ASU Basketball: “Guard U” signings are the first mark of Bobby Hurley’s ASU legacy

With former ASU basketball guards Tra Holder, Shannon Evans II and Kodi Justice all signed to professional basketball rosters, Bobby Hurley has now created the initial pieces of his legacy at the program.

When Bobby Hurley left Buffalo to become Arizona State’s head basketball coach at the conclusion of the 2015 season, high expectations were attached.

During his two-year stint with the Bulls, Hurley led the team to unprecedented success. The run included a tie of the school’s all-time win record (23), the program’s first two conference championships and its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015.

It was then that Hurley began to plant the seeds of his comical coaching attributes, running up and down the sidelines while yelling at officials until his face was as red as an apple. To this day, these moments may outshine his team’s play from an entertainment perspective.

But more importantly, his immediate success signaled the arrival of one of the best young coaches in college basketball. ASU athletic director Ray Anderson noticed it, and soon after embarking on the coaching ranks, Hurley became one for one of the nation’s elite conferences.

Three seasons later, the 47-year-old has now left behind the first chapter of his Sun Devil legacy. Following Tra Holder‘s pledge to Italy’s Fiat Torino in July and Kodi Justice‘s commitment to Parma in Russia, Shannon Evans II completed the graduation of “Guard U” trio to professional basketball by signing a contract with Atomeromu in Hungary on Wednesday.

The three were the catalysts for one of the most memorable seasons in ASU history, leading the team to a perfect 12-0 record in non-conference play while earning the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.

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Although the team’s final record wasn’t indicative of the triumphs before January, it’s hard to complain about a 20-win season and a berth to March Madness within three seasons of hiring a new coach.

It’s the kind of success that Hurley will hope to jump on from this point forward.

“That’s kind of the standard,” Hurley said. “We set the tone with what we want to do, how we want to compete, year in and year out, to put ourselves in a position to play in the postseason, play in the NCAA Tournament.”

Hurley continued. “Last year, we were under the radar, especially initially. Now we’re not anymore. The secret is out. We have good players, we had a great season last year. We’ve got to make sure we’re ready to do it again.”

In his first two years strutting down the ASU sideline, a similar standard for Hurley’s players didn’t exist. The Sun Devils finished with similar records of 15-17 and 15-18, respectively, with hopeful moments often being marred by a plethora of Pac-12 defeats.

Furthermore, those teams lacked an identity to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Holes at the forward positions and thin rotations would often keep the Devils from competing with superior opponents.

That wasn’t the case last season. Led by three savvy guards that could shoot, dribble and penetrate with equal proficiency, the Devils remained alone at one point as the final unbeaten team in college basketball. The honor came with a pair of victories against future NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds Kansas and Xavier away from home.

The success was built on a lineup and style that may seem unorthodox. The three guards would typically play at the same time, sometimes alongside Remy Martin or big men ready to break in transition.

The tempo from this lineup allowed the Sun Devils to become one of the nation’s top five scoring offenses early on. ASU would finish the season as the 17th ranked scoring offense in all of Division 1, tallying an average of 82.7 points per game.

Yes, the Devils would give up some weaknesses in size and strength, but they sure made up for it in speed and athleticism. The team held a positive scoring margin of 20.1 points while averaging 91.8 points per game during their 12-0 start.

Ten years ago, the thought of a lineup like that would be unheard of. Now, it’s said to have been originated from Hurley’s “Guard U.”

“I think teams will recognize how competitive those guys are, how good they are off the dribble, creating,” Hurley said. “I think that’s what the NBA has become, a league where you need to be able to beat your man and make a play.”

Hurley continued. “All three of those guys can do that and I think they will all have a chance to help an NBA team at a certain point. They’re going to fight for it because they did for me every time we played.”

When Hurley joined the Sun Devil culture in 2015, some people pledged patience. He was inheriting a roster comprised of Herb Sendek recruits, not his own. They weren’t necessarily pieces that were meant to go play professional basketball. The expectation was that he’d begin to build success within his own recruiting classes.

Instead, he took Sendek’s two best players (Holder and Justice) and turned them into elite Pac-12 guards. The pair saw increases in points per game in each year under Hurley’s tutelage and thrived under a system that encouraged them to run and score the ball in bunches.

Along the way, a Hurley-trained guard from Buffalo named Evans came in and provided his own explosive touch. Only Hurley believed in him while he was a two-star recruit, and by the end of his collegiate days, he’d been the leader for two NCAA Tournament teams and an all-conference selection for both conferences he played in.

Now, all three players can say they’ve signed on to play professional basketball. Although Evans and Holder had incompatible runs with NBA Summer League rosters this summer, their lessons from Hurley will likely give them another shot to compete in the world’s best league.

Regardless, they weren’t meant to be in that type of conversation. Each guard flew under the radar when they arrived in the face of college basketball, and now that they’ve ran through Hurley, they’ve each set themselves up for a professional career.

The outlook of Arizona State’s team will be much different next season, likely with several athletic wings rather than versatile guards. It appears to be another opportunity for Hurley to leave behind a successful trail.