The ink isn't even dry on the 2025-26 Arizona State men's basketball season. The Sun Devils were eliminated from the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday, concluding Bobby Hurley's 11th season. Many also expect it to be his last.
No decision has been made, as Hurley will meet with athletics director Graham Rossini now that the season is over to discuss his future. Despite the job not even being open yet, though, one very surprising name has already risen to the forefront of the conversation:
Derek Glasser.
Name to watch for the Arizona State job (when it officially opens) is former Sun Devils guard Derek Glasser, source told @thefieldof68.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 11, 2026
Glasser is currently an assistant at UC Santa Barbara, and played with James Harden in Tempe for two seasons from 2007-09.
For those who don't recall, Glasser played for the Sun Devils. The California native played point guard at Arizona State from 2006 to 2010, overlapping with the legendary James Harden. Glasser became the first player in program history to score 1,000 points and notch 500 assists in his career.
The three-time team captain has, unsurprisingly, gotten into coaching since wrapping a professional career overseas. He currently serves as an assistant coach for the Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara under head coach Joe Pasternack.
Some will remember that Pasternack once worked for the enemy, serving six seasons as an assistant under Sean Miller for the Arizona Wildcats. Between Pasternack and Glasser, the Gauchos have established a consistent recruiting presence in the state of Arizona.
Prior to UC Santa Barbara, Glasser spent four seasons at Rice under head coach Scott Pera. That's also notable, as Pera was Harden's high school coach way back in the day and was actually hired to be an assistant at Arizona State during both Harden and Glasser's time playing there.
According to reports, Glasser is rising in popularity due to the specific backing of Harden himself. The current Cleveland Cavalier star has recently gotten more involved in NIL donations to his alma mater, but it's believed that those donations could increase "substantially" if Glasser were to be the head coach in Tempe.
There have also been rumblings that Pera could return to the fold as well. Currently the general manager at Penn State, Pera went 96-127 across seven seasons at Rice. He would likely be involved either as the general manager or as Glasser's lead assistant.
The proposal is a highly unusual one.
Glasser is listed as the offensive coordinator for the Gauchos, so he's one of their top assistants, but he's still very young in his coaching career. He's never coached at the Power 4 level, and has zero head coaching experience. To have his first lead job come in the Big 12, the premier basketball conference, would be an unprecedented move.
Yet, money makes the world go round. If Glasser could really bring in some sort of financial windfall to the basketball program by way of Harden's deep pockets and luxurious beard, that could move the needle. Athletics director Graham Rossini has made it clear that football is Arizona State's top priority, so finding a coach who can bring in other sources of money would be a big plus.
Still, handing the keys to such a young and unproven coach is a major risk. Nobody blinked twice when Rossini hired the highly successful Molly Miller away from Grand Canyon, but Glasser's resume is miniscule compared to hers.
It remains to be seen if Glasser actually gets the job, let alone if he can follow through on the supposed promises of funding. Regardless of whether or not that happens, this has already made for one very intriguing coaching search.