Sun Devil Hoops identity boils down to overall grit

When the Sun Devils tip off the new basketball season this year, fans can expect a different aura around the team. With a roster of new faces, coach Bobby Hurley has shifted the focus back to the foundational pillars of the program. 

“I think it comes down to that really, mental toughness,” he said. “We had games last year where a team would run 10 points off on us, and we would not respond. You’ve got to have guys who are willing to face those types of adversities and be able to have a response and dig themselves out of a hole.”

Rejuvenated by the new faces and the chance to play in front of fans again, Hurley’s squad is hoping to feed off of energy that it lacked all of last season.

“We all missed y’all. We missed our fans in general, but my family and everybody coming back is always gonna boost me to play harder,” forward Jalen Graham said. 

Graham is one of three returning players who experienced last season’s mess. Aside from COVID-19 complicating the schedule and forcing a lot of stop-and-go play, there were issues with teamwork and communication, causing a rift between the players and ultimately costing them a couple of games. 

Over the summer, the program underwent a complete overhaul. Nearly all of the players from last year’s roster entered the transfer portal, or in Josh Christopher’s case, the NBA Draft, leaving Hurley with a nearly blank canvas. 

So far, the players say it’s been a night-and-day difference from last year, and things are only just getting started. 

“The vibe is way better. I feel like we’ve improved,” Graham said. “I feel like just in general, practice is gonna be better and it’s gonna help us get better in here.”

According to the returners, a lot of the issues last year boiled down to their inability to spend time together as a team leading up to the season. This year, the team is practically inseparable, going out to eat or playing video games in their spare time. 

“We spent a lot of time with each other off the court. Especially coming from the Covid year,” forward Kimani Lawrence said. “When we’re not playing, we’re all together all the time.” 

Lawrence has the most experience playing for Hurley, as he joined the Sun Devils out of high school in 2017. Throughout his time at Arizona State, he’s been a part of the program’s revitalization that brought the fans back to the arena. He’s been around other great players in the past and said he knows what it takes to be at the top of their game. 

“I’ve been here with Hurley so I know what he’s looking for,” Lawrence said. “I know what a good practice looks like, a good workout looks like. So I just basically try to be an extension of him on the court and try to teach a lot of the guys.”

Hurley said Lawrence and Graham will need to step up as leaders and help establish the culture the Devils need to win.

“Both of those guys are motivated to have great years, both individually and then just getting us back on track and being a winning program,” Hurley said. 

Another player that Hurley expects to assume a leadership role is forward Marcus Bagley. While he didn’t get to see as much time on the court as he’d like last year due to injuries, he still was around to see what transpired on the team and can see the difference between the two rosters already in practice. 

“It’s just changing the culture, because last year we struggled, but I feel like this collection of guys, everybody works hard. Everybody is on the same page,” Bagley said. “They’re making my job that much easier, they all come to work. They all love being here, and if everybody wants to be here, that’s all you can ask for.”

Among the transfers expected to make an impact this year are Toledo transfer Marreon Jackson and Illinois State transfer D.J. Horne. Hurley said their previous college experience should help them progress quickly and understand what goes into having a good practice. 

Another transfer who was part of the team last year but was unable to play was Luther Muhammad. Hurley said Muhammad, who came from Ohio State, has emerged as a vocal leader for the team. 

“I just really appreciate, again, how hard these guys play, how they compete and practice, and how they communicate,” Hurley said. “Having Luther Muhammad and Marreon Jackson, they’re always talking during practice. So our practices are not quiet and it’s not only the coaches who are talking.

“I’m not sure we had anything like that last year, so that’s a real plus.”

When the season tips off on Nov. 9 against Portland, it will mark the first time in 612 days that ASU has played in front of home fans. Sun Devils fans should expect to see a much more physical and defensive team; an all-out effort in every game. Moving away from the Guard U. mentality of years past, Arizona State will run a more balanced attack, thanks to the addition of two bigs. 

“I think we’ve improved in that aspect for sure. We’ve got a lot of size, a lot of shot blockers, and things like that, so I think we’ll be settled in that,” Bagley said. 

“I think we’re looking really good, especially from a toughness and defensive standpoint,” Lawrence added. “We’ve got guys that came from lower majors that have a lot to prove that play with a chip on their shoulder every day. I’m playing with a chip on my shoulder. Hurley has a chip on his shoulder, everybody’s got something to prove this year.” 

With so many questions arising from last season’s debacle, a lot of eyes will be on the program this season, wondering what to expect. 

“You know, we’re hungry. We thought we were gonna be good last year, but now we’re kind of the underdogs. That’s what we wanted to be. We love that,” Graham said. “We’re gonna surprise a lot of people.”