Devils hit road, thinking of Kobe
Arizona State men's basketball coach Bobby Hurley crossed paths with Kobe Bryant just once. It came on the court during his last season with the Sacramento Kings, which happened to be Bryant's first with the Los Angeles Lakers.
"Don't try any of here," Hurley recalls chastising him.
Hurley addressed the media Tuesday morning at Weatherup Center before the team departed for its road trip to the Washington schools. It was 48 hours after the death of the NBA great, his daughter and seven others in a helicopter crash Sunday morning in Calabasas, California.
Hurley still looked and sounded distraught, admitting it has been hard focusing on the tasks ahead — a Wednesday game at much-improved Washington State (12-8, 3-5) and a Saturday contest at Washington (12-9, 2-6).
"Our team has been in a bit of a funk since then. There are so many guys on our team that idolized Kobe and so it has been a struggle. We’ve been trying to work through it as best we can but he meant so much to this generation of players and to see that happen and have families torn apart, the tragedy is very upsetting," he said.
"We’ve done what we could in terms of practicing and getting the work that we needed to get done and now we will head out on the road.”
Hurley said when talking to his players he didn't draw on his own neardeath experience, an automobile accident in 1993, because he didn't want to make it about him.
“I talked to a few guys who were really bothered by it initially. We spoke as a group and I just remind them how precious life is and to take advantage of all your moments. Nothing is guaranteed no matter how much you’ve accomplished or how much fame or money you that Duke stuff the then-rookie have. Life can be taken from you he said.
Junior point guard Remy Martin grew up in Chatsworth, 35 miles or so from Staples Center where Bryant's wizardry and competitive spirit were on display with the Los Angeles Lakers.
After the Sun Devils rallied from a 22point deficit in upsetting nemesis Arizona 66-65 Saturday night, the Pac-12's leading scorer went back to Southern California to be with his family.. It helped to be around loved ones when he heard the news.
"I just respected him in every aspect. It didn’t matter if it was basketball, it was just the way he went about life," Martin said. "For me personally, that’s the only reason why I worked the way I worked and had the schedule, really because of Kobe. From waking up from three, four in the morning to finishing your day earlier than everybody else, that was a big inspiration.”
Junior Alonzo Verge recalled watching videos of Bryant's interviews and appreciating learning from him. instantly,"
"Like I’m at a loss for words," said Verge, who scored the game-winning bucket Saturday on a layup with nine seconds left. "He meant a lot. I felt like he had a lot more to offer to the game, a lot more knowledge to give back. And it’s real sad.”
Games may not seem to matter in the grand scheme of things but they are fast approaching and life has to go on.
The Sun Devils (12-7, 3-3) haven't swept a conference road trip in more than a decade and this one won't be easy either.
Hurley added a lot of his players have been sick, most notably freshman forward Jalen Graham, who turned in some valuable minutes off the bench on Saturday with junior starter Romello White in foul trouble.
Washington State, led by sophomore forward C.J. Elleby (18.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg), is one of the most improved teams in the conference. With 10 more games left in the regular season the Cougars, now coached by Kyle Smith, have already won more games than they did a year
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ago when they were 11th in the Pac-12 (only Cal was worse.).
Washington was one of the favorites in the conference race but has lost five out of six games since sophomore point guard Quade Green was ruled academically ineligible. Four of the five losses have been by a total of 13 points and the Huskies now sit in the conference cellar.
Hurley said the team has not made any decisions on what it might do to honor Bryant when it next takes the court
“It’s a tough line to walk, because you have to be sensitive to the feelings of people. And they have to grieve and go through their process, and you can’t put your foot on the gas and accelerate that process. It’s just got to play out at their speed," he said.
"I’m going to try to do the best I can to get their mind right on playing and competing. I think I’ve shared with them that, the type of competitor that he was, if you want to honor his memory, then go out there and prepare and work like he did. There wasn’t a guy that maybe worked on his game or strived to be greater at the game of basketball than he did."