Without Jose Perez, the Sun Devils struggled mightily on offense, scoring just 16 second half points
LOS ANGELES, Ca. — It’s been a streaky season for Arizona State men’s basketball.
In the season finale, Arizona State (14-17, 8-12 Pac-12) surrendered runs of 18-0 and 22-3 to UCLA (15-16, 10-10 Pac-12). The Sun Devils could not survive the latter as the offense struggled mightily.
With important seeding for the final conference tournament still on the line, ASU’s play was shadowed by the departure of guard Jose Perez.
Perez, who abruptly quit on the team following its loss to USC just days prior, was not seen warming up with the team. He averaged 13.5 points per game and possessed the tools needed to score from anywhere, especially at the charity line where he attempted 191. Guard Frankie Collins is the next closest on the team with 95.
Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley confirmed Perez will no longer be with the team as he has “taken a position (to play) overseas.”
Perez reposted a video on his Instagram story stating, “there’s a thin line between loyalty and stupidity. I’m going to be loyal, but I’m not going to be stupid. I’m not going to be so loyal that I betray myself.”
His absence was glaring, as ASU mustered only 16 second half points.
Adam Miller was able to bear the load during the first half, providing 11 points off 4-for-7 from the field and 3-for-6 from deep. Jamiya Neal added eight points while Collins recorded five. As a team, ASU shot 50 percent.
The offense seemingly fell of a cliff, shooting just 22.7 percent after the intermission and its leading scorer, Collins, had just five points.
The path of the 2024 Sun Devils was anything but linear. The program started 4-0 in conference play before dropped seven of eight, which included five consecutive, and experienced the highs of upsetting ranked Washington State.
During that dreadful midseason slump, the Sun Devils surrendered runs of 13-0 in first loss to Washington; 15-0 in loss to Oregon in Eugene; 17-0 in loss to Oregon State; 17-2 in loss to Stanford; 8-0 and 9-0 runs in loss to Cal; 21-3 in loss to Colorado; 16-0 in overtime loss to Washington; 13-3 in second loss to Arizona; 10-0 in loss to USC; and runs of 18-0 and 22-3 in its most recent loss to UCLA.
Between the lack of depth, which Hurley eluded to, and overall talent, it’s been fickle.
ASU has locked in as the No. 11 seed and will face No. 6 Utah in the opening round of the final Pac-12 Tournament. This is the lowest seeding for ASU since coach Bobby Hurley took the reigns in 2015-16.
The Sun Devils defeated the Utes 82-70 and 85-77, but completing the season sweep of the same foe is tough, let alone without your best offensive weapon. Perez scored 26 and 21 points in each meeting.
Should ASU fall to Utah in the opening round of the tournament, Hurley will suffer his worst winning percentage in a season in his nine years in maroon and gold. Hurley and ASU agreed to a contract extension through 2025-26 with a $200,000 annual raise after locking in a spot in the NCAA Tournament in 2023.
Despite the underwhelming play and rather bizarre turns during the season, Hurley’s position does not seem in jeopardy as it braces for the Big 12, still without an athletic director.
Tipoff is set for Wednesday, March 13, at 8:30 p.m. PT