for everybody, and that's OK."

The school is going through Elevate Search Partners LLC for the national search.

Rossini said when there is a reasonable expectation that a change could be in the works, schools usually formulate an internal list of potential candidates. He said a lot of people reached out in the short time the position has been open — an indicator that it might be a more attractive position than some think.

He added that it doesn't appear many power-conference positions will open up, which should give him a stronger candidate pool from which to choose. The search process may be in the early stage, but he is excited about the potential.

"We've got momentum across all levels of the department," Rossini said. "That's what's really the most exciting thing for me at this moment as we open the position. A lot of interest from all walks of the sport. We've got successful head coaches, you've got ready assistants. You've got people with NBA backgrounds who found ways to make it known that if you want to consider me, I'd love to be on the list. Right out of the gate, really strong candidate pool is starting to develop."

The transfer portal opens on April 7, immediately after the completion of the NCAA Tournament. It closes on April 21. The balance of the ASU roster consists of players with eligibility remaining, but they will want to know who the coach will be.

The national narrative right now is that ASU is not an attractive position because of the aging facility and what seems to be a limited NIL budget compared to conference peers. The condition of Desert Financial Arena has been a sticking point for years. The first of three phases of renovations at a cost of $100 million will start as soon as spring graduation is complete.

"I don't agree with the sentiment that it's a tough basketball job or it's a tough place to win," Rossini said. "I would consider it the exact opposite. The national narrative may not reflect what's happening locally, and our fans have seen that. I hope the local media has noticed that, as well. That there is momentum in our department, and there's a different energy throughout Sun Devil athletics. That starts with the amazing group of head coaches that are here."

Rossini hopes the arena renovations start the ball rolling. A better venue could lead to better attendance, which then draws more engagement from donors and alumni.

"The resource question, I don't get it," he said. "I would hope the momentum we're starting to create is a good indicator of what we are capable of here. We are prepared to make smart decisions, strategic decisions to find new connections, to rekindle old relationships, and build that shared responsibility where it can't just be the departments, it can't just be the university. We need to obsess over our fans. That fan base gives us the energy and the resources to reinvest in our programs like men's basketball."